Any thoughts on good restaurants in Ashland? We like all types.

On my recent trip in early April, we went to Thai Pepper, a perennial favorite of mine for higher end Thai, and Amuse, which was new to me and which my friend and I thought was absolutely wonderful.

Lark's, in the Ashland Springs Hotel, is another good one. And it's almost obligatory to mention Chateaulin.

Here are our favorites:

The Peerless(Railroad district) and Amuse - more upscale/expensive
Kat Wok - Pan Asian
Tabu - Nuevo Latino
Morning Glory - fabulous breakfasts and lunch (across from the college)
Standing Stone Brewing - good casual, good pizza, great salads, hamburgers
The deli downstairs in Allyson's has excellent sandwiches for a quick lunch
The Mix - excellent coffee, espresso and treats, also another good place for a quick sandwich.

All restaurants are located on or near the Plaza unless otherwise noted.

We really like both the Peerless and Chateaulin. Chateaulin offers a Fixed Price menu which includes 2 glasses of wine which is nice. ***kim***

We only really ate at one place, Standing Stone Brewery and we liked it -- a lot.

We had a very nice dinner at an Italian restaurant, but I can't remember the name. Downtown and very nice. Wonderful antipasti plate with a ridiculous amount of good things. Nibbled off that thing for the next two days (doggie bagged it, but sorry, pooch, not for you). Thai Pepper was bland and not really up to par, later found out it isn't Asian at all. They have these odd spring rolls with cream cheese in them. Supposed to be their signature dish. Incredible location and outside dining on the creek, though. Morning Glory restaurant for breakfast was a pilgrimage and the pancakes divine. You can hardly go wrong in Ashland. Plus the countryside is so dang beautiful and the town so cozy.

Cocina Biazzi is probably the Italian place you are thinking of. ***kim***

We find dining in Ashland is more fun if we have low expectations.

My experience at Thai Pepper was the same as pdx. Some restaurants promise something they can't deliver. Chateaulin comes to mind. And so on.

I just recently returned from Ashland and enjoyed my dinner at Lela's. It was recommended here on Fodor's as a place where the locals also dine. Our meal was great. One of my daughter's had the Tuscan Eggplant Napoleon which is one the best dishes I have ever had. We all enjoyed our meal there. It's not right by the plaza but you would walk there although we drove since it was rainy outside.

Interesting about other people's experiences with Thai Pepper, I'm kind of surprised to hear that. Our food on our most recent visit (we had a couple different curries) was very good and nicely seasoned, not bland at all--it wasn't 4 star, bring-tears-to-your-eyes hot, but that's not my preference anyway (I usually order 2 stars in Thai restaurants here in Seattle so maybe I'm just a wimp ;-)). And that's consistent with my visits in the past--but maybe it depends on what you order.

It is interesting, isn't it NWW? Because I walked out of there feeling rather let down. Nice restaurant, little upscale, let's give a try. It kept missing something. It wasn't about heat, I'm with you about 2 stars. Maybe it was just that night.

We spend a few days in Ashland every summer.

This is going to sound boring, but it works for us: we eat breakfast (cappuccino & bagel or pastry) every single morning at the Bloomsbury bookstore's upstairs outdoor cafe, sitting in a peaceful patio, reading the paper, watching the birds and soaking up the sun.

We have dinner before going to a play every evening at the same place: Macaroni's upstairs outdoor peaceful cafe. Their pizza and salads are light and fresh, and just perfect for a simple, pre-theater meal. Nothing fancy, just good, as is the service and the atmosphere.

Both are on Main Street, within a five-minute walk from the theatres.

For a quick, tasty picnic lunch: go the Ashland Food Coop on First Street (also an easy walking distance.) Their deli is sophisticated and earthy, sort of like Whole Foods, but smaller, less corporate. All kinds of good stuff.

I love Ashland. Morning, noon and night; breakfast, lunch, and dinner -- and everything in between!

The best dining in Ashland is in Talent. In addition to New Sammy's, there's a Bunch of others: Inti-modern Mex, think inventive Tacos entrees +more- lamb in Chipolte Sauce, Crab Cakes,Nifty Soups, .... Bankoks Benny-home made Thai, Arbor House-elegant/exotic home cooking Tacos Michoacan in Tark's parking lot-the best truck in the Valley. The New Picasso's Pantry with sandwiches by the pound-fresh roasted turkey and pork loin.
..... http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs...0305/-1/COMM10
lots of places in Ashland:
Omar's
http://www.omarsrestaurant.com/barmenu.htm

and Peerless'
http://peerlessrestaurant.com/default.asp?pg=bar_menu
bar and menu are mucho fun.
Regular menu is nice also
Black Sheep for early or late:
http://www.theblacksheep.com/enter.html

This past Tues. night we dined at Amuse, it was wonderful. A very pretty dining room, excellent service and great food. I highly recommend a meal here while in the Ashland area, we will definitely return here. ***kim***

Not sure why you dredged up this post, kimamom, but since you did, how does Amuse stack up against other Ashland restaurants? Which, in your opinion, is the best restaurant in town?

beachbum, I read somewhere that kimamom had a free night in an Ashland hotel, maybe I can top that for you..meals were probably mentioned..

....and kimamon, what kind of dinner? more details for those of us too lazy to find out details for ourselves.