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Ashland Restaurant Week, scheduled to run from Monday through Sunday, Feb. 6-12, will showcase the city’s culinary scene and the chefs who make it happen. The event will tempt locals and visitors with specials ranging from single entrees to multicourse dinners. Black Sheep Pub & Restaurant will offer a smoked salmon pot pie for $19. “Besides our house-smoked salmon, our pot pie includes onions, carrots, celery, peas, dill, thyme and a crispy scone topping with lemon-dill butter,” said Black Sheep owner Susan Chester. “I imagine we’ll be serving a lot of our pub favorites, too,” she said, “like our banger and mash, scotch eggs, welsh rarebit, and shepherd’s pie.” Omar’s Fresh Seafood & Steaks will emphasize the surf side of the menu for its one-course special. Chef Jeff Hunt is featuring house-cured, bacon-wrapped scallops with truffle corn cream, smoked grits, baby carrots, and crispy leaks for $28.95. “February is fresh, live oyster month at Omar’s,” said Jennifer Sink, one of the owners. “We’ll be offering at least six varieties of fresh Pacific and Puget Sound in-shell oysters, prepared in a variety of styles — all month long,” she said. Chef Billy Buscher at Alchemy Restaurant & Bar at the Winchester Inn is offering a three-course prix fixe dinner for $39 Wednesday through Sunday. Included will be an appetizer, soup or salad, and entrée. “Our appetizer will be a pickled beet and endive salad with smoky bleu cheese from Rogue Creamery,” he said. Diners can choose from two entrees. “The vegetarian option is a baked vegetable tiella with zucchini and herbs. It’s my grandmother’s recipe,” Buscher said. “The other dish will be sous vide free-range chicken breast with crispy skin and a walnut-parsley pistou.” Other restaurants offering specials include Hearsay Restaurant & Lounge, a three-course prix-fixe dinner for $35; Liquid Assets, a three-course chef’s special for $38; Scarpetta Prima, a three-course dinner for $40; Smithfields Restaurant & Bar, a three-course dinner for $33; and Smithfields Pub & Pies, a “Pi” discount of $3.14 on all pies from 7 to 11 p.m. To see what other restaurants will be offering, check the chamber’s website at www.ashlandchamber.com, click on "Visitors," then "Culinary", and scroll down to the Restaurant Week link. Prizes will be offered during the event. Participating restaurants are donating $25 gift certificates. Winners will be drawn from entry forms submitted by diners and workshop attendees. A grand prize culinary basket filled with goodies will be awarded one winner. Coinciding with Restaurant Week is Jefferson Public Radio’s 36th annual Wine Tasting and Silent Auction Thursday, Feb. 9, at Ashland Springs Hotel. Regional wine and food will be featured, and the auction tables will be filled with contributions from area residents and businesses, all in support of JPR programming. Also that week, culinary classes will be offered at the Ashland Food Co-op. Details are available at the store or online at www.ashlandfood.coop. — Jim Flint is a former newspaper publisher and editor now living in Ashland. Reach him at [email protected].