38 CENTRAL

A Perfect Summer Salad

Paul@GnosisMedia.org — 2009-08-05T11:34:06-07:00

Bits & Bites on KTVL Channel 10

Featuring David Graham

David Graham from 38 Central has upcoming events and a salad perfect for summer.

Thinking Fast in Slow Times

Paul@GnosisMedia.org — 2009-03-23T08:55:03-07:00

Medford Business Review

By David Graham

As a new arrival within the downtown Medford district, we have found ourselves caught in the waves of an economic tsunami that no one saw coming. Indeed, many of our compatriots within our industry and most of the surrounding neighbors, landlords and vendors face the same circumstances and are in the same boat-one seemingly without a paddle.

However…

All is not lost, and if I might stretch the analogy a bit, if we fashion a paddle out of the resources at hand, and all pull as one, we can weather this tidal wave of bad news. Here’s how… Thinking fast. Now that we have eliminated any doubt that our economic downturn is real and likely long lasting, the fi rst thing is to move faster than the known realities of a recession. For us, this meant quickly building communications with our vendors, landlord and others to help them understand our realities and how we plan to address them. We see that during the short-term we will need assurances that they understand our cash fl ow and budget issues – that they will give us the fl exibility to cover our costs and we can give assurance that we in turn will be prompt in our changed payment schedules.

Chef Juan Murillo's holiday cooking tips

Paul@GnosisMedia.org — 2008-11-26T12:09:18-08:00

West Coast Flavors on KTVL Channel 10

Featuring Chef Juan Murillo

38 Central’s Chef Juan Murillo offers some signature recipes to put a twist on your holiday meal.

38 Central Chef Juan In Action

Paul@GnosisMedia.org — 2009-02-19T10:35:52-08:00

The Tandem Tasters

Chef Juan Murillo of 38 Central cooks for The Tandem Tasters

By Maralyn Hill and Brenda Hill

Chef Murillo came to 38 Central and what a chef. He prepared an individual Beef Wellington for us. As management of 38 say, it features American cuisine, with an emphasis on “Comfort Food Classics” done with a Chef’s perspective. They say, "We serve food that is fresh and carefully crafted, nothing reinvented, or overwrought, just well prepared, with excellent ingredients, and attention paid to the seasons." What we experienced confirms this.

A Happy Ending to a Night on the Town

Paul@GnosisMedia.org — 2009-02-16T11:11:40-08:00

TheLocalDish.com

A Happy Ending to a Night on the Town

By Kabir Stanton

38 Central confounds the notion that “simple” is ordinary. Years of experience have formed the intuition of the chef and owners, and careful planning converges with local ingredients to produce a menu that is simple, and, at first glance, even pedestrian. Fried chicken, barbequed ribs, butterscotch pudding, and banana splits aren’t exactly the makings of gourmet dreams.

But there is nothing ordinary about the warm finish of a hefty butterscotch pudding, each batch made with half a bottle of scotch and served in a house-made waffle cup. Nor is there anything ordinary about the sweet, glass-like crust of the banana in the brûléed banana split. Ordinary banana splits don’t get kitchen-torch treatment like the top of a crème brulée. Nor do they arrive with vanilla bean gelato from Mamma Mia Gelateria in Jacksonville. Things may be simple, but they are not ordinary.

Owners Michael Wolf and David Graham, and chef Juan Murillo, came to the Rogue Valley after years on the Napa Valley restaurant scene, with plans for a restaurant that served great classic food made from fresh, local ingredients in a comfortable atmosphere. The urban loft-like setting with abstract art pieces dotting the brick walls is decidedly welcoming, right down to the kid-friendly tables ready for drawing on.

“We wanted to do something that was approachable to everyone instead of doing something that was too niche marketed or specific to some cuisine,” said co-owner David Graham.

They’ve succeeded.

Cooking with whiskey, gin and vodka

Paul@GnosisMedia.org — 2009-01-24T05:26:51-08:00

Medford Mail Tribune

Ashland distillery teams up with Medford restaurant

By Vickie Aldous

People have long been accustomed to cooking with wine, but the Cascade Peak Spirits distillery in Ashland and Medford's 38 Central restaurant want to introduce diners to food cooked with whiskey, vodka and even gin.

The two local companies are teaming up on Monday, Jan. 26, for a dinner at the restaurant that will feature Chef Juan Murillo's creations. The dinner is limited to 60 people and reservations are required.

Murillo will use Cascade Peak Spirits' Organic Nation vodka, gin and whiskey to take diners on a taste adventure.

Dishes will include brie and leek soup paired with a vodka and lime sorbet, steak with whiskey sauce, seared scallops finished with a gin and tonic reduction and chocolate and whiskey bread pudding.

David Graham, co-owner of 38 Central, said he and Michael Wolf started the restaurant last summer with the idea to support local farmers and producers.

They hosted a meeting at the restaurant with the nonprofit The Rogue Initiative for a Vital Economy, or THRIVE. The nonprofit promotes local agriculture and businesses.

Farmers and business owners want to find interesting ways to educate the public about supporting the local economy, Graham said.

"For us, it was a natural progression to take products you get locally and look at them differently. We want to use distilled spirits and match them with flavors in the food," he said. "What we hope to do is to introduce people to a new flavor."

Wine bars are entering their heyday here

Paul@GnosisMedia.org — 2007-01-24T21:19:57-08:00

Medford Mail Tribune

by Cleve Twitchell

The era of the wine bar has definitely arrived in Jackson County.

It began two years ago with the opening of The Winchester Inn's wine bar in Ashland. Now, we're now up to four. Liquid Assets of Ashland came along last August and Corks of Medford in September. The latest is 38 on Central, opening in Medford in November.

Comfort food makes a comeback

Paul@GnosisMedia.org — 2008-10-03T20:33:06-07:00

Medford Mail Tribune

by Sarah Lemon

Comfort food, or so industry buzz suggests, makes a comeback during rough economic times. If that's the latest trend, 38 Central already has a jump on increasingly stiff competition.

Instead of bringing California wine country's Frenchified cuisine to Medford, new owners Michael Wolf and David Graham transplanted "straight-forward American" cooking from the Napa Valley. The new menu marries sophisticated preparation with approachable ingredients and more affordable prices.

Its motto "The Fine Art of Casual Dining," 38 Central still capitalizes on the gallery-like space that the former owners created in 2006. The Cuthbert Building's original brick walls and hardwood flooring expertly contrast with modern, metal chairs and colorful, abstract canvases.

The main dining room remains a tad cavernous for quiet, intimate affairs. But for a night out with friends or a boisterous business lunch, it's just the ticket. Expansive tables provide plenty of room for notebooks next to plates, and butcher-paper coverings could even accommodate impromptu brainstorming.