I know we haven’t even hit May yet, but I’m already looking forward to summer and warm nights and dining alfresco on our back patio. We enjoyed a teaser of one of our favorite warm weather activities the other night when we hosted some longtime friends from Portland and a couple from the San Francisco Bay area for wine and dinner here.

There are several draws to the Southern Oregon area we call home: the world-class, Tony-award-winning theatre at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland; the outdoor concerts covering a wide assortment of genres at the Britt Festival in Jacksonville; wineries throughout the valleys; and the myriad outdoor activities (from fishing to skiing, hiking to boating) from the coast to the Cascades. We’re always happy to welcome our touring friends, drawn to the region for one or more of the attractions above; it gives Harry a chance to show off his culinary skills and to lower the bottle count in our wine cellar.

Our kickoff dinner of the season could not have been better. The day started off sunny and warm, and by 6:00 p.m. when our guests arrived, it was still in the low 80s. We enjoyed our first bottle of wine strolling the garden and catching up on each others’ news. Harry’s grilling skills were in top form: We enjoyed prawns and perfectly grilled asparagus, along with risotto (made with fish stock Harry prepared from the salmon he caught last summer on the Willamette River) and a salad I whipped up from greens and radishes from our garden. As the evening was cooling and darkening, we dined inside, enjoying a few more bottles of wine and plenty of good conversation. (And so many topics turned to travel experiences!)

Well past 11, our guests took their leave (the time really flew!), and we were pleased with the great success of our inaugural dinner of the summer of 2013. So if you’re going to be down our way, make sure to book a reservation for dinner at Chez Vanikiotis; we’ll be happy to see you!

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor