New Sammy's

New Sammy's Cowboy Bistro, 2210 South Pacific Highway, Talent, Oregon

tel. 541-535-2779

DINNER TONIGHT, OH YES, at New Sammy's Cowboy Bistro up here in Ashland. Years ago I used to amuse myself constructing lists: among them, the Five Great Restaurants. The first time, it included Chez Panisse, Il Vipore, Obelisk, Stephanie's, and Het Pomphuis. They've changed since then, since three of five are out of business.

Today the list would clearly include New Sammy's. In fact that has been true for ten years now. New Sammy's is the kind of place whose genius evolves from a single person in the kitchen, in this case Charlene Rollins. There are very few such geniuses in my experience. Others would be Alice Waters, Amaryll Schwertner, the late Catherine Brandel — are they all female? Why wouldn't they be?

New Sammy's is something between a three-star restaurant and a roadhouse, halfway between Ashland and Talent on old Highway 99 in southwest Oregon. They've recently enlarged, hiding the original cute little restaurant behind a new vaguely Southwest-style stucco-and-recycled-timbers facade incorporating a fine comfortable wine bar; and they're serving lunch at the end of the week — do you hear that, Ashland playgoers? — but the kitchen is as brilliant as ever.

You see the first course above. (Well, the first principal course: earlier
amuses-gueles involved sorrel-fish-stock-based soup with roe, and such.): broccoli rabe, asparagus, artichoke, nearly hard-cooked quail eggs (or perhaps pullet, or bantam hen), with bits of chive and basil and a curious black oval-leafed mint, all from the garden.

Then the main course, local lamb chops on the best risotto I've ever had, soft, fragrant, perfectly cooked. The lamb tasted of the pasture, a clean, nutty, subtle taste, but muscular and meaty. (Just right of center in the photo you see one of those little mint leaves, turned upside-down as it happens and so not dark at all.)



With this a fine red Loire, Tête de lard Saumur 2004, fragrant of bacon, of all things, a Cabernet franc with lots of structure and tannin and aroma. And afterwards a perfect panforte. An amazing dinner. You'd be hard-pressed to find anything better.