Coquina, Ashland, Oregon

As an ex-Bay Area person who has been visiting Ashland since the early 1990s and living between here and the SFBA since early 2000s, I'm with dogenjoe. I'd happily match Coquina against Amuse, Peerless (rarely high on my lists), Smithfield, or any other place in Ashland and against many in San Francisco. The service is friendly without becoming chummy, and the quality of the food--presentation, preparation, taste--is right at the top. The menu is innovative compared to many other restaurants--c'mon, when is the last time Amuse made a major menu change? Amuse is still where I take out-of-town friends and relatives who are not particularly adventurous or want a more formal meal, but Coquina (and Smithfields, for a different experience) is where I go for a really good meal that will have a better chance of surprising me, pleasantly, in at least some aspect.

As far as "mainstream" goes, I saw a statistic that Ashland gets something like 120,000 visitors a year. With a local population of 21,000, mainstream is the tourists, not the locals. So if Coquina, with a small number of tables, is catering to the tourists to make their numbers, that sounds like a good business decision. Yes, I'd like more at the prices of Munchies or Pangea, but that's the economy we live in. I can't fault Coquina's owners for that.

SCF in Pacific Northwest

Best CHEAP Food in the South Bay??

In Palo Alto, The Counter (a burger and drink should run under $10) and Med Wraps, both on California Avenue, are excellent. Also Homma's Sushi (just off California, behind Primo Cleaners) and Cho's (for great potstickers).

In Mountain View, Taqueria La Bamba for carnitas burritos (Old Middlefield Way), Kauai Grill (for the Kalbi ribs), Taqueria Los Charros (for cheap, greasy Mexican), Bean Scene (sandwiches, pasties), Gyro's House (Greek), Hong Kong Bakery (passably good dim sum).

In Sunnyvale, Giovanni's for the chicken parmagiana sandwich (the pizza is good, too.)

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