Hazel’s on Main: ‘A tasting room with excellent food’

Good food and good wine come together at Hazel’s on Main in Monmouth’s historic downtown. Pictured: owner Nancy Anderson.

/ Photo by Lance Masterson

If you believe wine is better with food, or vice versa, then this establishment just might be the place for you.

Hazel’s on Main is located at the former Crush Wine Bar & Tasting Room, 105 Main St. E, in Monmouth.

“(Hazel’s) is essentially a tasting room with excellent food,” said owner Nancy Anderson. “It’s really fun to talk to people and try and figure out what kind of wine they might like, if they’re not sure. It’s like being the wine whisperer.”

Any suggestions Anderson makes are based on years of experience. She left the business world some 20 years ago in search of something different, something rooted in her home state.

“I wanted a change of pace,” she said. “”I wanted to do something that was distinctively Oregon.”

The desire to keep it local led Anderson to the wine industry. She paid her dues, working her way up from grocery store tastings to owning her own business.

Along the way, she worked at Coelho Winery in Amity, helped open the tasting room for One Love Cellars (a boutique winery near Turner) and did marketing for WillaKenzie Estate.

There’s also a family connection. Husband Steve Anderson is a winemaker at Eola Hills Wine Cellars in Rickreall.

“Being married to a winemaker has definitely kept me involved with all the wine activities and harvests, and just getting to know a lot of people in the wine business. It’s definitely made me a lot more knowledgeable about wines and wineries,” she said.

Customers will find the selection at Hazel’s on Main to be varied yet local. Choices are not limited to the Willamette Valley.

“I don’t feel like we really need to add California wines or Washington wines. I think Oregon has so much to offer that we’ll be able to have a really complete wine menu, since we’ve got everything from sparkling to Cabernets here,” she said. “But I think going beyond the Willamette Valley will help bring in some of those bigger reds that people are interested in, but definitely keeping it Oregon-focused.”

Anderson is not locked into her current inventory.

“As we sell through the existing items, the wines on the menu, I don’t really feel like I have to replace them with the same wines from the same wineries. I’m open to trying new ones. So as I talk to people, or as they approach me with new ideas, I can add wines that way,” she said.

Nor is she limited by personal preferences.

“I’m trying not to be too locked into my personal taste because I know there are plenty of wines that I don’t care for that other people love. I don’t want to rule out a wine just because it’s not my favorite,” she said.

Commitment to her home state is reflected in her restaurant’s name.

“I want to keep the food local, regional and seasonal. And the name Hazel, as in Hazel’s on Main, is for the hazelnut,” she explained.

It’s an apt name, given the state’s importance to hazelnut production.

“I don’t know if many people know this, but the Willamette Valley produces like 99 percent of the nation’s hazelnut crop,” she said. “I never really looked at it that way before, as a big crop for the state.”

Instead, Anderson looked upon it as part of her childhood.

“Growing up, my grandfather raised hazelnuts. I just knew we got nuts from grandpa. We always had them in our house,” she added. “They were in everything we cooked, and all the baked goods we made.”

Hazelnuts are featured in some menu items, including a “handful” that comes with charcuterie. They’re also in the sauce for the chicken Romesco. These creations come from chef Marshall Haueter, who remains from the Crush Wine Bar days.

“We talked a little bit about the menu, but it’s basically Marshall’s creation,” said Anderson. “So he’s changed it to be a little more tapas style, with sharing plates, and he added more Mediterranean flavors.”

The online menu is divided into hot dishes, hot sandwiches, salads, and soups and starters. A sampling of Haueter’s offerings include camarones al ajillo (shrimp in spicy garlic sauce), braised beef sandwiches, Moroccan beet salad and baked brie served with apple chutney and baguette slices.

Vegan and vegetarian options are also available.

Anderson purchased the restaurant from John Bracken, who owned Crush Wine Bar & Tasting Room, in August. Waiter Joel Yasin made the transition and is on her staff.

Hours are 3-10 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday.

According to the restaurant’s website, “Winemaker Wednesdays” feature local wineries providing complimentary tastings from 6-8 p.m.

Also from the website, all drinks are $1 off during Happy Hours, 3-6 p.m., weekdays. The discount is good on beer, cider, wine and cocktails.

(Publisher’s note: This article originally appeared in the Polk County Itemizer-Observer. It has been slightly edited for publication in the Monmouth Free Press.)