Our friends Sue and Bill recommended this place. It's right next to Honeysuckle Café, where we had brunch Wednesday. We decided to try it for dinner last night and Sue strongly recommended we make reservations so I did, for 5:45 so we'd have plenty of time to make it back to Ashland for our 8:00 play. We arrived about 10 minutes early and were seated right away. We sat inside, though the patio is protected by umbrellas and is large and attractive, surrounded by bamboo and a metal fence. Out of window by our table I could see a lovely, rustic metal fountain.
Our server was Zach and he reeled off the specials w/ aplomb. There were several of them, mostly seafood, one beef, in addition to the regular menu. He didn't give us the prices so I asked and they were reasonable, $30-32. The appetizer special was lobster pot stickers, 6 to an order for $15.95. We ordered those. The special that interested Nina was a basil crusted Alaskan halibut w/ baby bok choy, cherry tomatoes and I forget what else topped w/ a coconut curry sauce. What interested me was a special called Javanese Salmon, Columbia River salmon topped w/ a soy, chili sauce served w/ asparagus and shiitaki mushrooms. I asked for the sauce on the side because I wasn't sure how spicy it would be. We stayed w/ water to drink.
The pot stickers arrived and they were fabulous. They were popular as well. The couple at the table next to us had them, as did the people at the table next to them. By about 7:15 they had run out of them. After a wait we were brought a bowl of fragrant rice. Then we waited and waited and waited. Eventually Zach came over to report that Nina's halibut had been given away as a to-go order and that more was being made. He took away the bowl of rice that had grown cold. Nina reminded him that we had a play in Ashland. Our dishes did arrive, along w/ another bowl of rice, and they were fabulous, well worth the wait. The pieces of fish were generous and were beautifully cooked. The bite I had of Nina's halibut was sumptuous. My salmon and the accompanying vegetables were marvelous and I was glad I had the sauce on the side because I didn't like it that much and the fish was lovely on its own Zach came over and offered us a complimentary dessert to make up for the wait. We couldn't decide between a creme brulee and a sorbet, so he gave us a creme brulee and one scoop of the sorbet, both of which were delicious.
Nina and I talked about bringing the guys here when we return in October. Then I saw the sign in the bathroom stating that as of July they would no longer be open on Saturdays and Sundays to allow their staff and them to spend more time w/ their families, so unless we make it to the area in time for dinner Friday night that's unlikely to happen. We will discuss as the time gets closer. For the record, we made it back to Ashland in time to find parking and make it to the play. read more