New Sammy's

Central Point, Oregon, July 8, 2009—

I'VE MENTIONED THE FIVE great restaurant trope before. Originally it consisted of Chez Panisse, Il Vipore, Stephanie's, Obelisk, and Het Pomphuis. Berkeley, Lucca, Melbourne, Washington, and Ede, if you want to know. Three of those five are no longer in business, at least not under the same chef and ownership: CP and Obelisk continue.

It's what the Brits call a mug's game, of course; how can you reduce your favorites to five? Not only does this leave out a number of very fine restaurants, not only does it omit many I wouldn't give up for any reason whether they're fine or not, but also it inevitably offends a number of close friends. Oh well: Let the trope remain, as long as we're all willing to make five an elastic number, a very elastic one.

In any case on any List of Five New Sammy's Cowboy Bistro must be included. We're driving up toward Seattle this week, so we break the trip in southern Oregon, Pricelining a cheap hotel (yet another cheap hotel, that we may eat dear), and dining at Sammy's, on the negotiated condition that we have only one course. Well, we added dessert, too. I had duck breast, beautifully seared and sauced and served with vegetable ragout from the garden, that very day, twenty feet from the dining room: turnips, chard, asparagus...
and for dessert a cherry clafoutis tart, yes, clafoutis tucked into a tart shell.

Champagne, Billecart, nv
Bordeaux, Chateau Bellevue, 2005

Clearly a great restaurant, with an exceptional wine list and a chef who understands her garden, her kitchen, food as nutrient, and the whole sacred art of cuisine in the western world.


New Sammy's Cowboy Bistro. 2210 South Pacific Highway Talent, OR 97540; tel. 541-535-2779