kimamom

We had another very wonderful stay at the Ashland Plaza & Suites which has replaced the Ashland Springs Hotel for our lodging when we are with our daughter.

They give us the same room each time we stay, so we feel like it's a second home now. We signed up for the tenth stay is free thing, which is cool. We're almost half way there!

We had an 8:30 reservation at Cucina Biazzi. I posted a report of that experience on Chowhound.com It was less than desirable to say the least. When we didn't tip for the horrid service, someone actually chased our car down and told us we forgot to tip the waitress, which was very tacky. The concierge at the Plaza said he will be calling the owner of CB to report this.

We had a wonderful lunch at the Ashland Cafe & Bakery the next day. We will definitely return there. Stopped by the Chateaulin wine shop and bought two of the best bottles of Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir we could afford. Very nice shop with a great selection of wines from all over the world and very helpful staff.

I wanted to catch Four Guys Named Jose at the Cabaret, but we didn't have time. We had two other cars that were going up with us and had to catch up to them.

We did stop in Portland and had a fantstic, wonderful, romantic, first-class meal at Paley's Place. I fell in love with this place and will post a report later on Chowhound. I would highly recommend Paley's to anyone in the Portland area.

From start to finish, this place is just the best. I wasn't aware that the highly esteemed Wildwood is right across the street. It was a tough choice, but I was totally thrilled and more about Paley's. ***kim***

jimshep

Hi ***kim***,

In Ashland, did you mean Ashland Plaza Inn and Suites? What do you like about the place?

Good for you in not tipping inept service at an overbooked restaurant. We?ve never had a good dining experience in Ashland. Help!

Your Paleys rave has inspired me to book a table there next time we are in Portland.

We ate at Wildwood a few years ago. The food was good, but our dumb little table against a wall with no view of other diners (or the outside) spoiled the experience.

I checked out the Bluehour web site. It makes the place look like the kind of sheik, precious, expensive place that prefers to cater to the favored few. Do you have more information about the place?

beachbum

Pretty good assessment of Bluehour, jim. Though the food is very good, not considering myself one of the favored few, it wasn't my kind of crowd.

kimamom

Hey Jim! Yes, that's what I meant, I'm still recovering from the long car trip! LOL The place is just great. Get the King spa jacuzzi suite. The rooms are spacious, service wonderful, and the location is great.

Right on the creek, you can hear it from the large balcony and it's walking distance to town. In the late afternoon, there's wine and cheese and PBJ's and chocolate chip cookies set out from ten to twelve each night. My daughter loves that about it.

I wasn't sure what kind of responses we would get about the not tipping. I told my husband not to tip (he's a huge tipper, btw) and just wanted to make a statement. Chasing our car down, was just too much.

Next time you're in Ashland, you must try the Peerless, you won't be disappointed. Also, Chateaulin is very nice. We'll try Beasy's on the Creek on our way back down.

We asked the waitress about the Bluehour and she wasn't too thrilled. The guy walking into Wildwood said "this place kicks !@#" when I asked him about Wildwood. The place looked uneventful when I peeked in the window.

When I peekd into Paley's, my first reaction was "oh my gosh, I'm in love!" I so wanted to get a t-shirt or a cap but they don't sell souvenirs. I also wanted that cool tin that they bring in the check in. I think they should sell those there.

Now tonight I will be trying the new Schooner's Bistro in Astoria and then later in the week, some places on the WA coast.

Next week, we hope to get to the Stephanie Inn for dinner, so stayed tuned for that experience.

Also, Kalypso in Seaside is on the list. Last night at the Ship Inn was great. The fish and chips are just the best to be found on the northern coast. ***kim***

jimshep

Thanks for the tips on Peerless and Beasy's on the Creek in Ashland and Ship Inn in Astoria. I look forward to your report on Scooner's Bistro (in Astoria, which isn't clear in your post).

Have you been to Cafe Mango in Cannon Beach, mentioned on another thread?

kimamom

Schooner's Bistro was fantastic. I want to post a full foodie report on chowhound later.

Haven't heard of Cafe Mango, but this trip will be the time to try everything in the area as we have a nice stretch of time here.

We may land in Seaside later this afternoon and I want to try Kalypso, also hoping for The Sanctuary in Chinook, WA for a nice dinner this Fri. night before heading over to St. Helens on business on Sat.

At least I'm an official Oregon Coast local for awhile! The Sunday Market here in Astoria was great. Anyone coming to the area should not miss this, it runs from 8-2 each Sun. through October. Gorgeous fresh flowers (comprable to Pikes) local crafts, fresh-picked blueberries, cherries, etc.

The cherry tartlets I got were wonderful and fresh, fresh, fresh.

Also will be checking out the Maritime Museum as we know the curator there and will have some items on display during the Lewis & Clark bi-centennial so our whole family ( we have nine up here this time!) will get free admission which is nice. ***kim***

BTilke

Wildwood gets mixed reviews, so don't feel bad about missing it. We used to eat there a lot but *only* because we really liked their salmon/potato cakes(big thumbs up for those). The few times we had some of the other items on the menu, we found them just ok. We had similar views about Typhoon--the appetizers were great but we felt let down by some of the main dishes.

kimamom

The waitress at Paley's said it could get inconsistent, also. I think I would like to try clarklewis if we get to have another meal in Portland this trip. We may be heading over there this afternoon to pick someone up from the airport. ***kim***

sesamebunz

Don't any of you attend the Ashland Shakespeare Festival? It is a glorious event and will run through October. We go every year. Lots more to appreciate that spas and dinners. It is a lovely cultural event. I agree with Jimshep about dining in Ashland. Nothing very creative in that area other than Bluehour.

kimamom

Bluehour is in Portland, OR, not Ashland. The Peerless is an excellent place to dine in Ashland. Have you been there before the theater, Sesamebunz? And have you seen the Green show, yet? ***kim***

sesamebunz

Bluehour is in Portland, OR, not Ashland. The Peerless is an excellent place to dine in Ashland. Have you been there before the theater, Sesamebunz? And have you seen the Green show, yet? ***kim***

I explained it poorly. We do not find fine dining in Ashland very exciting, Peerless included. In Portland, we enjoy
dining at Bluehour. And yes, we see the Green show before most of the Shakespeare productions. It is free and also fun. The same type program is offered at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. We attend both every year.

kimamom

Just a heads up on Cucina Biazzi: I received a letter from the concierge at the Plaza stating that the owner was very sorry about our experience and astounded that the server chased down our car for a tip.

They offered us a complimentary meal the next time we are in town, which may be as soon as next week! I'll post a report if we return, and we'll see if the second time is better!!

They did state that the night we were there was THE busiest night of the whole year for them, but it still doesn't excuse what happened with the server. ***kim***

kimamom

Jim, did try Cafe Mango in Cannon Beach. We sat outside on the small deck with beautiful views of downtown Cannon Beach.

As a previous poster suggested, the halibut was very good and the grilled summer veggies were also a hit. I would give it a try next time you're in CB!! ***kim***