The quintessential dining experience in Willamette Valley is to enjoy the tasting menu with pairings at The Painted Lady. I made sure to book this reservation as soon as I knew the dates of my trip. The restaurant is located in Newberg in a Victorian house which was the inspiration for the name. In American architecture, a painted lady is a term for Edwardian or Victorian homes that were painted in three or more colors to enhance their design features.We arrived for dinner shortly before 8:00 and were immediately ushered to our table upstairs. This dining area was filled with cozy couples enjoying the full tasting experience which was perfect for us as we were there to do the same. An array of canapes immediately arrived to our table along with our water and the assurance that our first wine pairing would be delivered shortly.
Our wine selections began with Régis Minet Pouilly Fumé Vieilles Vignes 2014 which would accompany both the mixed canapes and the asparagus-based amuse bouche.
Next up was a serving of the JB Becker Wallufer Rheingau Trocken Riesling 2014 alongside a miso custard with Dungeness crab seasoned with sesame powder and pickled red onion.
A palate cleansing pour of Billecart-Salmon Brut Réserve Champagne arrived next as the complement to a ricotta and sorrel stuffed pyramidelli with roasted sunchoke, fava pesto, honey foam, whey broth and toasted walnuts.
A local wine from the Chahelem Mountain area was up next, the Crowley Laurel Hood Pinot Noir 2011 was the savory choice for the charred eggplant which had tasso ham, patty pan squash, shitake mushrooms and umami broth.
Drinking local continued into the next course with Lingua Franca Avni Willamette Valley Chardonnay 2015 paired with Golden Halibut on top of pea puree and mushrooms with olive oil jam, scarlet queen turnips, squash pave and black garlic crumbles.
A meat centric course took us into Italy with a serving of Rocche Dell'Annunziata Barolo 2011 alongside a 28 day dry-aged New York strip steak with Roman gnocchi, fennel gratin, marble potato and nettle puree.
Our cheese course was next to arrive and included Fraga Farmstead Creamery Foster Lake Camembert with pecan puff pastry, cherries and house made yogurt garnished with rose petals. this was promptly followed by a refreshing mint granita with hazelnuts, chocolate consommé and lemon confit.
The decadence continued with Oremus Takaji Aszu 3 Putttonyos 2010 and a baba au rhum with blueberry and ginger ice cream, white chocolate cream and bay leaf anglaise followed by an assortment of mignardises with coffee.
This was our favorite dining experience that we had in the Willamette Valley. The service was exceptional and it was at the level that you would expect for a restaurant offering this type of multi-course meal. The food was both delicious and thoughtfully prepared. The atmosphere was intimate yet relaxed, we felt we were well cared for while still being able to comfortably converse between ourselves. The dinner was $110 per person with an additional $75 each for the wine pairings and we felt the value was there for the price. The portions were generous and we left feeling very satisfied.
The Painted Lady lived up to her well-deserved reputation, it is the highly recommended not-to-be-missed restaurant to visit when visiting in the Willamette Valley.
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