Avalon Bar and Grill

"Fine Food and lively jazz have found a cozy home at the Avalon Bar & Grill in Talent."
Oregon Wine Press

"Avalon hits all the right notes to make it a regular in my restaurant repertoire."
Mail Tribune

"Come early...and stay late. The Avalon Bar and Grill gets four stars."
Rogue Valley Country Club

Avalon Bar & Grill

by Burnt Nerves
Rogue Valley Locals Guide (June 2008)

When I signed up to review a restaurant, I almost hoped I would have some crazy-bad experience. I suppose that stems from some deep seated, unresolved emotional issues, or maybe it's just easier for me to rant than rave. On that account I was sorely dissappointed. My experience at the Avalon was so refreshing (of course, it helped that my wife and I had grandma watch the wee-uns, so even the laundromat would've been exciting). Baybsitter aside, the staff at the Avalon was very friendly, stopping by to check on us jsut enough, not overly personal, yet conversational; not hovering but regularly checking in. We enjoyed having a chance to have a somewhat adult conversation with minimal interruptions.

The atmosphere was also a delight. I used to like those restaurants where every surface not designed to hold plates had some sort of cheesy decor on it. After the last two years of chronic kid clutter, I found the restaurant to be relaxing, tasteful and simply decorated. Ah, so peaceful. The jazz playing quietly in the bakcground is a musical appetizer, preparing you to enjoy a fine meal.

That would bring us to the Main Event: Consumables. I had a barbecued brisket that melted in my mouth; she had the catfish (this was odd, as she doesn't like catfish in general) and was impressed by its relatively firm texture and non-muddy flavor. Four Thumbs Up! Our drinks were excellent, as were the non-music appetizers, and I didn't leave hungry. I don't feel like the Avalon sacrifices portion size for quality, like so many establishments do. So often your choices are either a bite of refinement or a wheelbarrow of crud. In this case, a fine balance was achieved.

The only negative thing I could say at all about my experience would have to be with dessert. And it was good, it's just that the crust on my pie was tough. Pretty tough. Good flavor, but perhaps a little overworked. That's it. The only think I could think of. Oh well, I still ate it, and enjoyed it. My wife had some kind of triple chocolate petit four thing that would make you cry, it was so good, and a good time was had by all. So good, in fact, that if I didn't know better, I would say that they saw this review coming. But I do know better, so I guess the Avalon is just a great place.

On the whole, it was fantastic at the Avalon. Thanks to them for a great experience and to the Guide for sending me there. Go on down, enjoy the music, food and the view. And tell them you heard about it here at the LocalsGuide!

Avalon Bar & Grill: Hitting All the Right Notes in Oregon's Rogue Valley

by Barbara Delbol
Oregon Wine Press (April, 2007)

Fine food and lively jazz have found a cozy home at the Avalon Bar & Grill in Talent.

Opened in November 2005 by Dal and Renee Carver, the Avalon Bar and Grill has quickly acquired a loyal customer base who appreciates tasty food ranging from sandwiches and salads to steaks and salmon. A generous selection of wine for the palate and jazz for the soul rounds out the menu.

The Carvers first entered the restaurant business eight years ago when they opened the Wild Goose Cafe and Bar in Ashland.

"Renee has a background in restaurants and she has a lot of experience," Dal said.

The couple ended up in Talent, a small town just north of Ashland, when they happened to drive by the area and became drawn to a gray block building that would eventually become Avalon, now accented with turquoise awnings.

"We really liked the view," Dal said of the accessible -- yet intimate -- location, just a 1/2 mile west of exit 21 on Interstate 5.

Indoors, the restaurant features an open seating area separated by a horseshoe-shaped bar. The mustard, brick and mushroom-hued decor provides a high-end ambiance inside while just off the restaurant's entrance, a covered and heated patio provides diners a view of the rolling hills and vineyards to the east.

"We pictured this as a bar and grill," Dal said. "We wanted it to be unpretentious." And while it is still unpretentious, "it is now more of a restaurant and dinner place" than a bar and grill, he said.

The change was determined by their customers, Dal explained.

"It's less of a service bar than we expected," he said. "It's gravitated more to dinner and fine wine service."

The wine list is diverse, offering diners a standard menu of more than two dozen selections from local, regional and international wineries. The Avalon also has daily wine specials paired with both lunch and dinner menus. Many of the specials come from local wineries showcasing their newest offerings.

"It gives us a little more freedom in the styles of wine we offer," Dal said of the daily list. Also, it has proved popular since "people tend to order more off the special list," he added.

Lunch offerings are typically more casual and range form burgers and sandwiches to tasty panini -- pressed grill sandwiches such as the bay shrimp, pesto, mayo, spinach, fresh tomato and parmesan in Umbrian-style bread offering.

Dinner entrees, which are served with soup or salad and fresh Village Baker bread, include New York and filet mignon steaks, pine nut-crusted pork tenderloin, roasted duck breast, grilled wild salmon fillet and St. Louis pork ribs.

Along with its food, the Avalon has quickly gained a reputation for its live jazz. "Jazz is like wine -- people who like it are willing to go where they can find it," Dal said. And the pool of local jazz musicians is deep. "There are a ton of good jazz players here," he said.

