After breakfast on Day 10, we left McMinnville and headed South then West to the beautiful Oregon Coast. The coast highway travels along some magnificent cliffs with waves crashing on the rocks far below. There are a number of places to pull off the road for great views and photographs. As we headed South, the cliffs gave way to sand dunes which, while pretty, lacked the magnificence of the cliffs, so we headed inland to get to I-S towards California. In the mid-afternoon, we arrived at our destination for the next three nights, The Jacksonville Inn, winner of The Wine Spectator's Best of Award of Excellence.
The office is located in the wine store. While we waited to check in, we looked at the extensive collection of extremely fairly priced wines, wines of in every price range, from $10 local wines to $1000 1967 Chateau d'Yquem. As we found out at dinner, all thses wines, plus many others, were available at retail plus $10 in the restaurant. As we were speaking to the people in the store, one of the owners, an affable gentleman named Mike Higgins introduced himself to us. We met Mike in the dining room later and offered him tastes of our wines.
Our room was the Peter Britt room, selected because it was large and had a party-sized Jacuzzi in it. The room was well-appointed and the bed and furntiture comfortable and attractive. The bathroom with stall shower was all we could ask and the scented soaps were great. The inn is in an old building which is immaculately maintained. Our first day, the only problem we had the entire stay occurred. Our Jacuzzi didn't have hot water. I spoke to Mike about it and he had it fixed by the next morning. Without my asking, he adjusted our bill because of this. It worked perfectly the next two days.
The first evening, we brought a 2000 Martinelli Blue Slide Ridge Pinot Noir and a 1997 Martinelli Jackass Hill Zinfandel to dinner, which will be reviewed in the tasting notes forum. We offered Mike and our waitress, a young woman with a British accent, a taste of our wines. Our appetizers were:
Sauteed feta cheese over greens- nicely presented with sauteed onions, capers and tomatoes. My wife loved it.
Hanalei Roll- ahi tuna, cucumber, avocado, in tempura. It was outstanding with the outside deep fried and the sushi tuna inside still raw.
The Pinot Noir paired well with these appetizers as did the Zinfandel with the entrees. But before the entrees came a salad of baby greens with a Bleu Cheese vinaigrette. It was functional and fine, but not really noteworthy. The entrees:
King Salmon and Dungeness Crab with Bearnaise Sauce- the composition was fine, but the result was not up to the sum of its parts.
Pancetta-Wrapped Bison Steak with Green Peppercorn Demiglace- No complaints here. the dish was flavorful and prepared to my desired degree of doneness, but I prefer the the texture and flavor of a good beef steak.
Breakfast was included in the cost of the room, and what a breakfast it was. It could be served indoors or out, and we slected outdoors every day. Fresh squeezed orange juice was brought out to start the breakfasts and it may be the best orange juice I've ever had. Then, after individual plates of fresh fruit and good coffee were served, out came puff pastries with Oregon blackberries. You might think we were finished at that point, but next was a choice of many great sounding dishes. My favorite was Smoked Salmon Benedict, where smoked salmon was substituted for Canadian bacon in the traditional dish. Breakfasts the next two days were similar.
After breakfast on Day 11, we drove up to Crater Lake. It was the sightseeing highlight of our trip. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who finds themself in the area. The boats were inoperable, so we looked at the lake from the rim, then drove the 36 miles around the lake, stopping frequently for sightseeing and photographs.
At dinner the second day, we bought a bottle of 2001 Elk Cove Pinot Gris to accompany our appetizers:
Crab Ravioli with Dill Beurre Blanc- truly outstanding, both the ravioli and the sauce.
Hazelnut Prawns with Dill Beurre Blanc- also perfectly done with the shrimp cooked through, yet juicy.
We brought with us a 2001 Panther Creek Pinot Noir Anden Vineyard that Jack Rovicks handed to us when we left the winery in McMinnville, along with two other bottles. The entrees:
Seared Halibut in Saffron Broth with Clams, Mussels, Shrimp, amd Ratatouille- in my wife's words, "Absolutely delicious."
Ribeye Steak with Rock Shrimp and Mushrooms in a Brandy Cream Sauce- Perfectly done and a big hit. I couldn't find a flaw.
After breakfast on Day 12, we drove southwest to northwest California to see the Redwoods. This is also a must see in the area.
When we got back to the hotel, my wife went to the room and I went to the office to see if my friend, latour67 had checked in yet. They told me he had and I located him having lunch in one of the hotel's dining rooms. It was great to see him again and we talked for quite a while before getting ready for dinner.
At dinner that evening, I brought a 2001 Marquis Philips Shiraz and a 2000 Martinelli Giuseppe & Luisa Zinfandel. That made a convert out of latour. latour brought a 1983 Chateau Pichon-Lalande. Because we spent the evening talking about the iwnes and catching up on each others lives, I just wrote what we ordered and didn't take any other notes. Our appetizers were a repeat of the Crab Ravioli with Dill Beurre Blanc we liked so much and Crab Cakes with the same sauce. The entrees were a repeat of the Ribeye Steak with Mushrooms in a Brandy Cream Sauce, that we liked the previous inning, Peppercorn Rack of Lamb, and the Seared Halibut in Saffron Broth with Clams, Mussels, Shrimp, and Ratatouille that we previuosly enjoyed.
This inn was one of the highlights of our trip and we will go back, though it won't be for a number of years. I am so glad we decided to stay there. Mike Higgins, his partner, Jerry Evans, and the staff were concerned and justifiably proud of their establishment. The wine list was one of the best I've ever seen when selection and price are considered. |