Best of Medford 2010 - Restaurants
In a new Olympic record, there was only one mistake in Part I of the “Best of Medford” last month. Usually the phone rings off the hook with ever-vigilant readers pointing out all the stupid mistakes I made. In the photo caption for the winner of “Favorite Veterinarian” on page 13 of the January issue, I mistakenly called Best Friends Animal Hospital an “Animal Shelter.” My apologies, Best Friends is indeed an Animal Hospital.
And so … on with the games.
BEST NEW RESTAURANT
Americans spend nearly 50% of their food budget eating out at restaurants. So when a new establishment opens for business, people notice. Getting the most notice from our readers was Kelton’s Steak and Seafood located at 1251 E. McAndrews and owned by Virginia and Vincenzo DiCostanzo, parents of Vinny DiConstanzo, owner of Vinny’s Italian Kitchen.
Coming in second was The Old Farmhouse Restaurant at 6781 Crater Lake Hwy.
BEST PLACE TO MEET FRIENDS FOR BREAKFAST
Sure, you can invite everyone over to your house and fix that world famous omelet—with a side order of blueberry pancakes—that takes about an hour to prepare and a half-hour to clean up afterwards. Or you can make life easy on yourself and arrange to meet at a place that is bustling with excitement, good food and great conversation.
And when it comes to fun breakfasts, our readers meet their friends at Black Bear Diner located at 1150 E. Barnett Rd., owned by Curt and Ellen Moore.
The Top Seven included:
• Parkside Café.
• Old Farmhouse.
• Elmers.
• Mrs. Q’s.
• Rooster’s.
• Cadillac Café.
BEST PLACE TO MEET FRIENDS FOR LUNCH
It’s not hard to find an excuse to meet friends for lunch. Whether you’re working that 9 to 5 job or semi-retired and just tending the garden, taking an hour off for lunch with a small (or large) group of friends is the perfect respite.
This was a popular category, as 33 different restaurants were mentioned. It’s extraordinary how many quality restaurants there are in Medford. Competition is always good because a.) it makes restaurant owners pay attention to business, and b.) it gives restaurant-goers a bigger choice. The balloting was close in this one, with the top spot going to Grilla Bites owned by Harlan Ward and located at 226 E. Main St. in downtown Medford.
The Top Ten included:
• Deli Down.
• Kaleidoscope Pizzeria & Pub.
• R & D’s Sandwich Factory.
• Red Robin.
• Squeeze Inn Sandwich Shop.
• Mucho Gusto.
• Eddy’s Hamburgers.
• Bambu Asian Café.
• Jackson Creek Pizza.
DINNERHOUSE WITH MOST UNIQUE MENU
You got to love the chef who labors over his menu, trying to find that right combination of old-time favorites and exciting new dishes … someone who just doesn’t Google “dinner menu” for some ideas before sending it off to the printer.
And when it comes to chefs who put their hearts and souls into their menus, our readers mentioned quite a few, including this year’s winner, Elements Tapas Bar & Lounge located at 1001 E. Main St., and owned by Chris Dennett.
It was competitive among the Top Five:
• 38 Central.
• Bambu Asian Café.
• Porters Dining at the Depot.
• 4 Daughters Irish Pub.
DINNERHOUSE WITH MOST RELAXING ATMOSPHERE
There’s a time and place for pinball machines, loud football games on TV, and kids playing Grand Theft Auto in the corner, but trying to have a relaxing dinner ain’t one of them. What you want is a restaurant that sets the mood with perfect lighting, subtle music, attentive waiters and outstanding food.
Topping this category for 2010 was Porters Dining at the Depot located at 147 N. Front Street in the old train depot that was built100 years ago this year.
The Top Five in the category were:
• 4 Daughters Irish Pub.
• Café Dejeuner.
• Redrock Italian Eatery.
• Vinny’s Italian Kitchen.
BEST DINNERHOUSE TO TAKE THE
FAMILY TO
This category required a little thinking, and our readers responded admirably, naming 17 different restaurants. The Top Four were actually pretty close, with the number one spot going to Red Robin located in the Medford Center.
