The Carriage House Restaurant at the Nunan Estate in Jacksonville, Oregon

When we're back in historic Jacksonville, Oregon, we will head straight to the Nunan Estate, a short walk from the town center. Then we will spend a t least a week enjoying the charming village, the many fine restaurants and a winery that captured our old fashioned hearts.

Chef Tim Keller impressed the Hill Team, as well as the many travel writers who devoured
Tim's amazingly delectable duck. Chef Keller, is one of the finest chefs from Northern California, now a rising star in Southern Oregon.

I arrived early to the Nunan Estate, built in 1892, which has a story and history of its own.I began my journey along Oregon's wine trail with a local sip featured at the Nunan House newly opened Carriage House. As one of their first carriage House customers, I sat at the eye-popping, back lit golden onyx bar, and had a classic martini, straight up, icy cold, just perfect for an 80 degree day in October. Next time I will indulge in their signature pear-tini.

Since I knew I would feasting on Oregon's bounty of ripe, fresh pears, pinot noirs and some of the blue and goat best cheeses in the country, I opted for simplicity.

The small plate, large enough for my supper, was far from simple, yet matched perfectly with my martini.

Polenta Crusted Onion Rings. The fresh garden, onion rings were dipped in a polenta batter and fried fast, hot, crispy and crunchy - yet, moist and sweet inside Although, Tim's rings are perfect on their own, I tried the tamarind ketchup to guild the golden rings. I do not remember enjoying tamarind outside of the Caribbean and Bahamian Islands. Those creative surprise touches are what Chef Tim is all about.

It was easy to convince Maralyn and Norm to try the crunchy rings, even after a full day on the road, sampling Oregon's bounty. But," just a few, "they said, "just to taste". Of course, there was not one ring left on the large "small plate."

Tim's wife, Dana, (Tim calls her his left and right arm) is an accomplished chef in her own right. She is the mother of two. Somehow she manages to run the lovely Victorian inn called The Jeremiah Nunan House with exceptional detail, while Tim creates culinary magic in the newly opened-open kitchen of The Carriage House, right before our eyes.

During our short stay, we would find ourselves walking around town and asking locals where they would recommend for a nice dinner. The Nunan Estate was a frequent response. Many locals refer to it as "the catalog house," since it was marketed through a catalog by home designers of Knoxville, Tennessee. Nunan received the plans in April 1892 and moved his family into their new home Christmas that same year. He spent a little over $7,000. Like many homes, it fell into a state of disrepair.

But, fortunately for the Nunan Estate, its current owners won the lottery and invested a tremendous amount to bring it back to its early glory. Their next investment was hiring Tim and Dana Keller to run the Inn and Carriage House-a smart move. The Hill Team would certainly recommend it as an inn and a restaurant, http://www.nunanestate.com.

We will soon be featuring Chef Keller's duck on our Where and What in the World blog.

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