24 replies to this topic

[Rosie]

Where should I eat? Will be there two nights.

[onehsancare]

The top of my list has always been Cafe Zenon. The original owners recently sold it to some Californians without restaurant experience. I haven't been there since the transition was complete (the sellers stayed for a couple of months to help).

Excelsior

Cafe Soriah (has a nice bar and a lovely courtyard)

Do not be seduced by the "on the river" ambiance of either Valley River Inn or the McMenamin's North Bank--you'd be better off eating at one of the above and then going for a walk on the river.

[wundermunk]

Hey, I don't know if you made your trip or not but I have a few more suggestions.

Anatolia is a lovely greek/Indian restaurant. A good option for lunch (they are open for dinner, too). They do all the standards really well. I love their Moussaka, their bindi baji (an okra curry)- or the Thali platter- which includes several curries and the tastiest peanut chutney. Don't miss the rice pudding for dessert.

Marche is really good.

And get a warm loaf of the seeded baguette from the Fifth Street Public market bakery.

If you are going to be there on a weekend go to the Saturday market for lunch. Toby's tofu tia is yummy. It is hippieland-be forewarned- you WILL see tie dye and smell pachouli. You might even get an offr to buy "The greatest jokebook the world has ever known" by Frog who has an uncanny ability to be everywhere in Eugene at once.

[Rosie]

Thanks. Going in a few weeks so I will be able to use your recommendations.

[adanzig]

I live in Eugene and will be happy to offer some recommendations if you can be a bit specific about what you're looking for, what cuisines you prefer, etc. Enjoy your visit!

[Rosie]

Enjoy everything! Prefer innovative cuisine. Fresh ingredients. Price not important but mom/pop establishments that are off the beaten track and known to locals are also fine. Thanks for any input.

[Chris Hennes]

I wanted to bump this back up to see if there are any changes/additions in recent years. My wife interviewed for a job at the University, so I'm checking out the "food scene" in town. Do people living in Eugene/Springfield tend to head to Portland a lot, or is there enough of a restaurant culture in Eugene to keep you home most of the time? How about markets, butchers, etc.?

[John DePaula]

I wanted to bump this back up to see if there are any changes/additions in recent years. My wife interviewed for a job at the University, so I'm checking out the "food scene" in town. Do people living in Eugene/Springfield tend to head to Portland a lot, or is there enough of a restaurant culture in Eugene to keep you home most of the time? How about markets, butchers, etc.?

If you are going to be in Eugene, you should check out Kekau Chocolatier.

I don't know much about the food scene in Eugene but Portland is surely worth a visit!

[nibor]

People in Eugene do not head to Portland "a lot", if you mean in terms of seeking food or entertainment. It is a hike.

It is however perfectly charming and, with the occasional easy trip to Corvallis or the Pacific, a nice place to call home.

[Cats]

How about markets, butchers, etc.?

i really like long's meat market and capella market. capella has a nice deli and meat selection, and longs has many, many wonderful meats and cheeses.

i like both sunrise asian market and king's asian market. sunrise has a prepared foods section that's fun.

sunrise, capella, and long's are all fairly close to each other.

sundance and the kiva are more hippie/health food storish, and i like them both too. sundance has a fair bit of vegetarian/vegan prepared foods.

i've heard good things about pomegranates from some friends, but i haven't been there yet.

there's a wonderful farmer's market that will be starting up again in april.

there's also market of choice with a pretty good bulk section, deli, and produce.

[duck833]

Best restaurant in Eugene right now is Marche'. Actually the Eugene Country Club is probably equal with them at this time. Chef Jennings is doing wonderful stuff there.

I go to Portland all the time, need my pastrami fix at K &Z Deli.

[bbqboy]

I wanted to bump this back up to see if there are any changes/additions in recent years. My wife interviewed for a job at the University, so I'm checking out the "food scene" in town. Do people living in Eugene/Springfield tend to head to Portland a lot, or is there enough of a restaurant culture in Eugene to keep you home most of the time? How about markets, butchers, etc.?

Hi ya Chris, in Oregon, you've got Portland at the top,
Ashland & the Rogue Valley at the bottom, and Eugene in between.
Lots of food production/eating top and bottom, hippieland in Eugene.
Wine & beer all around

Edited by bbqboy, 13 March 2008 - 10:06 PM.

[Raoul Duke]

Does the Vanetta fair still happen?

