Our family business took shape when great-grandfather Joseph Czarnecki opened Joe's Tavern in Reading, PA in 1916. Run by the fourth generation to enter the restaurant business, the Czarnecki family remains dedicated to quality cuisine and exceptional service. Our cooking revolves around wild mushrooms and truffles which we gather ourselves and with friends.
We have always endeavored to obtain locally raised ingredients in our cooking, and we use many locally produced greens, herbs, and vegetables, many of which come from our own culinary garden. We relish the rare opportunity to cook in such an extraordinary wine growing region. To reflect our admiration for and pride in our local bounty, our wine list focuses specifically on Oregon wines, with many selections coming from local, artisan producers.
We have always endeavored to obtain locally raised ingredients in our cooking, and we use many locally produced greens, herbs, and vegetables, many of which come from our own culinary garden. We relish the rare opportunity to cook in such an extraordinary wine growing region. To reflect our admiration for and pride in our local bounty, our wine list focuses specifically on Oregon wines, with many selections coming from local, artisan producers.
Services
Joel Palmer was one of Oregon's preeminent pioneers who left Indiana in 1845 to make his long way West. As leader of one of three wagon trains headed for Oregon, Palmer soon exhibited the leadership qualities for which he became famous. Joel Palmer co-founded the town of Dayton in 1848 and built this home in 1857.
Mushroom Free (as an allergy) Although we can modify dishes to not have mushrooms, due to the intense focus on mushrooms, those with a mushroom allergy are discouraged from visiting. The Joel Palmer House is a fine-dining restaurant in the heart of the Willamette Valley. We specialize in cooking wild mushrooms and feature over 600 wines, all sourced locally, with an emphasis on Pinot Noir.
In the 1960's, at "Joe's" in Reading, Pennsylvania, my grandparents abandoned the standard tipping model. They believed in the European style of service, where all servers are at your disposal as opposed to a single waiter or waitress. They shortly discovered that servers were happier, the kitchen team was happier, and our guests were happier.
Reviews (20)
Amy S.
Jan 19, 2022
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Full disclosure: we wanted to eat here but didn't bc of their total disregard of the Oregon MANDATE for staff to wear masks. They leave it up to the individual. As of now, the MANDATE is in effect until Feb 8th. I really don't know how a business (regardless of your "politics" or "knowledge" of the sciences) can just make a blanket decision that they don't need to follow the indoor mask MANDATE. If you can't respect the rules of covid then how can we know if they follow the rules of the health codes in the kitchen. Hmmmm...?
T.
Jan 16, 2022
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Tim Dietz
Jan 13, 2022
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T. W.
Dec 26, 2021
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First, I'd like to state I have eaten here 4 times over the last 3 years so I have history with this fine dining establishment. My last two visits have been during the pandemic. During the summer I ate outside on the open patio and all the servers were masked and following covid safe procedures. My recent visit was on a cold rainy night so the reservation was for inside the house in one of the small enclosed rooms that are available. For some reason I assumed the owner of this restaurant would be following the State's mask mandate for staff for indoor dining. The first people to approach
Taylor Davis
Dec 25, 2021
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Matthew Rickard
Dec 23, 2021
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What an amazing time - not just the meal, but the entire experience. The service was friendly, they thoroughly explained each and every dish with every course. They had insightful recommendations as well. The historic Joel Palmer House serves as a beautiful locale, and the Christmas decor was festive. And the food.. the food! It was amazing.. the variety of tastes tickled my tastebuds. Each course provided another creative blend of flavors, and they added some pallette-cleansing bites between a couple of the courses. This was truly a treat to experience.
Alice W.
Dec 21, 2021
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Very good 10 course omakase mushroom forward dinner. Som tried to sell us a 300+ bottle of wine to go that was available on wine search for 1/3 the price. I guess the markup goes for bottles to go as well. 🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️ otherwise a very delicious experience and that dessert board was off the chart amazing.
Carly H.
Dec 20, 2021
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The Joel Palmer House is beyond charming! It was easy enough to make a reservation and although I was a little skeptical of a menu that was entirely focused on mushrooms, there was plenty of variety and all palettes were impressed. The Som, Levi, was extremely knowledgeable of their giant (2000+ bottle) Willamette Valley collection and even gave us a tour of the wine cellar after our meal. The rest of the staff was great about explaining each dish and ingredient as we enjoyed the 10-course Omakase menu. We all loved the soup, mushroom torte, 52 day aged steak, and sturgeon. The dessert board
Aanchal J.
