Rating:
5!!! (ratings are between 0 - 5)
Besides
being a Foodie I am a glassblower, among other things, and every year for the
past 7 years I have done a show in Sisters Oregon, one of my favorite places on
earth and where I hope to retire too someday.
Sisters
is an 1880's old west themed town, with basically 3 major commercial streets
running East -West, the southern of
these three streets is East Hood Ave. At
the far east end is a cute little green and red cottage this is Jen's Garden.
I
have been very lucky in my professional & personal life to be able to
travel the world and eat in some incredible restaurants, including some of the
most amazing French restaurants you can imagine, Le Grand Vefour in Paris,
Gaddis
in Hong Kong, Comme Chez Soi in Brussels & Mirazur in Menton France just to name a small
few. Then there is Jen's Garden which I have to rank up there with these Michelin
starred restaurants. They have a Prix
Fixe menu of 3 or 5 course choice as well as à la
Carte
menu. The wine list which includes wine
flights that compliment the Prix Fixe menu is wonderful. The food is French with the freshness that
those of us that live in the Pacific Northwest expect. See the Current Menu here.
The
cottage is fairly small, I think there is 11 tables downstairs max, and out in
the garden there is maybe 5. If you want
outside state it in your reservations, it fills up fast!!!!
As
much as I would like to say that Jen's is kid friendly, I am really glad to say
it isn't. This is the kind of place that
you take a someone special too, or girlfriends out for a nice night. Kids are welcome I am sure, but the atmosphere,
price and menu don't lend themselves in that direction. So get a babysitter and spend a night in
Sisters.
This
is also not a place that would be a good place to bring your own food, so that
really leaves out smaller kids too.
Again I am sure they are welcome,
just saying out of respect for the other diners, date night is a much
better idea.
One
of the best things that Jen's has going for it, is that the service you get it
is second to none. I always make my
reservations well in advance, and I email them first and make a clear note on
my major tomato allergy, my other food
issues I work around the menu. Jen
always seems to have something that fits my needs. Of course I have to bypass the bread and that
is always hard. The fish is almost
always one I can have, as is the steak.
If you just let Jen's know in your reservations email what you need they
will make suggestions and work around your needs I am sure.
The last time I was there, our waiter Jamie,
let Jen know I had arrived. Jen walked
back into the kitchen and very clearly announced that there was a customer with
a tomato allergy in house and to take extra special care, the soup that week
happen to be a tomato consommé, a recipe for disaster for me. Every course, when it was time for them to fire
it, Jamie and/or Jen re-announced that it was for the allergy table. I knew with extreme confidence that even
though there where tomatoes in that kitchen that nothing I was serviced had
been anywhere near those ugly red things.
I don't even have to tell you how great the food is, I have never had anything
there that I haven't liked, but I am an advantageous eater. Just trust me this is one of the best places
in all of Oregon to eat. Food-wise,
Services-wise and Allergy Awareness-wise they rank 5 out of 5.
Now the details:
Value - price:
Most
French restaurants are know for huge prices and small portions. Jen's 5 course is $52 with a flight of wine
to match is between $12 & $20. What
I have done in the past is get a 3 course ($39) a 5 course and 2 flights of
wine for two people. Two of the courses
general only have 1 choice, so by doing the 8 courses you can share with your
dinner partner, as long as your allergies allow you. your flights of wine will be different as
well so you can end up with as many as 10 wines to try. So for $112 you get 8 food items and ten
wines, that is $6.22 for each one. To me
that is a great value for a 5 star dinner.
Tipping:
I usually leave: 30% that is my max, I work
down in 5% increments from there. I
think the least I have every left at Jen's is 25%.
Best hours to go:
Jen's
is only open for dinner watch their website for the seasonal hours. I like going early personally, that way I can
go back to the hotel and relish in the wonderful meal that I have just eaten.
Tips:
Make
reservations early on
Request
the patio when making reservations if you want to eat outside
Make
it a date night
Email
your allergies to Jen's will in advance, the menus are only good for two weeks
so you will have to look up the menu before you go to double check the
offerings.
Allergy Extras or places that
are close by:
There
isn't much close by expect for the annual events that the chamber has, look here
for the Chamber Events.
There
is a cute little grocery store west of Jen's that has a nice select of wines
and foods.
Ray's
is the main grocery store and it is at the far west in of town just as you get
into the city limits coming from Salem.
Restaurant info:
Jen's Garden
403 East Hood Ave
Sisters, OR 97759
(541) 549-2699
Reservations:
Telephone:
Best - Call 541-549-2699
Email: Second Best - trmccrystal@yahoo.com
I always do both, email first call and confirm a week are so later. (I make my reservations well in advance, a
month or two)
