Newberg, OR — The stately Queen Anne-style Victorian on South College St. at East Second Street has endured a long while.

But it took husband and wife, Chef Allen Routt and General Manager Jessica Bagley-Routt to inject new life and spirit into this house that was built in 1895.

Last week, the couple celebrated the 20th anniversary of The Painted Lady Restaurant, the charming, fine-dining establishment they opened here after renovating this 130-year-old gem in Oregon Wine Country.

These days with so many increasing challenges, it gets harder and harder to maintain a business. That the Routts have managed to do so at such a high level is a true testament to their dedication to quality and standards.

Routt, who began cooking at age 16, graduated from the Culinary Institute of America, and interned with Chef Bradley Ogden at San Francisco’s One Market. That led to cooking stints at such iconic establishments as the Inn at Chef Patrick O’Connell’s The Inn at Little Washington, Chef Jean-Louis Palladin’s Pesce, and Chef Mark Militello’s Mark’s South Beach (where he would meet his future wife), then becoming executive chef at Brannan’s Grill in Calistoga.

His wife, who was raised in Southern Oregon, graduated with top honors from the Western Culinary Institute in Portland, where she interned at acclaimed Higgins restaurant, before helping open Mark’s South Beach. She eventually took a job at Chef Hiro Sone’s Terra restaurant in St. Helena before becoming a sous chef at Brix restaurant in Napa.

Last month, I was invited to dine as a guest of Travel Oregon.

Though jeans and plaid shirts, and even shorts, are the norm in this region (even in drizzling 59-degree weather), diners here step it up with crisp button-down shirts for the men, and dresses for the women.

If you know Chez TJ in Mountain View, another fine-dining restaurant inside a Victorian, the vibe here is similar with nods to the past but also a contemporary feel. The service is warm and gracious, and puts you at ease immediately.

The Painted Lady’s seven-course seasonal tasting menu is $165, with an optional wine pairing at $120.

An amuse arrives hot and fresh — lightly breaded and just-fried oyster mushrooms with rice crackers that are reminiscent of Funyons, only much more impressive. The mushrooms are first smoked over applewood, then dredged in cornstarch before being fried. Some Parmigiano-Reggiano and Maldon salt add the perfect touch of seasoning and umami. These morsels start the evening off with a bang, letting you know fireworks are ahead.

An early spring chilled salad follows, composed of precisely cut tiny cubes of purple potatoes, beets, and cucumber arranged as a platform for a silver-skinned, rich and oily tasting boquerone. A dab of green garlic dressing brings it all together with oomph.

Routt calls the next dish a “miso custard.” But if you are familiar with Japanese chawanmushi, this is like its non-identical twin — delicate and velvety smooth, but with perhaps some heavy cream in the mix because this version has a real richness to it that you don’t find in the traditional eggy custard.

It arrives at the table in a deep ceramic cup, garnished with Dungeness crab, pickled red onion, edamame and sesame powder. A warm dashi gets poured over it tableside. The savory umami of the broth and miso hit you first, followed by the natural sweetness of the crab, and then the brightness of the soybeans.

The dish has been on the menu since the restaurant opened, the server explained, and would probably cause a revolt if it ever disappeared.

Pan-seared ling cod, fluffy and moist, is served next with a Yukon gold mash with green cabbage folded in a la Irish colcannon. An herb nage completes the dish, adding a clean taste that doesn’t overwhelm the fish.

Sourdough rolls in the shape of big belly buttons arrive warm and crusty. Slather their chewy crumb with butter that’s finished appropriately enough with Pinot Noir salt.

Kabocha squash and chevre combine for the filling of agnolotti, providing the yin and yang of sweetness and tangy grassiness. They’re napped with red wine gastrique and crowned with a honey tuille shaped like honeycomb that not only adds crunch to all the softness but a twinge of sweetness that plays well with both the squash and the cheese.

Wagyu New York steak from Oregon’s Lindsay Ranch makes its presence known with a concentrated beefy taste and real tenderness without being a total fat bomb. It’s accompanied by a golden fried baby artichoke, nutty parnsip puree, sweet cippollini onion, and a cremini cap.

For the cheese course, Oregon’s Briar Rose Butterbloom is aptly named, as this semi-soft, cow’s milk cheese with a thin rind is creamy, custardy, and yes, buttery tasting. Pear mostarda and sauerkraut add sharpness and acidity to counterbalance its richness.

A lady-like slice of layer cake is the spotlight dessert, stacked with ube cake, green tea mousse, and ube mousse. A sliver of candied ginger adds the top note on this delicate, lightly sweet, airy dessert that gets a powerful kick from calamansi curd. Caramel corn provides a playful, nostalgic touch.

The final sweets are dark chocolate bonbons, salted caramels, and apple pate de fruit.

If you need to freshen up in one of the restrooms upstairs before departing, do choose the one at the end of the hall, as our server recommended. It’s the largest one, and a sight to behold. On nearby wall hangs a photo of the family who lived in the house long ago. No doubt, they would be thrilled to see what it has become today.

More: Oregon Travels, Part I: Kiyokawa Family Orchards

And: Oregon Travels, Part II: Jory Restaurant