Live jazz, ranging in style from straight ahead to Gypsy, is served up from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. The Avalon also features jazz duos, soloists and vocalists during weekday evenings beginning at 8. A schedule of performers is posted on their Web site: www.avalonbarandgrill.com.

The Avalon, 105 W. Valley View Road, is open daily from 11 a.m. to midnight. The lunch menu is available fomr opening to midnight and dinner is served from 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday brunch is served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call 541-512-8864.

Talent's new Avalon Bar & Grill seems set to become a local favorite.

by Anita Burke
Mail Tribune, March 31, 2006

It has an atmosphere that manages to be both sophisticated and relaxing; it has a simple but intriguing menu and plenty of live music. And owners Dal and Renee Carver, who also own Ashland's Wild Goose Cafe, know something about building a local favorite. These experienced restaurateurs have created a delightfully welcoming space in an unassuming cement-block shopping center on West Valley View Road. Behind the bland exterior, butter-yellow walls warm the dining room, while deep maroon and slate gray on the walls of the piano bar lend an air of sleek sophistication.

The menu, mixing hearty favorites with gourmet options, is perfectly in tune with the surroundings.

Lunch is served all day — from 11 a.m. to midnight — and includes hearty burgers as well as crispy grilled panini featuring gourmet ingredients. Classic dinner house fare, such as steak, ribs, salmon and pasta, is served nightly from 5 to 9 p.m. Avalon also serves Sunday brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., perfect for late risers like me.
When my husband and I stopped in on a recent Sunday afternoon, I was drawn to the brunch menu. I dithered over classic quiche Lorraine served with a salad ($8.95), sumptuous-sounding eggs Benedict on a toasted crumpet ($10.95), or hearty wheat French toast ($6.95) with a blueberry compote from Sisterfields, of Phoenix.

I finally settled on a seafood frittata, a tender, open-faced omelet with bay shrimp and mushrooms folded into the egg, and crab, chopped tomato and parmesan layered on top. For $11.95, it was accompanied with a jalapeño corn muffin and a fruit cup of honeydew, cantaloupe and ripe strawberries. The moist corn muffin was studded with spicy rings of fresh jalapeño and chewy kernels of corn.

Not a brunch fan, my husband declared all the options too eggy. However, he decided that the Absolut Bloody Mary ($6) touted as a brunch special would go nicely with a turkey panini called the Veneto ($7.95). And it did. Served in a salt-rimmed glass garnished with a lime wedge, the cocktail was smooth and delicately spicy.

The bread on the panini-style sandwich was pressed and grilled to a thin crisp around the savory sliced turkey, guacamole, black olives, tomato and pepper jack cheese inside. All sandwiches at Avalon come with a side of Kettle Chips, but my husband upgraded to sweet potato fries for $1 more.

Some people might wonder why they can't get regular French fries, but the thin-cut sweet potato fries with a crunchy exterior and mildly sweet, slightly chewy interior are an intriguing alternative.

A basket of the fries is available on the appetizer list, along with other bar snacks such as buffalo wings, ribs and chicken strips.

We chose a less common option to start our meal — a platter of cold, poached salmon served with sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, a baguette and caper aioli ($6.95). The fish was fresh, firm and nicely accented by the capers and vegetables.

The Avalon has a varied wine list, with selections from Oregon and around the world. Prices range from $17 to $74 a bottle. Many of its wines are also available by the glass.

Although the gleaming black piano was silent the afternoon we stopped in, live jazz fills the air at the Avalon most days. Local musicians play Monday and Thursday evenings, Friday and Saturday nights and Saturday afternoon from 2 to 4 p.m. A Sunday evening showcase the first weekend of the month also features local talent.

Avalon hits all the right notes to make it a regular in my restaurant repertoire.

Avalon Bar & Grill is at 105 W. Valley View Road, Talent. Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Friday and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Call 512-8864.

Avalon Bar and Grill ****
Food ****
Service ****
Entertainment ****

Talent has a great new restaurant across the street from Wal-Mart. The operators of the Wild Goose in Ashland have ventured into Talent with an upscale restaurant.

We got there at 6 p.m. and sat at the bar. The bartender Paul was very friendly. By 6:30 the pinao player Dave Scoggins was playing. By 7 p.m. people were waiting in the lobby for a table...and it was Monday night!

The Avalon Bar and Grill is open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week. They have entertainment almost every night. Many famous musicians can be seen there including Richard on piano on Friday nights. You may remember Richard playing "Blue Moon" at RVCC. Lauren James plays to a capacity crowd on Saturday nights. Lauren is also an RVCC veteran who has moved on to greener pastures. The Avalon is packed on Saturday afternoons as their jazz crowd shuffles in.

The first Sunday of the month they feature the singers showcase which many consider the best music this side of Bear Creek.

The bar also features a large plasma TV which always has a ballgame on. You can order a burger anytime of the day and for dinner we enjoyed an excellent New York strip and Dover Sole. There is no age restriction in the dining room so feel free to bring your young adult friends. The Avalon also offers Oregon lottery poker machines for those looking to drop some coin.

The Avalon has been open for less than a year and is a great hit.

Come early...and stay late. The Avalon Bar and Grill gets four stars.

— Rogue Valley Country Club, August 2006