Pinch — Restaurant in McMinnville

Very comfortable, and tastefully decorated. Not overstated, with beautiful fern leaf wall paper on one side, and perfectly curated art on the other side. A small bar accommodates one of Mcminnvile's most beloved chefs since 1972 most nights, and there is even a name plate marking his position at the bar. The staff are unassuming and well prepared to accentuate your experience with knowledge of the menu, and well timed visits to your table that avoid interruption for you and your guests, while making sure that you are never wanting for anything you might need. Special accommodation was made when we requested to taste one of the menu items that we had ordered to go, before they packed it up, and it was just perfect to allow for ordering that one extra dish that grabbed your curiosity. This wine list is carefully designed by the chef, and his wife who own the restaurant and have traveled together to taste and develop favorites that they have shared with us, and there are some real stunners on this list, including a unique section called the treasure chest which provides the extra special occasion wines that you might expect to see at very high end restaurants and would make for a very memorable dining experience. As for the food you can trust all items on the menu as the execution and preparation is truly dialed in. This kitchen is making classic dishes that are perfectly seasoned, and perfectly cooked to temperature and texture standards of a master. You will not want to miss the radicchio salad a favorite that I could eat every day. The focaccia bread is a must, and the shoestring fries served with a bernaise sauce are a great way to get started. All of the pastas are terrific, and on our first visit we had the ribeye for 2 which was outstanding! Perfectly cooked to our specified temperature and seasoned to a beautiful touch that is hard to find when dining out. The veggies were also lively without any chance of overcooking. The fried potatoes that were served with this steak blew me away with a fresh horseradish cream that included herbs shallots and chives. Truly enjoyed the flavor of this addition to the meal. On my next visit I had dessert that was a butterscotch pudding served with vanilla cream candied walnuts, and a few crunches of cocoa nibs that was epic. Salt butterscotch to die for! We are so lucky to have this restaurant in McMinnville, and I will look forward to my next visit with great enthusiasm! I could recommend that you go eat here as soon as your next dinner. You will be back the very next day. What a great excuse to go...

WOW on every level! I was visiting from Los Angeles, but if I lived in the area, it would be my regular go-to spot. Pinch is perfect for a romantic dinner all the way to a large dinner party or celebration with friends. Our party of 8 all left feeling we received great value for the price of our dinner. The restaurant has a great vibe to it – super comfortable but still chic atmosphere. I believe locals come back often and it had a very friendly feeling throughout the dining room. And I appreciated that all 8 of us could hear each other at the table so the design was well-planned – and no one was crammed/packed in! The wine list is comprehensive and well thought out – and has something for everyone. We ordered a great champagne and a white burgundy to round out the bottles we brought. They really worked with us crafting a multi-course meal knowing we’d be going through quite a few wines…from bubbles, to whites to reds. And they provided ample stemware. The service was impeccable. Danielle was a delight – so warm and friendly and perfectly professional. She was on top of everything! And we all really appreciated that the owner/chef Paul brought out many of the dishes himself and took the time to explain them. We got to visit with him later in the evening and we all enjoyed our bit of time with him. As for the food, he really has an amazing ability to combine flavors that are a creative and delicious surprise – and enhance all of the other ingredients in each dish. All of us kept commenting on the touch of a little something in a specific dish that really elevated it. And we loved the sharing concept – and there were ample servings of every course. I kept flip-flopping on what was my favorite dish – there were so many amazing surprises in terms of flavors. Starting with the chick pea “fries” – with just that dash of lemon – they were addictive. Among the many courses, the wagyu carpaccio was perfection, and the oysters were perfectly presented. Then the delicious radicchio salad (which is not just an ordinary salad), the pesto potatoes, the tender and perfectly prepared steak, and oh my – that cacio e pepe bucatini…I have craved it every day since I was there. It was the most perfectly textbook al dente prepared pasta and the flavors were outstanding – the best I’ve ever had. It is clear Paul is working with the very best ingredients. Pinch will be on my list to ALWAYS return when I am in the...

Outstanding!! 😌 This review is a like belated, so I’m not able to give a perfect play by play, but it was memorable enough that i can wing it. We had a group of 11 + an infant, who came from several farflung locations to celebrate my husband’s 60th birthday. This meal was the culinary highlight of our week, delighting everyone in a group of highly varying sensibilities and tastes. I cannot begin to explain what an amazing feat- and amazing feast!- this was. And on short notice, no less!! Chef Paul crafted a brilliant, sumptuous menu for our 4.5 course family style meal- appetizers, salad, light pasta, main, and dessert- that literally pleased EVERY member of the family! I honestly expected there would be some grumbling over price point or spice levels or pretension or whatever- between Midwest meat-and-potatoes sensibility to Southern Kosher, Mexican to PNW Asian, somehow everyone came away proclaiming it one of the best meals in memory! 😋 The opening snacks of olives and cheese, polenta fries and perfectly plump oysters 🦪, dressed in watermelon prosecco were perfection. The roasted peppers that my MIL initially scorned turned out to be her new favorite thing. The salad was super fresh, unique, and tasty. The pasta was somehow both light and rich, crazy magic 🪄 from the kitchen! Even though we all scarfed down everything, and we had a few glitches with a sleepy infant and folks coming and going, the timing was so on point that we were still able to enjoy the mouthwatering main dishes and dessert. The service was highly professional, intuitive, and unobtrusive. Though the restaurant is fairly small and busy, we were able to converse with ease and the energy was bright and lively. Oh- and i must also give kudos for the solid cocktails/mocktails and beer/wine options offered. We took Paul’s recommendations for the wine 🍷 and appreciated his knowledge and passion for pairing. Overall, a magnificent experience! Thank you, to Chef Paul and all the staff of Pinch for making this...