The Best Farm-to-Table Restaurants in the Pacific Northwest

Food Pilgrim's Progress

Being an agritourist will take you to an eclectic assortment of restaurants, farms and farm stays, wineries, inns, and food producers. It also requires a car. In the Pacific Northwest, follow I-5, which stretches from Lummi Island, near the Canadian border, down through the gastronomic capitals of Seattle and Portland and into Oregon's wine country, the Hood River Valley, and the Cascades. Farm life is most active during the region's brief, dry summer (July–Sept.), and hours and services vary with the demands of agriculture, so always call ahead. And reserve well in advance: Demand for agritourism exceeds supply.

At Farm to Fork's farm dinners in Oregon, they serve dishes like this salad of watermelon, baby beets, mint, and ricotta.

Photo by Peter Frank Edwards

Washington

The 1 Willows Inn, on Lummi Island, will both feed and lodge you. They can arrange foraging walks, and the morning farm tour is recommended (360-758-2620; doubles from $140). Ferries to the island run from Gooseberry Point 19 times a day on weekends, twice as often weekdays (round trip, $13 with car).

1 The Herbfarm restaurant, outside Seattle, offers educational garden tours before its themed meals (14590 N.E. 145th St., Woodinville; 425-485-5300; nine-course dinners from $179). The adjoining hotel, the sleek 2 Willows Lodge, has 84 rooms in which to sleep it off (425-424-3900; doubles from $200).

1 Quillisascut Farm, in northeast Washington, offers a variety of courses on sustainable farming and "domestic arts" like cheese-making, canning, and curing (2409 Pleasant Valley Rd., Rice; 509-738-2011).

Oregon

McMinnville, in the heart of the Willamette Valley, is central to the state's wine country agritourism. 2 Thistle carries the snout-to-tail banner of carnivores, with locally foraged and farmed ingredients (228 N.E. Evans St.; 503-472-9623; entrées from $22). 3 Nick's Italian Café almost single-handedly established the reputation of Oregon wines, which pair well with its wood-fired pizzas and pastas (521 N.E. Third St.; 503-434-4471; entrées from $22). 4 Remy Wines is a small-scale urban wine producer with tapas-style food, right in town (905 N.E. Tenth Ave.; 503-560-2003; tapas from $2). In the center of McMinnville, 3 McMenamin's Hotel Oregon is a boho-chic option with a rooftop bar overlooking the social scene (310 N.E. Evans St.; 503-472-8427; doubles from $60).

Other wine country highlights: In Dundee, 4 the Black Walnut Inn has nine rooms overlooking the vines (9600 N.E. Worden Hill Rd.; 503-538-8663; doubles from $195), and 5 Red Hills Market has stylish picnic provisions, including a Vintner's Lunch to go—but with a pizza and a glass of Chehalem chardonnay at its boccie court, there's no reason to leave (155 S.W. Seventh St.; 971-832-8414). In Newberg, 6 the Painted Lady serves a haute take on wine country cuisine (201 S. College St.; 503-538-3850; tasting menus from $65), and the 5 Allison Inn & Spa—all Pacific Northwest Modern in wood and stone, with views of grassy meadows—provides the area's best rest (2525 Allison Lane; 503-554-2525; doubles from $315). Carlton, the sleepy charmer of wine country, is home to 2 Abbey Road Farm, with five curious but winning suites in three converted grain silos (10501 N.E. Abbey Rd.; 503-852-6278; doubles from $175), and 7 Soter Vin eyards, among the region's most beautiful properties (by appointment; 10880 N.E. Mineral Springs Rd.; 503-662-5600). East of Portland in Troutdale, the McMenamin brothers have converted a 1911 "poor farm" into the 6 Edgefield Hotel, a retreat with a vineyard and the superb 8 Black Rabbit restaurant (2126 S.W. Halsey St.; 503-669-8610; doubles from $70; entrées from $17).

Hotels & Lodging Food & WineFarms & Farmstays

High inland in Hood River, 3 Sakura Ridge is a rustic agritourism-style inn (5601 York Hill Dr.; 541-386-2636; doubles from $185), and the 4 Kiyokawa Family Orchards, in Parkdale, nurtures rare apples and pears (8129 Clear Creek Rd.; 541-352-7115).

In the farm country around Bend, the 7 Oxford Hotel downtown is a chic-boutique option (10 N.W. Minnesota Ave.; 877-440-8436; doubles from $209), while the 8 Pine Ridge Inn, just outside town, is more business rustic (1200 S.W. Mt. Bachelor Dr.; 800-600-4095; doubles from $169).

Farther south, the 9 King Estate winery, outside Eugene, has a destination-worthy restaurant (80854 Territorial Rd.; 541-685-5189; entrées from $14), and the nearby wooded 9 Lanzarotta Bed and Breakfast is a good lodging option (29179 Hamm Rd.; 541-686-0336; doubles from $110). Up a Coast Range road in Alsea is the 5 Leaping Lamb Farm, a one-cabin agritourism farm, with hands-on opportunities (20368 Honey Grove Rd.; 877-820- 6132; doubles from $150).