Dec 05, 2021
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Outstanding food. Stellar service. This is a perfect fine dining experience with exemplary food, focused on freshly foraged mushrooms. If you are a mushroom lover, you will love this.
The mushroom madness tasting menu is amazing. Great options for vegetarians too. The preparation is out of the world. The mushroom soup they serve is their family's recipe handed down a few generations. It was the best mushroom soup I have ever tasted. The tart was amazing too. Everything on the menu tasted great but these two dishes stand out for their mind blowing flavors and textures. The wine list was impressive
The mushroom madness tasting menu is amazing. Great options for vegetarians too. The preparation is out of the world. The mushroom soup they serve is their family's recipe handed down a few generations. It was the best mushroom soup I have ever tasted. The tart was amazing too. Everything on the menu tasted great but these two dishes stand out for their mind blowing flavors and textures. The wine list was impressive
Laura D.
Oct 30, 2021
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Paula S.
Oct 28, 2021
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Fine dining at its best. We enjoyed selections from the Mushroom Madness menu, each one a delight to the taste. Impeccable service, beautiful presentation, great taste and texture, with plenty of umami. Fine wines from the extensive cellar added to our pleasure. This is a wonderful special occasion dining destination.
Exmus J.
Oct 06, 2021
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I have been putting this off- I had to go to 'nowhere' Dayton OR to have the worst dining experience ever.I have dined all around the US and overseas-I was met with the worst attitude and snobbery I have ever (only) experienced- I will never recommend this place to anyone.No, gentle reader, we did not show up in shorts and flip flops asking for extras. This has directly affected my view of the food itself-it was good-just good. I went there for a special occasion with wife and teenage son.Each of us love mushrooms.Some approaches to the food were different and mostly on point- I like
Doneen B.
Sep 10, 2021
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From beginning to end, our experience at last nights dinner with The Joel Palmer house was exquisite. We went with the 5 course menu. The food, the wine and each and every staff member we engaged with was memorable. It was truly a culinary delight and a magical night. Highly recommend! Definitely looking forward going back!
Dawn Soderquist
Sep 02, 2021
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Patrick S.
Aug 24, 2021
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Fayanna Williams
Jun 10, 2021
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S. S.
Oct 13, 2020
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Overall it was a good experience and we would come back again.
We did the "omakase", which is a tasting of everything on the menu - not sure if we actually got everything though. If we were to do it again, we would likely go for the 5-course instead. While it was nice to taste everything, it felt like we would have enjoyed a few items more than others and would have liked to have gotten to enjoy them more. Also, we don't feel the extra $60 was worth it.
Highlights: 55-day dry aged steak, mushroom risotto, mushroom tart, sturgeon
Ok: Duck (clearly it was done sous vide, but missing
We did the "omakase", which is a tasting of everything on the menu - not sure if we actually got everything though. If we were to do it again, we would likely go for the 5-course instead. While it was nice to taste everything, it felt like we would have enjoyed a few items more than others and would have liked to have gotten to enjoy them more. Also, we don't feel the extra $60 was worth it.
Highlights: 55-day dry aged steak, mushroom risotto, mushroom tart, sturgeon
Ok: Duck (clearly it was done sous vide, but missing
Melissa O.
Oct 12, 2020
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Let me start of with a WOW!!! This place was absolutely amazing. I took my boyfriend here because he loves mushrooms and the menu did not disappoint. I only managed a few photos due to enjoying the atmosphere and superb food, hats off to the chef.
The staff was very friendly, helpful with wine selection and attentive to our needs. We will be coming back again!
The staff was very friendly, helpful with wine selection and attentive to our needs. We will be coming back again!
Rachel F.
Sep 25, 2020
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My friend and I came in for the Oregon Omakase dinner and it was amazing. The chef came out and introduced himself, offered to answer any of our questions and asked if we had any dietary restrictions. Throughout the meal we could see the other chefs running out to the garden to pick fresh herbs. At the end we were invited back to see the kitchen and say hello to the other chefs. The dinner was well worth it and each course was better than the last!
Barbara M.
Jun 12, 2020
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Dining at Joel Palmer House is an EXPERIENCE! The food is amazing and the service is top-notch. Peter and Alex were attentive and informative. I did not catch the name of the young girl that brought the dishes out, but she was great, too. Perfect timing for delivery of each course...everything was served at the perfect temperature. We had the 5-course Mushroom Madness Tasting menu and added the steak. It was a lot of food, but the steak was so good, I'm glad we added it. We will be back with friends. Highly recommend.
