News Room

SUMMER JO’S EXPANDS WINE PROGRAM

Grants Pass, Oregon, June 6, 2006: For the fifth year in a row, Summer Jo’s restaurant has been judged one of the best restaurants in the world for wine lovers by Wine Spectator magazine. Summer Jo’s is one of only three restaurants in Southern Oregon, and the only restaurant in Josephine County, to be so honored. Summer Jo’s will be listed in Wine Spectator’s annual dining guide.

Summer Jo’s is also expanding its wine program in exciting new directions. As part of that expansion, any wine in Summer Jo’s entire award-winning wine collection is now available for take-out purchase by the bottle or the case.

Also, Summer Jo’s is partnering with area wineries to put on a series of Winemaker Dinners, including a Wooldridge Creek Winemaker’s Dinner this Sunday, June 11, at 6:00 PM.

Finally, Summer Jo’s is opening up more wines for tasting in the restaurant, via its Flight Plan program, which allows diners to sample three related wines and compare them. All Flight Plan wines are also available for purchase by the glass or bottle. The initial Flight Plan features head-to-head comparisons of Clarets from RoxyAnn, Del Rio, and Coppola wineries.

SUMMER JO’S RECEIVES WINE LIST AWARD

Grants Pass, Oregon, August 1, 2005: For the fourth year in a row, Summer Jo’s Farm, Garden, and Restaurant has been selected as one of the best restaurants in the world for wine lovers by the prestigious Wine Spectator magazine.

Every year since 1981, the Wine Spectator editors have judged restaurants throughout the world on the breadth, depth, and scope of their wine lists, and on the manner in which the wines are served. Summer Jo’s first won Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence in 2002, becoming one of only three restaurants in Southern Oregon to be so recognized. This year it continues an unbroken string of Awards of Excellence.

Summer Jo’s appears among the honorees in Wine Spectator’s annual dining guide for wine lovers, on sale in the month of August.

Summer Jo’s wine program:

Summer Jo’s wine list encompasses over 100 quality wines, many rated 90 points or higher by Wine Spectator or other respected wine journals. Owner/manager Nancy Groth personally selects all the wines Ñ which come from Oregon, Washington, California, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Chile, New Zealand, and Australia Ñ to complement the restaurant’s eclectic cuisine.

In addition to its extensive bottle list, Summer Jo’s offers many by-the-glass and half-bottle selections, plus a full bar selection of cocktails, featuring premium liquors and fresh juices and house-made infusions.

Summer Jo’s temperature-controlled wine cellar holds over 1000 bottles and makes it possible to bring every bottle to the table at just the right temperature to show off all the nuances of the wine.

SUMMER JO’S NOW OPEN FOR BRUNCH

Grants Pass, Oregon, Monday, May 16, 2005: Bowing to popular demand, Summer Jo’s Restaurant will now be open for brunch as well as dinner. Summer Jo’s has been serving lunch all along, so moving to brunch chiefly involved expanding the menu offerings.

Brunch, which will be served Wednesday through Sunday, will feature new breakfast-y items such as pecan-encrusted French toast stuffed with mascarpone and sun-dried apricots and served with fresh maple syrup, sourdough poppyseed waffle with fresh strawberries and lavender whipped cream, and three kinds of eggs benedict -- along with such familiar lunch items as smoked chicken salad, buffalo burger, and grilled Copper River wild coho salmon.

"We’ve been getting requests to do brunch since we opened six years ago," said owner Nancy Groth. "Now we finally have the team in place to make it happen. People just love the idea that they can have brunch on the lawn and then stroll through our gardens."

Dinner will continue to be served Wednesday through Saturday (but not Sunday). The summer menu features a variety of small plates that can be ordered as appetizers or combined and shared as a meal, as well as entrees ranging from grilled rosemary polenta to mint-encrusted rack of lamb and wood-grilled flat iron steak.

Reservations are not required, but are definitely recommended for larger groups.

THEATER ON THE LAWN AT SUMMER JO’S

Grants Pass, Oregon, Friday, July 2, 2004: Summer Jo’s Farm, Garden, and Restaurant will be presenting an outdoor dinner theatre production of the smash hit musical The Fantasticks on six Sundays in July and August. The play, produced by Connect the Dots Theater Company, will open on July 11 and will feature two shows every Sunday through August 15. Note: dinner show only on opening night, July 11. Lunch is served promptly at 11:30 and the lunch show starts at 12:30; the dinner show starts at 6:00 with dinner being served promptly at 5:00.

Director Ed Gangner and music director Meagan Iverson have put together an exciting show with many local all-stars, including Meagan Skudstad, Marco Ycaza, Sam Dinkowitz, Daniel Grossbard, Robert Chase, Gangner himself, Sabra Sturley, Amanda Mettler, and Stephanie Hudson. This promises to be a memorable production in a beautiful setting, for a rendition of The Fantasticks that you won’t want to miss.

Tickets are $35 for the lunch show and $45 for the dinner show. Ticket prices include your meal and the performance and are available from Summer Jo’s. Call Summer Jo’s at (541) 476-6882 for meal options and to make a reservation. It is recommended that you make your reservation early, as seating is very limited (36 people per performance).

SUMMER JO’S WINS WINE AWARD -- AGAIN

Grants Pass, Oregon, July 1, 2004: For the third year in a row, Summer Jo’s Farm, Garden, and Restaurant has again been selected as one of the best restaurants in the world for wine lovers by the prestigious Wine Spectator magazine.

Every year since 1981, the Wine Spectator editors judge restaurants throughout the world on the breadth, depth, and scope of their wine lists, and the manner in which the wines are served. Summer Jo’s first won Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence in 2002, becoming one of only three restaurants in Southern Oregon to be so recognized. This year it continues an unbroken string of Awards of Excellence.

Summer Jo’s will appear among the honorees in Wine Spectator’s annual dining guide for wine lovers, which will appear on newsstands this month.

SUMMER JO’S FEATURED IN PORTLAND MONTHLY

Grants Pass, Oregon, June 24, 2004: Grants Pass is getting the attention of diners from all over the Pacific Northwest, thanks to Summer Jo’s Farm, Garden & Restaurant.

Portland Monthly magazine’s cover story for July describes "90 Great Getaways" for travelers in the region. Leading off the section "Five Ways to Eat Your Way Across the Great Northwest" is Grants Pass’s own Summer Jo’s. Not only is the restaurant prominently featured, but the sole photo illustrating the section is a romantic shot of lamplit outdoor dining on the lawn at Summer Jo’s.

The magazine singled out Summer Jo’s for its gourmet fare and for the distinction of being a restaurant on an organic farm. The chefs "understand that farming is the first step in cooking and a passion for freshness an integral ingredient in gourmet," writes author Victoria Blake.

The article, which surveys getaway destinations from Seattle to San Francisco, also highlights other Southern Oregon spots, including Ashland’s Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Jacksonville’s Britt Festivals, Out ’n’ About Treesort in Takilma, and Oak Hill B&B in Ashland, among its approximately 100 recommended destinations.