I woke up early on Sunday with an intention to drive a little bit further and try a new place – the Red Hills Market in Dundee. It was a beautiful morning and even though the bronco had recently been refueled and was raring to go on a trip I elected to drive the 300 – it was almost certainly going to be a smoother ride for the long drive down to Dundee – and likely a little more fuel efficient. In this case Nic and the pup were joining me and the 300 would be much more comfy as well. The drive to Dundee was beautiful – the Willamette Valley in spring is just breathtaking – nature in all of it’s glory surging in its growth after a rather chilly long winter. Both of us marveled at the beauty and commented at how lovely the landscape was on this bright beautiful Sunday morning. It was about a forty minute or so drive from Hillsboro so not too bad. As we arrived we noticed the building was beautiful from the outside – the signage was marvelous and the parking lot had what looked like cobblestones in it.
This seemed like an upscale place compared to some of the places I’ve seen – you probably won’t read about those places, by the way. There were many fantastic outside features that made the Red Hills market particularly impressive – the downspout for the gutter is a rain chain – the first I’ve ever seen on a commercial building, there are beautiful hardwood picnic tables and Adirondack chairs where customers can relax outside.
Once inside the first thing I noticed was that the name Red Hills Market was an apt description – there were many items for sale here. The First thing I saw was a large open refrigerated case that had a large number of high-end cheeses and hummus in it. Behind the case was a giant shelf full of local wines artfully arranged and to the left of the case were more wines – this place has an enormous selection of high quality of wines. I’m not much of a wine expert, but the bottles all looked fantastic and I’m certain there are quite a few that are delicious. Towards the rear there is a large set of shelves with oil and vinegar selections, different tea and coffee choices, and other different sauces, supplies and goods.
Looking around I noticed there are some very nice tables – the tabletops being made of some high quality hardwood that complimented the rest of the high-end esthetic at the Red Hills Market perfectly. The chairs are comfortable and there are also some higher chairs that sit at long counter tables and look out of the windows. It’s really a nice setup and very comfortable. There’s enough separation for all of the tables and seating so the customers can enjoy their meals and feel comfortable.
The breakfast menu has some excellent selections. Many of the items on the menu are very healthy and have local ingredients. The esthetic is continues with the large easy to read chalk-board instructions for ordering and a beverage menu.
As I’m pondering my selections for breakfast and waiting in line I notice all of the items on display on the way through the line. Truthfully I really do want one of everything and tell Nic that I’m feeling like having something extra and spend some time looking at all of the wonderful items looking at me and telling me to feast on them. There are ham and gruyere (fancy cheese) croissants that look absolutely delicious and I’m sorely tempted – they aren’t on the menu but look super tempting. Theres also some amazing looking quiche and marinated olives. It’s pretty much torture trying to decide what to try. There’s a large refrigerated case that has wonderful looking Briar Rose goat cheese & chocolate truffles, some wrapped Mufletta Sandrien – which are made from salami, provolone, and olive tapenade (I was very very tempted on this one), and some packages of flavored olives and almonds. There’s another case with baked goods like cookies, croissants, brownies, and some excellent gluten free items. Ohhhhh, nom-nom!!!
I finally arrived at the checkout and faced a truly difficult decision – what to order???? This time I decided to try the biscuits and gravy and the gluten free cinnamon roll. I know – it’s not sugar free, which is what I should be focusing on, but I’m telling myself it’s gluten free so it’s alright at least that’s I’ll tell myself.
The cinnamon roll I ordered was immediately ready and I couldn’t wait to try it (what’s why there are a few bites missing before I got a good picture. It was super heavy – reinforcing my initial impression that it might not have been the healthiest option – however the label did say gluten free, so I’m telling myself that it is healthy so there’s nothing to worry about, and in fact it turns out that it was from super healthy ingredients when I asked the folks taking the orders. I shared the cinnamon roll with Nic and we both agreed it was super good and couldn’t wait for our main courses. Nic had ordered the house smoked salmon toast which arrived quickly at the same time my biscuits and gravy arrived, and I couldn’t wait to dive in!
The main courses turned out to be amazing. The gravy was flavored with some scrumptious spices and was thick and flavorful. The sausage that was in it was delicious and hearty. The biscuit on top was the only one I expected, however the entire bottom of my plate was lined in biscuits as well and was absolutely delicious and yum yum yummy!!! The delicately fried egg was perfectly cooked and complimented the rest of the course amazingly. I also had some fantastically strong ice tea to drink with the breakfast.
In conclusion I’d give the Red Hills Market in Dundee five big HeyWillamettes for their fantastic market, their amazing selections of scrumptious goodies, healthy baked goods, and wonderful menu items.
Hey Willamette Valley 