The last few weeks of August 2023 have proved very eventful ones around the world, with the news unfortunately dominated by a host of natural disasters and their aftermaths — flash floods, wildfires, hurricanes and heatwaves. In my own corner of the world, we here in the Rogue Valley of Southern Oregon have been under a cloak of wildfire smoke from fires to the immediate south, north and west of us for a few weeks, after enjoying a mostly smoke-free summer. It has meant pulling out our N-95 masks once again when the AQI readings have climbed above 300 and keeping the house closed up tight even on evenings when the temperature outside has dropped to a comfortable level.

That is not to say there have not been bright spots and reasons to celebrate in the midst of the literal pall that has hung over our valley. Last Saturday we hosted several couples at our home for a wine tasting party. We host these casual gatherings once every two or three months or so and always find them delightful evenings shared with good friends. It gives my husband, Harry, a chance to thin out his abundant collection of vino, and we always serve up an assortment of cheeses and heavy hors d’oeuvres and finish off the evening with dessert.

This time around Harry decided to share some magnums he’d held on to for a while, all three from one of our favorite winemakers in Sonoma County, Nancy Walker of Stephen & Walker Winery.   We managed to polish off a 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, a 2009 Zinfandel and a 2009 Petit Syrah — all still luscious, well-balanced and full of dark fruit — along with several other bottles. In spite of still-smoky air, we all ended up on the patio relaxed in comfortable chairs, swapping stories and laughter until late in the evening.

Our second celebration was a more private, quieter affair, as Harry and I celebrated our 42nd anniversary later in the week. We decided to visit one of our favorite local restaurants which serves up amazing Pan-Asian cuisine with its own unique twist. A testament to the quality of Bambu‘s cuisine on the midweek evening we dined there was that most of the tables both inside and on the patio were full. Luckily, we knew to make reservations in advance and were seated outside, surrounded by a screen of bamboo and lush greenery.

My biggest challenge when dining here is deciding what to order; everything sounds so appealing . . . and proves so on the plate. The menu offers a wide range of small plates that are excellent for sharing, making this a great restaurant to visit when you’re with a group. A couple of our favorites on this list are the Tiger Rolls (cream cheese, crab, cilantro and chili sauce flash fried in a spring roll wrapper) and Polynesian Coconut Prawns, but this evening we decided to share the Dim Sum Plate — actually a bamboo steamer basket with pork shumai, chicken potstickers and a pork bao served with a trio of sauces. (All of the sauces here are great, but I really love the sweet and spicy chili sauce.)

One can also choose from a few different soups and salads, but we skipped over those and each ordered a “Big Plate” entrée. I decided on the Cantonese Steamed Salmon, a lovely, moist fish lying atop steamed spinach and topped with shredded scallion, fried slivers of garlic and tender batons of ginger. The flavors melded beautifully and didn’t overpower the salmon. Perfection! (and pretty to look at, too!)    Harry loves a good curry, and he was very pleased with his Yellow Country Curry with chicken, served with a light, marinated cucumber salad on the side.   We each took a portion home with us, as the servings were very generous; but because this was a celebration, after all, we did leave room for dessert. I didn’t want anything too heavy, and the Chocolate and Coconut Crème Brûlée filled the bill perfectly.   The chocolate and coconut flavors were subtle and the dish not too sweet, with a satisfyingly crisp, not-too-thick crust on top. Our server graciously took our picture to mark our anniversary,   and we headed home under almost-clear skies, with a Super Blue Moon as a special punctuation mark for our anniversary and the closing of August.

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor