Smoked Meats | Southern Sides | & The Hospitality that implies…

Of all the menu’s we see in a lifetime, do we ever ponder what inspires them. Food has a way of shaping our values & influencing our best memories. We wanted to create a very special menu that reflects our families heritage. Timeless classic’s with a Southern accent.

Back in the day, neighborhoods would close off roads & have block parties. BBQ smoke billowing, enticing neighbors to come together, strangers to become friends. The ladies in pedal pushers, hushed whispers through red lips, swapping recipes & gossip. The men folk, sipping scotch neat in crisp shorts, trading BBQ secrets. Neighborhood boys on bikes in white T’s & jeans like shy James Deans. The girls in pink leaning how to be coy. It was a time of coming together.

The nostalgic background is an image of my Granma Ann, serving coffee in a Cafe in Ashland Oregon. It was the mid 50’s. A classic Audrey Hepburn. Charming. Witty. She was a maker of fabulous desserts, the calorie content of which was never discussed, as it wasn’t lady like. The many happy hours I spent with her in the kitchen would largely influence my becoming a Chef.

Her hand written recipes scrawled on notebook paper, or the back of a restaurant napkin, takes me back to a simpler time when they used terms like ice box & soda pop. And her potato salad, Oooooohhhh…. her potato salad. Creamy & utterly satisfying. A keepsake on our menu. A gift from the generation who wore pumps & pearls & sipped scotch while carving a ham.

Mark’s- Papa Nick, instilled in him the value of hard work, how being out in creation can reset the soul & the importance of sourdough pancakes on a Sunday morning. Being largely influenced by his grandpas enthusiasm for for life, love & food, Mark became a Flambé Captain for Red Lion. Back in the day when service was king & people would pay for table side service, Mark would perform a dramatic art form style of cooking done tableside. The highly skilled Flambé Captain, uses alcohol to ignite the dish or cocktail imparting a smoky finish and a fantastic fire show. Mark has spent decades harnessing the flame & perfecting the art of smoked meats. We save the fire show for catering events but we invite you to a comforting bowl of Papa Nicks Chili. A coveted family recipe created by Papa in the 1930’s. We honor his memory by serving his original recipe all the way down to the three different types of ground chilies.

This is Smoke & Salt. Pull up a chair…