A new(ish) addition to McMinnville’s Third Street, Jackrabbit alum Brett Uniss has been turning out polished but unpretentious farm-to-table plates since Humble Spirit opened in July.

Humble Spirit, the new downtown McMinnville restaurant that opened in mid-July, is, at its heart, a farm-to-table restaurant. All the buzzwords are there: seasonal, small-batch, local, sustainable. These aren’t new ideas in Oregon wine country, where the changing menus at the area’s best restaurants — Mac Market, Pizza Capo, Red Hills Kitchen, the Painted Lady — all exemplify how local and seasonal sourcing impacts culinary creativity.

The long-anticipated opening of Humble Spirit, Third Street’s newest restaurant, has been going well, Chef Brett Uniss said. Part of The Ground, a collection of local farms focusing on sustainable practices, Humble Spirit opened in mid-July at 411 N.E. Third St. Business has been good, the chef said.

So much is happening in McMinnville — from hot new restaurants to eclectic boutiques and art — that something exciting seems to be on the horizon every time you look. About an hour southwest of Portland, this mostly quiet enclave in North Willamette Valley wine country has become a destination in its own right.

A new restaurant in the heart of downtown McMinnville is serving up farm-to-table dishes and cocktails. Humble Spirit is a neighborhood bistro sourcing herbs fresh from their garden, and 100% grass-fed beef and pastured pork from Tabula Rasa Farms. Visit Thursday - Monday at 411 NE Third St. in downtown McMinnville.

If you’re sensing change as you walk down McMinnville’s historic Main Street, you’re right in step. The town once called “The 2nd Foodiest Small Town in America” (that was Bon Appétit magazine, in 2010, by the way), will see two bold new hospitality ventures this month that aim to capture the hearts of both the local community and wine country capital’s upscale travelers.

A chef from a former Portland restaurant has a new home in Yamhill County.

The Ground is joining McMinnville’s vibrant culinary scene with the introduction of Humble Spirit. The local and seasonal neighborhood bistro will open in the heart of the Willamette Valley this July. Humble Spirit’s menu draws inspiration from the seasons and thoughtfully-sourced ingredients, with a focus on provisioners using sustainable practices like regenerative farming and small-batch craft.