They were followed closely by:
• The Wharf.
• Rosario’s Italian Restaurant.
• Kaleidoscope Pizzeria.
MOST INTERESTING FISH ENTREES
They’ve been hanging out in the ocean since the Cambrian Period 510 million years ago (or since 4004 B.C., depending on which version of reality you subscribe to), and since then they have expanded to streams, rivers, lakes and ponds. The varieties and numbers of fish are enormous, and now we learn that by adding them to our diet they actually help reduce the risk of heart disease (love those omega-3 fatty acids).
There are quite a few restaurants in Medford which offer interesting fish entrees, including this year’s winner, The Wharf Fresh Seafood Market and Eatery located at 827 W. Jackson and owned by the Kenyon family.
The Top Three were close, and they included:
• McGrath’s Fish House.
• Bambu Asian Café.
RESTAURANT WITH MOST INTERESTING DECOR
It’s not necessary to have original Picassos on the walls, or signed pictures by Mickey Mantle, but anything showing a little creativity is always appreciated by restaurant-goers (especially when there’s a lull in the conversation). In that regard, our readers most often mentioned 4 Daughters Irish Pub in downtown Medford.
The Top Five in this category included:
• Elements Tapas Bar and Lounge.
• Kaleidoscope Pizzeria & Pub.
• Noho’s Hawaiian Restaurant.
• Porters Dining at the Depot
MOST FUN ASIAN RESTAURANT
The city of Tokyo is home to over 160,000 restaurants. To put that into perspective, that’s the equivalent of every man, woman and child in Medford to open TWO restaurants each. That’s a lot of chopsticks. The top spot this year went to Bambu Asian Café located at 970 N. Phoenix Rd.
The Top Five were pretty close, and they included:
• Oh’s Osaka.
• Shoji’s.
• Bonsai Teriyaki.
• Tasty Thai.
MOST FUN SUSHI COOKS
It’s fun to watch the sushi cooks because they definitely love their job. Wielding those sharp knives like surgeons and flipping little pieces of fish in the air as if they were expert jugglers, they entertain all your senses, including taste.
This category was your classic horse race between Oh’s Osaka and Bonsai Teriyaki with Oh’s slicing their way to the victory. Oh’s Osaka recently moved to a new location at 123 S. Front St. (the old Ground Zero Building).
Coming in third was Wasabi Sushi.
BEST SALAD BAR
When you’re really, really hungry, and you want to pile your plate with every food group known to man and/or woman, a salad bar is a great place to start. Most of our readers in this survey preferred the selection at Grilla Bites located at 226 E. Main Street.
Others mentioned a lot were:
• Hometown Buffet.
• Sizzler.
BEST BBQ DISHES
This from the Internet: “The biggest debate you will find among the purists of BBQ will occur if you bring together a Texan and a South Carolinian. In Texas, BBQ means beef, and in the Carolinas (the whole South for that matter), BBQ means pork.”
Here in Medford, our readers overwhelmingly chose Roscoe’s BBQ. The original Roscoe’s was established in Phoenix, but in the past year Roscoe’s BBQ Express opened at 1605 W. Main Street and has been satisfying the BBQ urges of the people of Medford ever since.
MOST FUN MEXICAN RESTAURANT
You don’t have to fly to Cabo san Lucas or Puerto Vallarta to get the feel of Mexico these days. Many of the local restaurants are owned by our brethren with roots in Mexico, and they bring all the excitement of “fiesta time” to Medford.
Topping the list this year was Habaneros Mexican Restaurant located at 142 N. Front St. Owner Tim Tolman first opened Mexicali Rose in Medford in 1984 before moving that restaurant to Habaneros’s present location, making Tim’s establishment the oldest Mexican restaurant in southern Oregon.
Others high on the list were:
• Si Casa Flores.
• Mucho Gusto.
• Guadalajara.
