Kj L.
Yelp
I've eaten here several times. I visit Ashland twice a year (with a big COVID gap) most years to attend OSF with friends and family. When I'm in town with friends, this is my single biggest solo vacation (away from Mom duty at home), and we tend to focus on great theatre and fine dining.
In 2023, I was one member of a party of seven. Our server--a woman whose name I've forgotten--was very skilled. She handled our group with aplomb, from pre-dinner drinks to dessert. We had theatre tickets for 20:00, and, sometimes in the past, restaurants have struggled to feed us in a timely way. There was no timing issue in 2023.
In fact, I noticed that I had consistently better servers at Ashland restaurants (Alchemy, Hearsay, and Larks, in particular) than I've been experiencing in the Boston area post-pandemic. Maybe Southern Oregon did a better job keeping its trained waitstaff between 2020 and today?
I did note that the menu listed bread and butter as an extra charge item. It was clearly stated on the menu, so shouldn't have surprised another reviewer. Given the number of people who avoid gluten and carbs, I find this a reasonable approach. The bread provided was truly exceptional in taste, and the trio of butters supplied with it were a hit with our table. We re-ordered a second basket of bread in the middle of the meal as several people wanted it to sop up delicious sauces from entrees.
I had the duck confit, and my serving was prepared to my liking.
The tomato soup was divine! If dining at Larks during the same visit to Ashland, I'd recommend having a burrata and tomato appetizer there instead, but it was also very good at Alchemy.
Seven of us enjoyed lovely meals at Alchemy over Labor Day weekend in 2023, including several veg-/pescetarians. This is a fine dining restaurant whose standards meet my expectations from before COVID ravaged service industries. I will eat here again, and I always think I might try the Inn, too, given how much I enjoy the restaurant...