By: Barb Magee | January 30 2011
Posted in Rogue Valley - Find It - Rogue Valley

If you've ever been to a progressive dinner event, you know that it usually involves eating each course at different homes, perhaps with friends in the 'hood. The Local Dish decided to take this fun hosting approach and apply it to three of our favorite downtown Medford restaurants, each with a reputation for over the top courses. Since "plate sharing" is here to stay, check out the results of our recent evening out. What a fun way to support more than one local eatery when you're out for an evening on-the-town date-night!

Photo credit: Barb Magee

There's no finer (and fun!) place to go for appetizers than the well-known Elements Tapas Bar and Lounge on West Main. Owner Chris Demmett continues to push the culinary boundaries of Spanish small plates using local ingredients, backed by an international cellar list. To start the evening, we chose the Seared Serrano Ham Wrapped Prawns with Saffron Vanilla Butter Sauce. Our wine selection, a 2009 Alloro Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley, was a perfect match to this sweet-savory palate pleaser.       
A short walk then allowed us time to anticipate our next course at Porter's Train Station Restaurant and Bar. Okay, we were on a seafood kick! One thing about Porter's...they consistently nail the quality of every fish dish! Resident chef Scott Frankenberger's slight of hand produces melt-in-your-mouth flavor on fish entrees that are a standing favorite so we went for the Grilled Steelhead with Tart Cherry Sauce, Wild Rice Cakes and Broccolini, paired with a Willamette Vineyards Chardonnay. 

Cherry Crumble Tart, 38 Central

  

Four Layer Coconut Cake, 38 Central

  

Blueberry-Filled Beignet on Vanilla Custard Sauce, 38 Central

From here we headed two blocks south to 38 Central restaurant, ready for a little nightcap and dessert. This cozy after-dark location is perfect for just such a thing, and chef-owner David Graham and his kitchen team consistently present eye-popping and soul satisfying sweets. We admit that one dessert would have sufficed, but the resident showman presented us with three tasting plates, paired with a splash each of Sokol Blosser 2005 Estate White Reisling and the Campbell's Rutherglen Tokay port-style dessert wine.

With Valentine's Day on the horizon, consider taking your sweetheart on a romantic, plate-sharing (and budget friendly) stroll around downtown Medford. You'll start the evening with a "cool" warm-up vibe at Elements, head to the cozy Porter's for a long dinner entree in one of their infamous curtained booths, and finish the evening off with smoldering gazes amid the low lights of 38 Central. No matter where you live in the Pacific Northwest, head to your favorite local neighborhood joints for a date that's sure to be pleasing on the pocketbook...and perhaps earn you another date?

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