Tasty Tuna!

I was in Ashland, Oregon recently and ate at Pasta Piatti, a cozy Italian restaurant with a dining patio on Main Street. I was in Ashland to take in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. It was mid-afternoon on a beautiful day and my companion and I were in need of lunch. All the elements converged to make lunch a special event. We had sunshine and the temperature was in the mid 70's. There was a slight breeze that rustled leaves on the street trees. We could hear birds. The patio was raised a bit above street level, but we could see the the sidewalk and street action. Being mid afternoon, we pretty much had the patio to ourselves.


I had a salad of seared ahi tuna with marinated cannellini beans served over organic greens, lightly dressed with olive oil and vinegar. The tuna was superb! Seared just perfectly with salt, pepper and olive oil for seasoning. Wonderfully rare in the middle. The piece was cut in half with sesame seeds coating one of the cut ends and chives coating the other. It was gorgeous to look at! And it tasted wonderful. The tuna had just enough salt and pepper to give it a slight briney taste while not covering up the flavor of the tuna. I added a glass of wine to top the meal off.

Pasta Piatti has a nice website--check it out: http://www.pastapiatti.com/

If you love theatre and/or Shakespeare, seeing an Oregon Shakespeare Festival producton should be on your list of "100 Things To Do Before I Die". This year is their 75th anniversary. http://www.osfashland.org/ Ashland is a great town--all ranges of lodging and eating options, hot, dry summer weather, art galleries and a lovely park. All within walking distance. And fishing, golf, river rafting and wine tasting within easy reach. It is no wonder so many people visit every year.