Jerry Evans didn’t set out to be a restaurateur. Or even a hotelier. But with a degree in Food Sciences from Oregon State, and a twenty year career overseeing food processing and production for Harry & David, it made sense. “My wife Linda and I acquired the Jacksonville Inn in 1976 for the restaurant,” he explains. “The rooms just happened to be there, but they’ve worked out well.”

Offering fine dining in historic surroundings, and over 2000 wine selections in The Wine Shop, the enterprise has worked out well for residents and visitors of Jacksonville, too. The striking 1861 brick structure could be considered the heart of the city, and Evans the heartbeat—although it didn’t feel that way in the beginning. “It was a risky endeavor,” he admits, “because I didn’t have any cash. I was able to open the doors on credit.”

Thanks to savvy chef hires, with nationally acclaimed Julia Tummers designing the food for the first year, the restaurant’s reputation grew quickly. Soon, signature dinner dishes, such as the Portabella Filet in Red Wine Sauce, fresh seafood, steaks, and prime rib lit the menu in the atmospheric Dinner House (known to locals as the Robbie Collins Room, for Jacksonville’s distinguished preservationist). Heavenly desserts, including the Hazelnut Raspberry Meringue, are ready to please every diner.

Not content to sit still, Evans opened other areas in the building, with breakfast daily served in the upstairs Williamson Room: omelettes, Benedicts, waffles, and crepes, with champagne accompanying Sunday Brunch. Lunch dishes include such delights as the popular Fresh Pear and Walnut salad, Chef Jeff ‘s Meatloaf, hot corned beef sandwiches, and the frittata of the day.

Then came the tree-lined outdoor Patio. “There was an ugly area of dirt and asphalt out back,” Evans says, displaying his understated smile. “A neighbor told me it would never work as a patio. Well, that was twenty years ago. It’s worked pretty well so far.”

Downstairs, a secluded treasure—and a modified menu—awaits visitors. Nestled just past the well-stocked Bar is the Inn’s Bistro, an intimate, wood-paneled chamber lined with framed pear labels. Evans grins as he talks about his inspiration for the room. “One day I saw one of our regular customers eating a hamburger at a different place. I thought, he could be eating that with us. Then I realized that he probably wouldn’t want that type of food in a room with white tablecloths. So we came up with a more modest menu, for a more casual room—without tablecloths—and named it The Bistro.”

JACKSONVILLE INN
172 East California Street •541-899-1900
Breakfast: Monday-Saturday 7:00-10:30am
Lunch: Wednesday-Saturday 11:30am-2:00pm
Dinner: Monday-Saturday 5:00-10:00pm
Sunday 5:00-9:00pm
(Bistro: 4:00-10:00pm, Sunday 4:00-9:00pm)
Brunch: Sunday 7:00am-2:00pm