Alchemy Restaurant and Bar — Restaurant in Ashland

I’ve been to Ashland three times with friends and each time had great experiences here. Tonight was one of the worst customer experiences I’ve ever had at a restaurant. In the past, we’ve always done happy hour which is excellent (great drinks, burger, and friends). I made this reservation months ago and even called to verify we’d be in the bar area like we have in the past. Alas we were seated in the restaurant; when I asked about happy hour I was told that was only in the bar area. I tried to explain that’s why we came the waitress didn’t care at all. So several folks were pretty upset they were being forced to order regular priced food and drinks (the burger is not on the regular coffee). We ordered mushroom soup it had an odd taste to it; it was sent back with the assurance it wouldn’t be on the bill (it was still). When we first sat down our waitress asked if we wanted bread service (she didn’t tell us it cost $$ nor how many we wanted-she brought 3 and charged us for it-we didn’t know till we saw the bill). The food was hit and miss. I ordered the duck (half of the dish was tasty; the crispy duck leg was inedible). They first brought us food from another table and then brought us what we actually ordered (it was a hot mess). After dinner, came the bill. They refused to do separate checks so I paid with my credit card. She ran my credit card (after had her remove the mushroom soup and the manager took off the bread after she refused/argued with us). She then brings me the credit card receipt with my card (she forget to add gratuity) so instead of bringing it to my attention she comes back to the table and takes my card to run it again (never saying anything to me). We were in the process of leaving ; so we walk out the door (I get a call saying “I forgot my card” when in reality she had my card was running it again since she forgot the gratuity). Talk about slimy; just left a bad taste in my mouth. Overall was a horrible experience; the customer service was some of the worst I’ve ever experienced. I’ve brought large groups here several times I won’t be again. I’d avoid this spot particularly with groups (I’d check your receipt and credit card statements after leaving they are not honest). Again don’t frequent them particularly with...

Don’t let the charming and demure look of this face fool you! This is fine dining at its finest! Thank you for such a beautiful dining experience! I am from Redding but was in Ashland for the evening for an audition, so I decided that I wanted to indulge and try a fancy restaurant while I was there. The Alchemy did not disappoint, the exterior is charming, but everything else about the restaurant offers a punch! The outside garden was beautiful and a perfect setting to eat, because of Ashland’s cooler evenings. The food was fantastic! I also chose this restaurant because I wanted to try some different foods. It was my first time trying duck and it was cooked perfectly. The duck with the cohesive, melt in your mouth croissant pot pie was a magical bite! The salad was also a great touch! The truffle pomme frites (french fries) were absolutely too die for. They were so crispy and quite honestly the best fries I’ve ever had! I ended my dinner with the chocolate fondant! Do not sleep on this dessert! Absolutely heavenly! The rich chocolate, couple with the caramel and passion fruit drizzle and honeycomb, make you sing with each bite! 10/10 dining experience.

The service was also great! Shoutout to Alaine who took great care of me! I would say it did take quite awhile to for the main course to come out, but I am not sure if that is because there was an issue or if that was the normal cook time for the duck. However, other than that the service was impeccable!

The best part for me though was that I left the restaurant and didn’t feel heavy from the food, and was able to make the 2 hour drive back to Redding without feeling uncomfortable or tired from all the food I eat! This must be a testament to how fresh and quality the ingredients are in the food! Bravo! Tutti! And compliments to the chef!

Love this place and will definitely be back once I book my next...

We ate at Alchemy on Friday, Nov.1,2013. For the most part the experience was lovely. Our waiter, Drew, was informative and gave us suggestions, particularly in regard wine selection and the pork chop preparation which enhanced our experience. The foie gras on toasted brioche with a scallop and a mission fig was exquisite except for the fig which had been prepared with a vermouth reduction that resulted in a bitter flavor. My husband had the pork chop which also were exquisite, moist, tender, flavorful, very appealing in appearance and he loved the accompanying mac 'n cheese with brie. He also liked the accompanying red cabbage and greens. I flank steak prepared with a pomegranate marinade. It sounded wonderful but looked horrible, like raw uncooked liver when it was presented so was unappetizing. The marinade did not enhance the flavor of the steak. It was served with grilled asparagus wrapped in prosciutto. The prosciutto was fine but the very thin asparagus were grilled to the point that they became crisp, papery and the tops flaked to nothing. A parimgiano reggiano risotto that accompanied the steak was wonderfully flavorful and added zest and interest to the meal. I'd conclude the concept for my dish was imaginative and creative but the execution needs work. As for the star rating - I'd like to place it between a three and a four. There was much we liked and enjoyed, yet enough that wasn't carefully attended to that detracted from our experience that we can't say we fully liked it. We loved some of it, were taken...