Best Places for Fall Foraging around the state
written by Jen Stevenson
Oregon autumns are our favorite so we’ve rounded up our top three fall foraging destinations for you to put on your to-try list.
SOKOL BLOSSER
Not just a pretty patio for sipping and soaking in valley views, the Sokol Blosser family’s esteemed Dundee Hills winery is home to one of the finest kitchens in the Willamette Valley. When executive chef Henry Kibit isn’t dishing up savory parsley root custard topped with salmon roe and licorice fern and slabs of tender brisket over fried wild nettles, he’s roaming the miner’s lettuce and morel-strewn hills behind the vineyard, collecting seasonal treasures to incorporate into the six-course Farm & Forage wine pairing luncheons he serves in an intimate, sun-splashed space behind the tasting room.
5000 NE SOKOL BLOSSER LN.
DAYTON
sokolblosser.com
RACK & CLOTH
Exit I-84 onto the Historic Columbia River Highway just east of Hood River and mosey into tiny Mosier, an unexpected treasure trove of antique shops, cideries and this charming farm-to-table restaurant, taproom and market. Taste husband-wife team Silas Bleakley and Kristina Nance’s handcrafted small-batch hard ciders made with apples from their nearby farm, pick up a dozen eggs or stay for a wood-fired pizza topped with heirloom tomatoes, sweet corn and basil. Don’t leave without an armful of fresh-cut flowers, just-picked stone fruit and garden greens, or ask about buying shares of the farm’s pasture-raised pork and lamb.
1104 1ST AVE.
MOSIER
rackandcloth.com
RESTAURANT BECK
Renowned for both his impeccable plating and deep commitment to local and foraged ingredients, James Beard Award-nominated chef Justin Wills serves some of the most intriguing food on the Oregon Coast, with a side of spectacularly scenic Whale Cove views from the light-filled dining room tucked inside luxurious Whale Cove Inn. As the compressed cucumber and mint sorbet of summer make way for fall fare, expect celery root macarons, roasted cauliflower panna cotta and foie gras, lettuce and tomato (FLT) sandwiches. Opt for the wine pairing with your chef’s tasting menu, or a bottle of Brick House Vineyards pinot noir—co-owner and sommelier Stormee Wills curates an Oregon Wine Board award-winning list that devotes plenty of space to Oregon vintages, at a very nice price.
2345 US-101
DEPOE BAY
restaurantbeck.com