Near the Oregon-California border, the 10 Ashland Springs Hotel is a launch pad for farm visits (212 E. Main St.; 541-488-1700; doubles from $159). Don’t miss a locally sourced meal at 10 Smithfields Restaurant and Bar (36 S. Second St.; 541-488- 9948; entrées from $16), and pick up artisanal picnic provisions at 11 Boulton & Son Butchers (165 E. Main St.; 541-488-1112). At the 5 Willow-Witt Ranch, outside Ashland, guests choose between a compact cabin with two bedrooms or safari-style tents with wrought-iron beds and down comforters (658 Shale City Rd.; 541-890-1998; doubles from $135).

In Rogue River, the 6 Pholia Farm runs cheese-making classes, hosting guests in an Airstream trailer (9115 W. Evans Creek Rd.; 541-582-8883). In the Applegate Valley, the 90-acre berry bog called 7 Pennington Farms has a terrific bakery and a three-bedroom house (11341 Williams Hwy., Grants Pass; 541-846-0550; house, $125).

In Portland, you can learn butchery and curing techniques by signing up for a class with Camas Davis of the Portland Meat Collective.

Courtesy Willows Inn

Chef Blaine Wetzel of Lummi Island's Willows Inn is responsible for this soup of wild grass broth with blackberries and dill oil.

Happily, the Herbfarm has two suites—who'd want to drive back to Seattle after a feast like that?

Meals at the Pacific Northwest's top locavore spots—here, the Herbfarm, a foodie magnet since the mid-1980s—have exploded the three-course format: Be prepared for eight or nine dishes.

After the original Herbfarm in Woodinville, Washington, suffered a fire in 1997, the restaurant was rebuilt and expanded.

Courtesy Quillisascut Farm

Courtesy Remy Wines

Courtesy McMenamin's Hotel Oregon

Oregon wine country isn’t much of a secret anymore, but this hideaway still gets a fraction of the crowds clambering for weddings in the more famous vineyards of California. And that can be a good thing: Same serious approach to excellent food and drink; much less buttoned up attitude toward weddings.

Where it is: In the Willamette Valley, about an hour’s drive from the Portland airport, the Allison (which earned a spot on our 2013 Gold List) is close to wineries, restaurants, shops, and galleries. Most people rent cars and drive themselves; there are complimentary Lexus sedans available for guests.

Meet the staff: We talked to the resort just as the was in the middle of hiring a new catering director, who will coordinate times, spaces, and menu. The Allison asks that couples bring in their own planners, but you needn’t worry about tripping over another bride: The hotel hosts just a dozen or so weddings a year.

The looks department: Thanks to 35 acres of lush Oregonian hillside, this wine country gem lures with sweeping vineyard views, not to mention skylights, sculpture-like lighting, and an impressive art collection (a pet project of the owner’s daughter). Stone, steel, wood, and glass, combined with curvy armchairs and snug banquettes, create a mod surround with a large helping of seduction.

Courtesy The Allison Inn & Spa

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Our readers say:**

Surrounded by vineyards, orchards, and farmland, this "jewel of a hotel" 45 minutes south of Portland rises from a hillside in Oregon’s wine country, making it "a great base for a winery tour." The "beautifully designed and appointed" decor comes courtesy of polished woods, copper accents, artwork from local artists, and furnishings and fabrics in ocher, pumpkin, eggplant, and leaf green that reflect the surroundings. The lobby has a stone fireplace and outdoor terrace; the indoor pool with floor-to-ceiling glass doors opens to the south gardens. "Very spacious rooms" have private terraces or balconies and custom crafted furnishings—"we loved the in-room fireplaces." Serving up local produce from the chef’s farm, Jory also offers Oregon wines, microbrews, and handcrafted distilled spirits."

Courtesy The Allison Inn & Spa

Courtesy Abbey Road Farm

Courtesy Edgefield Hotel

Courtesy Black Rabbit

The Sakura Ridge Farm and Lodge in Hood River, Oregon, has fruit orchards and raises livestock in the foothills of Mount Hood.

Courtesy Sakura Ridge

Courtesy Oxford Hotel

Courtesy Lanzarotta Bed & Breakfast

Courtesy Leaping Lamb Farm

Courtesy Ashland Springs Hotel

Courtesy Smithfields Restaurant and Bar

Courtesy Willow-Witt Ranch

Farm Dinners & Volunteer Opportunities

Farm to Fork stages four or five farm dinners each summer throughout southern Oregon (503-473-3952; prices vary, generally under $100 per person), while Plate & Pitchfork does similar eat-the-farm expeditions around Portland (503-477-7565; prices vary, generally about $100 per person). Outstanding in the Field organizes farm dinners across Washington, California, and much of the nation (prices vary, generally around $200 per person). For all, reserve far in advance.

The Web site farmstayus.com is a directory of farm and ranch stays across the country. For hands-on helping at farms nationwide, **Crop Mob **arranges volunteers for flash harvests, often family-friendly weekend events with basic lodging or camping options. Those looking to spend more time can find options through the American chapter of Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms.