If you opt to lodge in Ashland, quaint hamlets like this lend themselves to comforting breakfast spots and Dennett’s first pick is Smithfields (smithfieldsashland.com; 36 S. 2nd), which bills itself as a “meat-centric restaurant.” The brunch menu alone would make you wish you were a cow just so you could have four stomachs. Items include duck fat fried potato cakes as well as fried chicken and waffles with, I kid you not, bacon butter and raisin chili maple syrup. For those more into classic breakfast options, Morning Glory (1149 Siskiyou Blvd.) is one of my favorite cafes and bakeries in the country. They make a lemon and poppy seed waffle with lemon butter and cranberry-hazelnut French toast. The daily specials are always an easy choice as well and the house-baked muffins with seasonal Oregon berries never fail.
Back up in Medford, the last but not least brewery to check out is Southern Oregon Brewing (sobrewing.com; 1922 United Way). They brew the gamut of classic styles and Dennett’s perennial favorite is the Na Zdraví, a clean Czech pilsner. Tours are available on Saturdays and the tap room is open for limited hours Wednesday through Friday. But their beers are easily found around town including at two beer bars Dennett champions. Four Daughters (4daughtersirishpub.com; 126 West Main St.) “always has amazing stuff,” and he points no further than their weekly tapping, “Rare Kegs Thursdays,” featuring special releases from breweries such as Oregon’s Hair of the Dog.
The drive from Medford up to Crater Lake National Park is certainly doable—there and back—in a day, but if your getaway calls for sleeping in the fresh mountain air, Union Creek Resort (unioncreekoregon.com; 56484 Highway 62, Prospect) is located more than halfway toward the park and cabin rentals start at less than $100 per night. Perhaps more importantly, their on-site restaurant, Beckie’s Café, is your only bet for finding any craft beer on tap. Equal to that, a friend of mine who is a former ranger at Crater Lake almost tears up at the thought of their homemade pies such as huckleberry when in season.
