Ashland will be second location for Silverton restaurant — and, in time, its first brewery
By Morgan Rothborne, Ashland.news
The old Standing Stone building has a new owner in the works with a vision for its future inspired by the building’s past.
“My family and I do a lot of road trips down to California, we would always stop at Standing Stone. It was a favorite of ours, one of the only breweries that was family friendly,” said Jeramie Mykisen.
He used to joke to his family that if the building ever became available, he would buy it. Now, he hopes to open a second location of his Silverton restaurant — the Noble Fox — in the former Standing Stone space next spring. As of mid-October, sale of the property had not yet closed, but Mykisen is able to start work on remodeling the restaurant space.
Mykisen is co-owner of the Silverton restaurant known for cocktails and “boutiquey” food, such as bacon-wrapped dates, a caprese chicken sandwich and smoked gorgonzola fries, according to a menu on the restaurant’s website.
The Noble Fox Ashland location will come with the accomplished chef of the Silverton location, he said, and will feature cocktails, spirits, and some renovations to make the space new again. But the restaurant will also offer burgers, fries and an emphasis on locally sourced ingredients in the spirit of Standing Stone.
The space comes with all the equipment to brew beer, a new project for Mykisen. Asked what style of beer could be expected, he demurred to time as the final tell. It will take time to learn the craft and find a style of his own.
The closure of the old brewery left something of a void in Ashland, he said. There are few dining spaces spacious enough to accommodate large parties of people. There are also few restaurants serving thoughtful food at a lower price point. As a frequent visitor of Ashland and a seasoned restaurant owner, Mykisen said he was looking at the new restaurant as something to contribute to downtown Ashland.
The opening date is tentatively set for spring of next year, he said. Calls for hiring may go out as early as January and locals will be needed to staff a variety of positions including brewmaster. For those curious about the progress of the new restaurant, Mykisen invited them to look in the windows.
“We won’t be doing the paper all the windows and then a big reveal thing. We’re going to let people look in and see our progress as we go,” he said.
A QR code will also be posted on the door soon to give locals access to a social media page with updates and information.
Two other tenants at the property are making other plans in anticipation of the sale of the property: Emz Blendz and Howard Hanson Gallery. The restaurant site is at 101 Oak St., the artisan soap shop at 93 Oak St. and the art gallery at 89 Oak St. There are two buildings on the property, totaling 6,676 square feet, according to county records.
Both Emz Blendz and Howard Hanson have said they plan to close by the end of the year. Emz Blendz plans to reopen in Medford; Hanson Howard plans to continue online
Email Ashland.news reporter Morgan Rothborne at morganr@ashland.news. Ashland.news editor Bert Etling contributed reporting to this article.
Oct. 30: Story updated to reflect that sale of the property has not gone through and clarify that the departure of the two other building tenants is at their initiative, not at the direction of the yet-to-be new owners.