MOST FUN ITALIAN RESTAURANT
Now that the Sopranos is no longer on the air, we’re going to have to rely on our local Italian restaurants to keep us entertained. And in that regard, our readers loved where … and his crew make you feel at home ... in Sicily.
This category ended in a dead tie between Vinny’s Italian Kitchen located at 970 N. Phoenix Rd. and Rosario’s Italian Restaurant located at 2221 W. Main Street. Third place went to Pomodori Ristorante at 1789 Stewart Avenue.
BEST BURRITOS
This is the classic Mexican dish, where every combination of goodies imaginable can be packed into a flour or corn tortilla. And if your waiter is having a fun day, he or she can suggest that it come with either pollo or chicken.
This was a heavily contested election, but in the end the burritos at Señor Sam’s took top honors.
Others rolling their way to the top included:
• Mucho Gusto.
• Muchas Gracias.
• Si Casa Flores.
• La Burrita.
BEST MARGARITAS
It’s the quintessential drink at all Mexican restaurants, although according to Wikipedia it is primarily a tourist drink and isn’t that popular with native Mexicans. Its versatility as a cocktail, however, is legendary, and our tequila-loving readers mentioned most of the local establishments. Best Margaritas in town goes to Habaneros Mexican Restaurant.
Rounding out the Top Three were:
• Si Casa Flores.
• Mazaltan.
FAVORITE PIZZA PLACE
Its origins are Italian, but it has somehow become a staple of the American diet (I may not have made it through college without pizza). Our readers definitely love their pizza, naming Kaleidoscope Pizzeria & Pub located at 3084 Crater Lake Hwy. and owned by Kristi Haavig and Jake and Ben Allmaras.
They are, however, not alone, as the Top Four in this category were very competitive. They included:
• Jackson Creek Pizza.
• Wild River.
• Redrock Italian Eatery.
This is as all-American as you can get, and if they ever include “Burger Making” as an Olympic event, the U.S. should definitely sweep all three medals. Here in Medford, gold once again went to Red Robin located in the Medford Center.
It was, however, a hard fought battle between Jaspers Cafe, which came in a close second, followed by Eddy’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers.
BEST SELECTION OF SALADS
In Europe they actually eat their salads at the end of the meal. That’s so French! Here in the good ol’ U.S.A., we reserve our salads usually for the beginning of our meal or even as the meal itself. We can definitely show those Europeans who’s boss.
A lot of local restaurants were mentioned in this survey, with the number one nod going to Kaleidoscope Pizzeria & Pub.
The list also included:
• Grilla Bites.
• Jackson Creek Pizza.
• 4 Daughters.
• Café Dejeuner.
BEST DESSERTS/PASTRIES
Man (and woman) does not live on protein alone. No, we have to have those carbohydrates to keep us going, and we might as well satisfy the cravings of our sweet tooth while we’re at it. Many local establishments were mentioned by our readers with the top spot going to Artisan Bakery Café located at 1325 Center Drive.
The Top Ten included:
• Yummycake.
• Great Harvest Bread Co.
• Pomodori Ristorante.
• Porters Dining at the Depot.
BEST APPETIZERS
You’re so hungry you could eat an entire yak, but the cook informs you that it may take at least 15 minutes to thaw the one that was imported from Mongolia and has been sitting in the freezer for twelve years. What do you do while waiting? You order some great appetizers, like fried emu wings or something.
Anyway, when it comes to appetizers, our readers mentioned quite a few places, including this year’s winner, Elements Tapas Bar and Lounge.
The Top Three in this category included:
• Porters Dining at the Depot.
• 4 Daughters Irish Pub.
BEST NIGHTCLUB TO HEAR LIVE MUSIC
I suppose you could sit in your basement and watch music videos all night, but there’s truly nothing like the real thing. The musicians make eye contact with the crowd, there’s real sweat, mistakes aren’t glossed over, and the sound is crisp and clean. When it comes to live venues, our readers’ pick was Shenanigan’s Irish Pub located at 17 S. Riverside. This past summer they hosted the Southern Oregon Last Band Standing competition and by all accounts the event was very popular among local music lovers.
