Peggy Dover

I am not a restaurant reviewer, but I play one in this column. Saturday evening’s experience forced the decision, and right in our own “neighborhood.”

Saturday was Lane’s birthday, and it’s our tradition to treat one another to a great meal, thereby benefiting both of us. Is that cheating? No. For my birthday, Emily (daughter) gave me a gift card to Jessica Cahill’s Decant Restaurant at 1108 E. Main St. in Medford. Neither Lane nor I had tried them, but he’d mentioned more than a few times that he was curious about the hype, so the perfect opportunity arose, and the reservation confirmed.

I requested a table on the patio, suitable to the pleasant evening. We were welcomed warmly by Michael, the host, who ushered us through the cozy-chic indoor space to our waiting adventure. The restaurant felt comfortably full, not crowded, with guests inside and out — a good sign.

Decant sets a leisurely pace from the moment you leave the chaos at the door — not slow, as in we’re frantically behind and trying like mad to catch up, but elegant and peaceful. I couldn’t help but relax and forget the cares of the day/week, which had been too busy to suit this introvert.

Handsome young men moved smoothly and efficiently around the space caring for patrons and making each table feel like royalty. Our server was Austin who was a delight to converse with as he obviously loves his job.

Choosing a wine in an establishment with such expertise behind it, and such choices, was a good launching place. Austin started us off with a complimentary flute of sparkling Italian wine. When we deliberated over which red to order, we asked questions, which Austin readily answered. He brought out two tastings to assure we were happy. Then, Jessica, owner and certified sommelier, came to our table to greet us and offer another surprise tasting of her choosing. I tried to guess the variety, silly me. It was from Northern California and had Sequoia in the name and that’s all I remember, but she said it was a smaller family-owned vineyard. What I do remember is the bouquet. Some wines smell so good, I could just sit with my nose in the glass. Kind of embarrassing, but this one did it for me.

From there, we waded into a delicious bowl of creamy white asparagus vichyssoise. The vegetables were nice and crispy in the chilled broth. A plate of freshly baked, warm focaccia arrived next with a tiny bowl and spoon for ladling on the most flavorful olive oil I’ve tasted.

We took our time and savored each bite. Lane’s entrée of halibut with asparagus, apple, celery, fennel and jasmine went down easily and completely. My Akaushi beef tri-tip with summer squash zoodles, foraged mushrooms and pea tendrils, with a truffle demi tasted divine and the beef was perfectly cooked.

Is your mouth watering yet?

For dessert, Lane scraped the bottom of the bowl to get every last bit of his dark chocolate mousse. I wondered if he might next lift the bowl to his face and lick it spotless, but he resisted. I tried enjoying the hot apple tart with vanilla bean ice cream, almond cream and bourbon caramel slowly, but, well …

Courses were served at a perfectly balanced pace, making us feel like we were cruising through a gastronomic wonderland. Seriously, I can hardly wait to return and try another of Executive Chef Michael Gadd’s creative dishes. I can hardly indulge in this type of evening often, but that’s what makes it memorable. We left happy, satisfied and sold. Oh, and I must not forget the final delight — a Hershey’s kiss-sized meringue.

I hoped to have room to mention the Barnstormers Theater in Grants Pass, where a comedic spoof of Hitchcock’s “The 39 Steps” is playing through June 30. Four talented actors take on 139 roles. I lost count, so I’ll take their word for it. There were many laugh-out-loud moments while staying true to the original story by John Buchan. Let me just say, do yourself a favor and make it over to the oldest, continuously running community theater in Oregon now celebrating their 72nd year of producing fun, fabulous and affordable live entertainment.