Palm Motel (also known as the Palm Cottages) in Ashland
Sometimes there is a kitchen so adorable in your hotel room that it forces you to eat in it. There are lovely applique curtains, green vinyl chairs from the ’50′s and contrasting red placemats. Inside the bedroom, there are fresh flowers in mid-century, American vases. Everything in the room implores: don’t leave; eat here tonight.
And, I listened. Instead of checking out the intriguing Omar’s, which seemed like too much work, I picked up deli food from Market of Choice and settled into my perfectly (albeit loosely) coordinated room at the Palm Motel, also known as the Palm Cottages. The fact that the Blazers were playing their final game for the play-offs may have also influenced the decision.
The Delightful Kitchen in My Room at the Palm Cottages
PC Market of Choice is a grocery chain with a strong presence outside the Portland area. While I admittedly feel a deep loyalty to New Seasons, Market of Choice makes me pretty darn happy. Normally, I stick to their sublime chicken strips when on the run (grocery store chicken strips deserve their own post, so I am going to skip elaborating on them for now), but I opted for paremsan and sun-dried tomato pasta and grilled green beans tonight. There are times when a girl needs to take a break from fried food and meat, no matter how much she loves them.
Dinner from Market of Choice
The pasta was a bit on the heavy side, too much parmesan. Especially after a few minutes in the microwave getting all melty. But, the beans. The “grilled, Mandarin green beans” were killer spicy, which paired perfectly with sauvingnon blanc.
I ended the meal with a few pieces of Stone Ground Chocolate 60%, which I had been pretty excited about. Unfortunately, the whole stone ground thing seems to result in a chocolate that tastes as if it was literally pounded into granules that were then somehow bonded together to create a bar. In a word: chalky.
Camellia in a Built-in
But I am cool. Because the Blazers won. And, when I wake up tomorrow morning, the first thing I will see are fresh camelias from the garden outside. I love this place. And its kitchen that looks like a booth from the antique show at the Expo Center.
Tags: ashland, beans, camellia, kitchen, market of choice, oregon, palm cottages, palm motel, pasta, stone ground chocolate
Of all places outside the Metro area, I would argue that Ashland jives most with the tastes of Portlanders. The downtown is packed with cozy restaurants, breweries, independent bookstores, and clothing stores. The shopping district invite you to amble and linger without seeming like a contrived outdoor mall. If that is not enough, travelers from the City of Roses have yet another reason to feel at home in Rogue Valley: Mix Sweet Shop serves their beloved Stumptown Coffee.
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