By: Jenica Faye | September 10 2009
Posted in Rogue Valley - Find It - Rogue Valley

If you’re looking for lunch in Ashland and want to try something new, look no further than A Street to avoid another run-of-the-mill Caesar salad or slightly soggy brown-bagged turkey sandwich.

Palace Café is the newest offering in the A Street Historic Railroad District where innovative flavor combinations like the Grilled Plum Scallion Chicken Salad are combined with old favorites, such as Reuben and French Dip Sandwiches. Chef Helena Darling describes Palace Café as an “old world style charcuterie that sources meats from their family farm in Wisconsin and cures and smokes them on the premises.” There are lovely vegetarian options too, like the local and in-season Eggplant Caponata. If you’re on the run, consider picking up pre-made lunch and dinner options available in their cold case.

Just a couple blocks down the street is Lela’s Café, a welcoming bistro with French panache under new ownership and with a talented new chef. A great choice for a cheese plate and nice glass of wine, Lela’s also offers tempting daily specials, great salads, and a locally legendary thin crust Margherita Pizza.

Across the street from Lela’s and in front of Ace Hardware is Koko’s Bento-Dog Café, where everything on the menu is currently under five dollars. This long-time hot dog stand was acquired by new owners Etsuko Jensen and Zack Burrows, who chose to fuse the stand’s traditional fare with Japanese fast food options. The unlikely combination works well by offering something for everybody, with sausages of all kinds (Free Range Turkey, Organic All-Beef, Tofu, and Chicken Feta) served alongside Asian favorites such as Bento Chicken or Tofu, Miso Soup and Rice Noodles with Cilantro or Tahini Ginger Sauces. With a growing number of organic ingredients and many vegetarian and vegan options, Burrows describes it as “good food for people on a budget.”

 

Photo: istockphoto.com/jphilipson


 

< Prev		Next >