The list also included:
• 4 Daughters Irish Pub.
• Habaneros.
RESTAURANT WITH BEST OUTDOOR SEATING
Obviously, this category is dependent on great weather, but all I know is my wife and I eat outside in our patio almost every night from May through September. There’s just something about being outside with the fresh air, flowers and hummingbirds that makes meals more enjoyable.
And in that regard, a number of local restaurants were mentioned, including this year’s winner, Porters Dining at the Depot.
RESTAURANT WITH FRIENDLIEST ATMOSPHERE
A lot of different variables go into the atmosphere of a restaurant, but in order to qualify as friendly, you have to have a waitstaff that is attentive to details but not too hung up on rules. They have to be flexible and able to treat every situation with humor and aplomb.
And when it comes to friendly atmospheres, our readers most often mentioned 4 Daughters Irish Pub located at 126 W. Main Street.
Smiles all around for the following, also:
• Parkside Café.
• Black Bear Diner.
• Corks Wine Bar and Bottleshope.
• Noho’s.
• Grilla Bites.
RESTAURANT WITH MOST ROMANTIC ATMOSPHERE
You don’t have to be a brain surgeon to know what’s needed in this operation: perfect lighting, great music, a nice view, a choice menu, and an attentive waitstaff who treat you as if it’s your wedding anniversary every night. According to our readers, the top spot in this category goes to Porters Dining at the Depot.
Other popular choices were:
• Vinny’s Italian Restaurant.
• 38 Central.
• Elements Tapas Bar and Lounge.
• Café Dejeuner.
• Kelton’s Steak and Seafood.
BEST PLACE TO CALL FOR TAKE-OUT
Going out for lunch and dinner is always fun and is a part of most family’s recreation schedule. Sometimes, however, you just can’t get it together. Not only can’t you get everyone organized but you just looked in the refrigerator, and all it had was a half-eaten box of yogurt and some left-over tamales. Where to call when you want fun food that will be ready for pick-up in 20 minutes? Topping the list with our readers for 2010 was Silver Dragon located at 1011 Spring St.
Also mentioned a lot were:
• Kaleidoscope Pizzeria.
• Noho’s Hawaiian Café.
• Natalie’s Thai Cuisine.
BEST WINE BAR
The world of wine can be a tad overwhelming. After holding the glass correctly, swirling the wine just enough to “let it breathe,” noticing the “legs,” admiring the color, and appreciating its nose, it’s a good thing you have a drink in your hand because you’re going to need it to help you calm the anxiety produced from being a wine connoisseur. Actually, it’s not that difficult, but a little guidance can go a long way in appreciating the complex tastes of wine. That’s where wine bars come into the picture.
The top spot this year goes to the friendly folks at Corks Wine Bar and Bottle Shoppe located at 235 Theater Alley. Corks specializes in Pacific Northwest wines, so every bottle you sample was made close to home.
Coming in second was Pacific Wine Club, 3588 Heathrow Way.
FAVORITE COFFEE ESTABLISHMENT IN TOWN
Petroleum is the only commodity traded in a larger volume than coffee. This makes sense. One powers a machine. The other can be used to make asphalt.
The best coffee in town according to our readers in 2010 was the Human Bean, which serves up espressos, lattes and a host of other beverages and treats at five locations around town.
The Top Three were pretty close:
• Mellelo Coffee Roasters.
• Dutch Bros Coffee.
BEST RESTAURANT OUTSIDE MEDFORD
The answers here were all over the map, and this year our readers reserved their number one affections for The Avalon Bar and Grill in Talent owned by Dal and Renee Carver.
Other favorites included:
• Summer Jo’s in Grants Pass.
• Kobe in Ashland
• New Sammy’s between Ashland and Talent.
• The Jacksonville Inn.
• The Back Porch BBQ in Jacksonville.
• The Arbor House in Talent.
• Inti in Talent.
• Roscoe’s in Phoenix.
• Gogi’s in Jacksonville.
• Bella Union in Jacksonville.
