After months of remodeling the panther den, (pictures coming soon), the panther set out for a much-needed break to explore the streets of McMinnville, Oregon. Nestled in the heart of the Willamette Valley's wine country, McMinnville is a historic town full of chic boutiques, delicious restaurants, and plenty of charm.
On a sunny Thursday morning the panther hopped on Highway 99 and drove the 50 minute drive through the picturesque hills and vineyards of the Willamette Valley finally arriving on the tree-lined streets of McMinnville. The town was bustling with activity as visitors shopped, tourists snapped photos, and locals strolled on their lunch breaks.
We decided to begin our visit with some shopping as intriguing store-fronts beckoned us to come inside.
Our first stop was Accessory Appeal (520 NE 3rd). This darling boutique was full of all things the panther loves: jewelry, clothing, shoes, and handbags. The store is much bigger than it appears from the outside. The panther left here with a new unique ring.
www.accessoryappeal.com
Next door we strolled into Mes Amies (522 NE 3rd) who's sign advertised "ladies' fineries". In here we found friendly people, lovely clothing and creative store displays.
www.mesamies.com
We continued our prowl across the street and came upon the wonderful sculpture of Benjamin Franklin perched on a park bench. Evidently the piece had been on loan to the city and was so popular the city raised funds to purchase the piece and make it a permanent fixture.
Lynn taking a rest with Ben
Onward to NW Food & Gifts (445 NE 3rd), a treasure trove of local gourmet food products and gifts by local artists. The panther was elated to find a myriad of food products and wine. There were sauces, jams, jellies, syrups, nuts, mixes, oils and more. We purchased some Lavender syrup that is a lovely lavender color. The friendly and knowledgable shop owner suggested some uses for the aromatic syrup such as adding to iced tea, lemonade, or drizzling on top of vanilla ice-cream.
NW Food & Gift
www.nwfoodandgifts.com
some delicious local products
lavendar syrup
rows of local wines
Perusing all of the scrumptious-looking food products made us hungry so finding a place for lunch was our next mission. McMinnville is so full of incredible restaurants that it was quite a dilemma. We prowled the street reading menus in every window.
McMenamin's Hotel Oregon (310 NE Evans) is a historic hotel built in 1905. It is full of character as McMenamin's establishments always are and it has an amazing rooftop bar. For the non-locals, the McMenamin Brothers are a team that acquires historic properties around the northwest and transform them into brewpubs. We love Hotel Oregon and McMenamin's but decided to try someplace a little more unique to the town of McMinnville.
www.mcmenamins.com/HotelOregon
Nick's Italian Cafe (521 NE 3rd) is a charming traditional cafe with sidewalk tables. They are famous for their wood-fired pizzas. The Gorgonzola and Pear pizza sounds delicious! They also have fabulous cocktails.
www.nicksitaliancafe.com
The Sage Cafe (406 NE 3rd) is a fun little lunch place that sits in the mezzanine overlooking a little gift shop. This is the perfect place for an outing with a girlfriend. You can shop downstairs then have a bite up at the Sage. They are famous for their broccoli cheddar soup and as an expert on broccoli cheddar soup I will agree... Their's is the best!
Orchard's Bistro (313 NE 3rd) boasts they have "gourmet comfort food" made with northwest ingredients. Their menu is an ecclectic selection from American, Asian, Mediterranean and European cuisines. Looking at their menu I was very impressed with the fact they have seven different kinds of mac & cheese!
www.orchards-bistro.com
The Comunity Plate (315 NE 3rd) is a breakfast and lunch spot. The name says it all as community is the focus of all that they do. They source all fresh local ingredients and support area growers, farmers and artisans.
www.communityplate.com
The panther has a keen sense of smell so she followed her nose down an unassuming alley to find a massive barbecue trailer. It was parked outside of Rib Slayer (575 NE 2nd), a tiny, hole-in-the-wall barbecue joint. There we sat down to a burnt-end brisket sandwich. The meat was tender with lovely burnt edges. Rib Slayer is mainly a take-out joint but the tiny space has a few tables nestled between the walls full of clever signs for dining in. We relaxed on an outdoor picnic table while enjoying our lunch.
www.ribslayer.com
After lunch we walked down the block to the McMinville Farmer's Market. We didn't even know about it but were fortunate to visit on market day. The Farmer's Market is on Thursdays from 1:00pm to 6:00pm and runs from June to mid October. The Farmer's Market was bustling and fun. Tents lined with tables full of gorgeous local produce framed the aisles of the market. Fresh berries were abundant and there were more unusual finds such as giant lobster mushrooms and crisp lemon cucumbers. In addition to the produce we found some other amazing food products.
Briar Rose Creamery was there selling their rich aged goat cheese in four flavors in addition to the classic chèvre. The also have chocolate goat cheese truffles reminiscent of chocolate cheese cake but even more delicious!
Ruby Cakes had a lovely display of their goodies. Ruby Cakes is a little bakery in McMinnville that make gluten-free, nut-free, vegan desserts, pastries and breads. Anyone that is hesitant to try gluten-free baked goods because they think they might not taste as good needs to try Ruby Cakes.
Blue Raeven Farms has a motto that "Pie Fixes Everything" and I almost believe it. Located in Amity, Oregon, Blue Raeven farms grows berries and makes jams, jellies, syrups and of course, pies. They have about 50 or so types of pies and they are all gorgeous. I left with two mini pies to try, one peach, one valley berry and they were both scrumptious!
We loaded up the car with our purchases from the farmer's market, but the panther was not done yet...
Next stop was the Red Fox Bakery (328 NE Evans). Inside this fun little storefront is an artisan bakery that uses all local ingredients. They have sandwiches, soups, salads and of course breads and pastries. The fruit tarts were perfectly gorgeous.
www.redfoxbakery.com
We ended up a little off the main drag of McMinnville in a salumeria called Fino in Fondo (777 NE 4th). This artisan salumeria has not been around for too long but has already gained some acclaim. All meats are cured and aged in house. We did a tasting in their shop of their 6 salamis. The staff is super knowledgable and enthusiastic about their craft. Fino in Fondo is fantastic and should't be missed.
www.finoinfondo.com
Full of new knowledge and enthusiasm about local foods, the panther decided to stop off in the town of Carlton on the way home. More about that excursion on another day.
Visit McMinnville and tell them the panther sent you.
-The Panther
