Travels to Willamette Valley, Oregon

Willamette Valley is a 150-mile long valley in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley, and it is surrounded by mountains on three sides – the Cascade Range to the east, the Oregon Coast Range to the west, and the Calapooya Mountains to the south. The climate of the Willamette Valley is a mix of Mediterranean and oceanic influences, with a cool, moist climate, and is recognized worldwide for its Pinot Noir. We drove about an hour south of Portland to visit this wine area.

Joel Palmer House

Joel Palmer House is run by the fourth generation of the Czarnecki family, whose cooking now revolves around wild mushrooms and truffles which they gather themselves. For our final dinner in Willamette Valley, we made reservations for the Mushroom Madness Tasting Menu.  Five courses including dessert for $85 per person, with each one highlighting mushroom in some way.

Trellis

Trellis located in Dundee, Oregon offers a fresh menu rotating with the seasonality of what is available.  For our first dinner during our visit to Willamette Valley, we walked to this restaurant from our hotel because a couple people at the wineries we visited earlier highly recommended it.