Dueling Spoons Culinary Adventure

If like me, you have a sense of adventure and a love of fine food – let me take you on a treasure hunt deep in the Willamette Valley. Our adventure unfolds in the small town of Fall Creek, where a talented chef and his family are creating something truly unique. You’ll find Dueling Spoons by traveling down a long country road dotted with the occasional house. It’s easy to tell you have found this gem when all of the sudden, seaming to appear out of nowhere, you’ll spot a line of cars in front of what once was a convenience store.  As you pull in to park, you’ll realize it now looks like a welcoming cottage. The white and green exterior highlights the warm yellow and soft lighting that invites you inside.

Walking into Dueling Spoons is a moment to transition – a call to slow down and embrace the present. You’ll most likely be welcomed by a member of the Reid family, who all are excited to see you there and share what they’ve created. This cheery greeting is only the first of a few things that will make you realize it is different here.

For better or worse, I’ve come to expect that fine dining will most likely come with a formal, quiet and staid environment. Dueling Spoons has quickly become one of my favorite spots because the latter is never the case. As you are steered towards your table, you’ll move past a family with teens whose hair strategically covers their eyes, a group with matching trucker hats and camo, couples decked out to celebrate something special and business leaders in blazers. Everyone is there and they are laughing, chatting with strangers at other tables, popping up to take photos of the food that’s about to be served two tables over, singing along to celebrate birthdays and congratulate anniversaries. The thing is, at Dueling Spoons community is being crafted right alongside the food and it is a stunning thing to witness. Just as this begins to dawn on you, Chef Billy will bust out of the kitchen and into the room, welcoming guests like old friends, sharing stories and maybe even call on the entire crowd to tune in and listen. The atmosphere is jovial and it’s easy to see why.

Chef Billy Reid is a Grande Diplome graduate of the French Culinary Institute in New York City. He’s won 14 national awards and earned some significant press power. He is a man who needs his biography written. The stories he has shared in the times I’ve been there just can’t be told in a single article – you’ll have to go listen for yourself. Ask him about that time a group of bikers drove down from Canada just to eat at his place and how the next day they found themselves on the coast accidentally meeting other raving fans and regulars of Dueling Spoons. Ask him the story of the salad dressing that started it all, and how it redefined his priorities. Ask about his high school French teacher and his unexpected move from Ireland to the U.S. Ask him anything really, the story is sure to be spectacular.

But let’s talk about the best part – the food. Dueling Spoons is known for their steak and you can’t miss them when they roll out of the kitchen, artfully arranged on boards in a presentation that makes the entire place stop and watch as the food is rolled to one lucky table. The moment you decide the steak is for you, the fun begins. You’ll be escorted back to the walk up cooler to pick your steak and ring the bell. The entire room will clap and cheer you on. Not too long after, the board will show up at your table with a steak that just may make your neighbors jealous. On the night I went to visit, rave reviews of the steak, the pork tenderloin, the short rib, the rack of lamb, the steak and Guinness pie seemed to echo all around me.

Even if you're focused on steak, do not forget your veggies. The house salad is one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted. It seems so simple – greens, delightfully chilled veggies marinated in balsamic and the dressing that started the entire thing. If I could, I would add that dressing to everything, which may be why it won national awards and started Dueling Spoons. Get the salad.

Also the taste of the seafood pot pie will live rent free in my head for the rest of my life. If you’re up for an adventure, this one is delicious. You’ll find whole scallops, beautiful pink shrimp, chunks of salmon and white fish all nestled into a rich and flavorful lobster sauce, cozy under a blanket of flaky puff pastry. The thing is every fork or spoon full of flavors is exactly the one you want to experience.

And when you think you couldn’t possibly, it’s time for dessert. Don’t skip it – remember you are here to savor. Let the Reid family roll out the whiskey or maybe tempt you with an Irish coffee. The panna cotta with berries somehow tastes nostalgic. The poached pear with chilled crème anglaise has the flavors of celebration. If there was ever a moment to indulge, it’s now. Don’t miss it.

Soon, you’ll realize you spent hours at Dueling Spoons. A full evening unfolded to delight you in the laughter of strangers, a sense of togetherness, and some of the most memorable morsels in your lucky life. It’s what Chef Billy and his family do. They create an experience that calls you to slow down, to be present and to savor something precious. It’s so much more than fine dining. It’s an experience, an adventure, and somehow calls you home.

There are intentional decisions that create this experience. Here are a few good things to know before you go:

• Reservations are limited. If you want 6 p.m. on a Saturday, there is one spot and you likely won’t get it for six weeks. The limited reservations and staggered starts are critical to the experience. Each dish is hand crafted by Chef Billy and diners are expected to relax and enjoy. Dueling Spoons is booked most every night. Be flexible, know your time will come, and get the reservation now.
• Expect an evening. Part of the magic of Dueling Spoons is that they are creating an experience out. Time will slow. You will want to relax into the moment and savor it. This is not a get in, eat, get out type of place. Don’t consider this a dinner and a show spot, consider this your spot for the evening.
• You will make new friends. The people around you will likely ask you how your food was, or if they can take a picture of it. You’ll end up cracking jokes with a member of the Reid family or strangers at the table next to you – and it is highly likely they will remember you. They’ll remember when you come back to Dueling Spoons, they’ll run into you out in the wild. Remember that community thing I told you about – it’s real. You are now part of the club.