I found this restaurant on Citysearch and decided to try it. We live near Portland and were taking some family from Eugene to dinner - Salem was a great halfway point, but not necessarily known for it's fine dining.
When we got to the restaurant, I was a little anxious - once I saw that the bathrooms were located on the outside of the restaurant. I thought - uh oh.....old fast food joint?
We went inside and were seated immediately. I had been hoping there would be a bar to wait in, because we were a half hour early. Anyway, we were seated and waited for our other guests to arrive. I ordered a lemon drop while waiting and received a drink that was not really a lemon drop.
Once our guests arrived, we ordered some mushrooms to share while we were deciding what to eat. The mushrooms were DIVINE. Saucy, with melted cheese on top - just delicious.
I ordered the beef tenderloin for dinner and decided to try to the soup of the day - cream of sauerkraut. Never had anything like it before, and I can't wait to try and make it at home. The beef was cooked to perfection. Our guests practically licked their plates clean.
For dessert we had the chocolate mousse layered with chocolate sponge cake. it was a perfect light dessert to share after a heavier meal.
The service was really good; and if I ever want to do fine dining in Salem again - I'll very likely return.
Cheers to the Chef!
Pros: bread, ambiance, food
Cons: location, bathrooms outside, mixed drinks
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