About the Restaurant
Nous is committed to providing top-tier Alsatian cuisine, unmatched hospitality, and unparalleled care to their employees. We accept all races, genders, and walks of life, and only accept love and respect in our restaurant. We are committed to excellence as an integral part of our community. We believe that if we respect the planet, we make tasty, quality food, and we take care of our staff, our customers will feel the happiness, too–it’s a trickle-down good vibe policy!
Nous [nu]
plural pronoun
We (subject)
Us (object)
The reason that we named it ‘Nous’, meaning we or us, is that we are all in this world together. We are not separate. It is good for us to realize that we all need to be on the same team. It is not us and you on opposing sides, it is we….us! We are only as good as the team we have built. But also, we are our community of people all trying to get by and enjoy some good food and wine, while making memories, and getting to know one another and ourselves as best we can. All this while maintaining some sort of balance in our lives, hopefully still preserving our precious planet. We liken our name to Bernie Sanders slogan, “not me, us”.
We aspire to be a community hub and we look at it from this perspective.
Why Alsace?
Alsace is a small region in France on the border of Germany. It's gone back and forth between German and French occupation in the last few centuries, the latest going from German to French in the 1940s.
So, although we are technically a French inspired restaurant, we have a lot of German influence. It's the deeply-rooted fine dining food culture of France, and the soul-warming cuisine of Germany. Some of the regional specialties are Flammkuchen (Tarte Flambée), Choucroute, Baeckeoffe, Coq au Riesling, Foie gras, Pretzels (Bretzel), Munster cheese, Spätzle, and Kougelhopf. We feature Alsatian and Alpine flavors in our sauces, drinks, and dishes. You'll see Elderflower, pine, fennel, anise, and juniper among many other unique tasting notes on our menus.
Why did we choose Alsatian cuisine for Ashland? Well, we are the only Alsatian restaurant on the West Coast. We wanted to introduce something new, but vaguely familiar to the community of Southern Oregon. But additionally, the valley we source our incredible bounty from, the Rogue Valley, is strikingly similar to the Vosges mountains that houses the region of Alsace. Plus, we are both lesser-known wine regions which produce undiscovered gems! Think: reasonably priced but high-quality, delicious wines.
Lastly, Alsace is a region which has transformed from strife into a hospitable and gracious community with its own identity as a culinary mecca! We see many parallels in this industry that we are trying to transform and our little community.
What's the story with the Storks?
Meet “Cleo Stork-Chop”: She’s our mascot. The stork represents peace and harmony between France and Germany, and ecological balance. If a stork couple builds a nest upon an Alsatian rooftop, it is considered fortunate. The locals even build platforms to encourage nesting above their homes. The stork is a good mascot because it reflects our hope for peace and harmony in our community, and within our individual lives, as well as being as sustainable as possible.