An invitation to sample a diverse array of starters and small plates updates Peerless Restaurant & Bar’s dinner menu.

The concept encourages diners to try a variety of wines along with the food, says owner Crissy Donovan.

“That’s a way to let people taste and not be committed.”

The Peerless committed to Ashland’s Railroad District 26 years ago, when the neighborhood was run-down and in need of a vision for revitalization. Relocating to the Rogue Valley with her late husband, Donovan saw potential in historical but dilapidated structures that still summoned nostalgia for Ashland’s railroad heyday.

“It was a ghost-town down here,” recalls Donovan.

Crissy Donovan

The red-brick building that formerly housed Peerless Rooms boarding house sat vacant for a decade before Donovan stepped in and, after a two-year renovation, transformed it into a boutique inn that boasts status on the National Register of Historic Places and a listing in the best-selling book “1,000 Places to See Before You Die.” Donovan’s restaurant opened two years after the hotel.

“We love the concept of being a neighborhood restaurant.”

The Peerless’ reputation, however, has spread far and wide. Reviewed in New York magazine, The Peerless is singled out as the “most beautiful restaurant in all of Oregon” on Onlyinourstate.com. Its wine catalog made Oregon Wine Board’s 2017 A-List, and it was voted last year by USA Today one of the 10 best wine-country hotels.

“Our menu has strengthened; our wine selection has strengthened,” says Donovan.

Characterizing the “extensive local wine list” as a “very useful tool,” Chef de Cuisine Harlan Brooks plans menus seasonally to showcase Pacific Northwest bounty prepared with classical French and fusion techniques. His innovation is tempered with Executive Chef David Taub’s five decades in the profession and training at Culinary Institute of America.

Best done the “old-school way,” duck confit, with purple rice and juniper gastrique, makes an ideal match for pinot noir from Irvine & Roberts Vineyards of Ashland, say Brooks and Taub.

“It’s a pretty pinot,” says Donovan, whose husband, Michael Donovan is Irvine & Roberts’ managing director. “It’s light-bodied, and it’s so food-friendly…we want the food to be wine-friendly.”

Lobster’s affinity for lemon is enriched with crème fraiche, bacon lardons and truffle oil, all spooned into small Yukon gold potatoes. Irvine & Roberts chardonnay, says Brooks, lightens the dish’s fat without fading behind the lemon.

The decadent dish numbers among eight starters and mid-plates featuring prawns, ahi tuna, Dungeness crab and steamed pork buns with accents of harissa, togarashi, tamari, hoisin sauce and wakame seaweed. Donovan, Brooks and Taub also cite the Upper Rogue’s Kriselle Cellars, Jacksonville’s Quady North, Talent’s Upper Five Vineyard and Ashland’s Weisinger Family Winery as integral to Peerless diners’ enjoyment. The restaurant’s list, says Donovan is “pretty exclusive” to Washington, California and Oregon’s Willamette Valley, along with Southern Oregon.

“We definitely have the possibility here,” she says, explaining that the region’s soil, climate and topography make for prime grape-growing that produces “very good wine” with plenty of potential for attaining the next level of recognition.

“I think Southern Oregon is still a very young industry.”

Industry veterans, Donovan and Taub, formerly co-owner with Michael Donovan of Ashland’s erstwhile Chateaulin, both say they have seen consumer confidence return over the past few years to the restaurant industry. New labels and better wines have rewarded local patrons and travelers alike. In turn, restaurateurs like Donovan assist new and well-established vintners with “supper-style” events for wine-club members and with special occasions, such as the summer 2017 debut of Irvine & Roberts’ new tasting room.

“We are great supporters of our local wine industry.”

Featured image is of Executive Chef David Taub with Chef de Cuisine Harlan Brooks.

©Southern Oregon Wine Scene