Finally made it out to the pretty spectacular Allison Inn in Newberg on the Sunday of Thanksgiving Weekend. I had seen it on a tour before all the drywall was up, so it was great to see the finished product. We had just completed three days of pouring wine and could best be characterized as wiped out. We had heard very good things about Jory (and they even have our 06 Pinot Noir 144 on their list).
The bar area that surrounds part of the kitchen is beautiful (I can't wait to sit there for a late lunch), but we had a group so we sat at a table. They're obviously used to winery people, because they had no problem opening a bunch of bottles of wine that we brought. The rack of lamb was outstanding. I wish I could remember all the appetizers I tried, but I wasn't feeling too much pain by the end of the night (had a designated driver). We had a couple from Seattle join us for us for a while to try some wine - we're a friendly group and love meeting new people.
I do want to thank Tom and the staff there - some restaurants aren't as thrilled about people bringing their own wine.
It's always a fine line.. and depends on the restaurant or situation. I have been to some places that GLARE at you, others that have friendly servers we know that say "yeah our list is lacking.. no worries bring it in!".
ReplyDeleteWhat's more, sometimes you want to unearth something from the cellar - a saved bottle for a special occasion, a celebration of a particular friend and their favorite wine, etc. Sometimes I have just wanted to save $100 and use something I already have and go for the corkage.
Whatever the case, it isn't our position to sit and pass judgment on our guests. Especially in Willamette Valley, we are a community of real, of the earth, oenophiles and we are all pretty happy to respect that.
So it is with great pleasure that I stumbled upon your blog and read this. We truly appreciate the time you take to mention what we are doing... and how we are doing it! I, of course, will be passing this on to EVERYONE... and it will bring smiles to their faces. Thank you so much. If you ever need anything, or plan to come back by... let us know!
Sincerely,
Michael | Online Concierge
The Allison Inn & Spa
michael@theallison.com
http://www.theallison.com