Sunny Jin, the executive chef of the restaurant JORY at the Allison Inn and Spa, is excited about radishes. In the new farm-to-table zeitgeist, this, in and of itself, is not at all unusual, and it's even less unusual when the restaurant in question is a stone's throw from Portland, Oregon. What is unusual, and what comes to define my overall experience of the Allison, is the fact that the radishes are from a local high school student's 4-H project. "Sure, I could get them from somewhere else," he says, "but how cool is it to get them from this kid who's just pumped about growing them for us?"
More than anything else, this delight in the connection to the community is what strikes you about the resort, its staff, and the surrounding winemakers who call this green series of peaks and valleys home. A lot of lip service is paid these days to community-grown, grassroots-driven food movements, restaurants, gardens, and industry. But it's a rare thing indeed to see this sort of activity centered around a boutique luxury hotel, and rarer still to see it being executed with so much warmth, heart, and earnest joy.
That deliciously soft throw on your window seat in your room? The result of a collaboration between the owners' son and a local woolen mill—the fibers are from his alpacas. All of the original artwork throughout the hotel? The result of a deep, sustaining relationship between the owners' daughter, Loni Parrish, and local artists who answered an open call for artwork during the development of the Inn. (In addition to curating the walls of the Allison, Loni also owns a gallery in town, Art Elements). The unique soil of the region, for which the restaurant is named, is even to be found in one of the larger works of art that adorns the main dining room—everywhere, you are reminded of an intimate, inescapable sense of place. And when the place is this stunningly lovely, you are happy to be reminded, at every turn.
The sense of place is not merely visual at the Allison—it is driven home in the glass, and on the plate as well. Sunny Jin cooks with an exuberance and joy for the bounty of his chosen region that is infectious. From our more formal introductory dinner at the chef's table (a beautifully appointed room with a unique mobile comprised of dangling paper notes left by previous guests) to the family-style feast at the end of the trip at Soter Vineyards, Sunny's food revels in all that is local and luscious in Oregon—and there is a lot in both categories. Black trumpet mushrooms, foraged that morning by the chef, add an earthy, boreal note to a perfectly cooked piece of Wagyu beef. The wildness of the Oregon coast appears, bracingly briny, in an
amuse of uni and an ethereal custard, and that license-plate hallmark, the Douglas fir, pops up in one of my favorite small bites of all: a perfect quenelle of tart sorbet with candied pine tips and toasted pine nuts. It is sweet, clean, and startling, like a lungful of air on a Cascadian hike. You never knew trees could be quite so delicious.
Guests of the Allison are also fortunate in terms of proximity to some of the great producers of Oregon pinot—while not all of the vineyards are open to the public, those that are are well worth a day of visits and sampling—the Bergstrom, Lange, and Brick House (by appointment only) vineyards in particular. Heady, luscious, tart, supple—I could go on and on about these wines, but, then I'd need another column.
—Sarah Kanabay In the Area
Red Hills Market: Seared into my memory as the home of the best roasted hazelnuts I've ever had, period (they come with rosemary and crisp, nearly chip-like niblets of Carlton farms bacon), Red Hills market is also home to some seriously good breakfast pastries, sandwiches, and wood-fired pizzas. Peruse the local specialty product offerings, get an excellent cup of coffee, snack on a plentiful charcuterie platter, and then head out to the vineyards, fortified for a day of tastings.
155 SW Seventh Street, Dundee, OR; tel (971) 832-8414 The Painted Lady Restaurant: A Newberg favorite, this charming restaurant is tucked into an old Victorian home downtown—blink, and you'd never know it was an eatery. But then you'd be missing out on the seasonal delights of Chef Allen Routt's menu, which can include crispy Netarts oysters, venison carpaccio, and slow roasted local salmon. So, don't do that. Make a reservation instead.
201 S. College Street, Newberg, OR 97132; tel (503) 538-3850 Art Elements Gallery: All of the art for the Allison was selected by gallery owner Loni Parrish, and her passion for local art carries over into her own space in downtown Newberg. Visit to get an even deeper sense of the Allison's connection to the growth of the native art scene—and, perhaps, to take some of that local art home with you.
604 E. 1st Street, Newberg, OR 97132; tel (503) 537-8121
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