The Rogue Valley can be a tough place to hire if you're looking for specific skill sets. As a result, my last few hires have relocated from other places like LA and Columbus. They've all moved to Medford--it's cheaper than Ashland, particularly if you want to own your home.
Since I've now been in the area for a year(!), I thought it would be a good time to post a list of restaurants in Medford I recommend. Ashland by and large has more and better places to choose from, but if you don't want to drive the 15 miles and don't want to cook, you've got to go somewhere (sorry, Applebee's doesn't count). Figured this would also be helpful for my friends at Sapient who are working on a 9-week project that I'm running at Musician's Friend. Poor things--they have to stay in hotels and are forced to eat out every night. Don't know how they do it.
Anyway, herewith a list of restaurants in Medford I suggest you try. Add your favorites (or ones to avoid)!
- Kaleidoscope Pizza: 3084 Crater Lake Highway. 541 779 7787. Great soups and salads, in addition to pizza.
- Bambu: 970 North Phoenix Road. 541 608 7545. Quite good pan-Asian cuisine.
- Elements: 101 East Main Street. 541 779 0135. New tapas bar in downtown Medford. It's quite good and for Medford, fantastic. A great new addition.
- Cafe Dejeuner: 1108 E. Main. 541 857 1290. Cute French bistro. Good for lunch and dinner.
- Porter's: 147 N. Front St. 541 857 1910. Good steakhouse in a restored train station. Has a patio cigar bar that's great in the spring/summer/fall.
- Grilla Bites: 226 East Main Street 541 245 9802. Organic cafe with great salads, sandwiches and soups. The Medford location also serves dinner entrees. Has additional locations, including one on Main Street in Ashland.
- Oh's Osaka: 35 N Central Ave. 541 282 2334. Japanese sushi and steakhouse.
- Asian Grill: 1200 Biddle Rd # B located in Blue Sky Plaza at the corner of McAndrews.
541 608 7115 . Good quick meal, especially for lunch. Much better than it looks from the outside. - Smoke-N-Man BBQ: 530 Crater Lake Ave. 541 858 2020. Good barbecue stand.
- Tacos La Morena II: 940 N. Central Ave. 541 779 4993. Cheap Mexican. Not many gringos. :)
- Rostel's: 311 E Pine St. in Central Point. 541 665 9100. Neighborhood continental.
- Noho's Hawaiian Cafe: 703 E. Main St. 541 245 6919. The one restaurant on this list I've never been to.
For Ashland Eats, click here. For pix of the gorgeous area where I live, check out the photos on the right column of my blog!