[bbqboy]

Does the Vanetta fair still happen?

Do you mean the Oregon Country Fair?


http://www.oregoncountryfair.org/

[Raoul Duke]

Yep that's the one. Guess I've lived too much of the sixties to remember the correct name. This is a great fair. bbqboy, thanks for link.
Raoul

[syrah girl]

We had a fantastic lunch at the King Estate Winery this past Sat. This was our second time here for lunch, the food is fantastic, we had a glass of their Signature Chardonnay and the Vin Glace dessert wine. We shared the Spinach Salad with Poached Egg and Fingerling Potates, the Crab Cakes, the kids had a Pulled Pork Sandwich, hubby had the hamburger, we shared a Trio of Chocolate Mousse for dessert. Great place, perfect service and lovely ambiance, we dined by the glowing fire, it was perfect before heading over to our beach cottage in Seaside. :)

[Loosecanon Dolph]

Where should I eat?  Will be there two nights.

I worked in Eugene for 3 years, there are very few good restaurants. Marche is okay, not pushing any boundries, Red Agave is okay, just changed owners, in a good way. And my favorite by far, purely for ambience and fresh ingredients Chef's Kitchen on Amazon, Bruno's the man.

Cafe zenon is complete garbage however you will find a lot of locals telling you its great, don't trust them I know know know that place is garbage from the inside out.

Also I forgot but Bel Ami is a really nice place for a drink and casual dining, unpretentious, and some of the best bartenders in the industry.

[duck833]

Don't forget Davis's at Broadway and Olive and I like Rogue Brewery 1/2 block away on Olive.

Steelhead has good bar food and good beer, my favorite forever is Bombay Bomber, kind of a cult IPA.

Have heard that Joey Harrington is redoing the old Black Angus spot into a new place. Hope he does better than Chris Miller did in the restaurant business.

[trillium]

In addition to cat's great list, Eugene also has two great fish markets, Newman's and Fisherman's Market. I happen to like Newman's the best, but they're both great, good selection and prices.

I would say the restaurant culture here is pretty dreadful once you get past burritos from local chains or tacos from Plaza Latina. I don't actually require my gustary boundries to be pushed, gels and foams etc. aren't really my favorite, but I want it to be taste better then your average Sysco supplied restaurant. A lot of places here seem like they're cooking for the culinary equivalent of a 4 year old.

I like Marche best of all the places we've tried. I don't require performance art on my plate, so if I can get a locally sourced duck egg over asparagus with anchovy vinagrette at brunch, I'm a pretty happy eater. Their pizzas aren't half bad either, you sit at a counter downstairs in the Provisions section (which sells Carpono's Antica Formula and Fee's aged bitters and therefore I love them). Don't tell anyone, but their slices can be just as nice as some of the coal fired ones I tried in New York. On the other hand, their baguettes are some of the worst I've tried. Hideaway Bakery is making a valiant effort in the bread arena but I pine for Ken's Artisan. Bel Ami is a really nice place to get decent, classic cocktails, haven't tried the food.

regards,
trillium

[chardan]

If soup's sounding good, at 1500 and Pearl, you'll find Toshi's Ramen.

_Jesse Williamson ;-};

[TheFoodTutor]

Bumping this topic back up, as my husband and I will be moving to Eugene in about a month or so. So far, we've tried Poppi's Anatolia and enjoyed it, Voodoo Doughnuts, Skinner's at the Hilton (we were staying there and had free coupons), Sushi Pure at 5th Street Market and a rather upscale Italian restaurant that I've forgotten the name of.

Would love more suggestions and I definitely am looking forward to exploring markets in the area.

[hongda]

De Frisco Chicken Sandwich on campus or by Oakway

Beppe and Gianni's

[thayes1c]

Cornucopia for burgers, Osteria Sfizio blows B & G out of the water in my book, Rabbit, Bistro for fancy modern Frenchish food, Pizza Research Institute for the most Eugene pizza. For markets you've got the Kiva downtown, a fun little hippie market by the library, and the. Markets of Choice are the larger upscale markets, then one on Willamette is best and it's also across the street fom Sunrise, our best Asian market. There's also Sundance, the most hippie market (no meat) and the Sundance wine cellar purports to have Oregons largest selection. The farmers market starts up in spring, the Mushroomery is my favorite stand.

[onehsancare]

Yes to Osteria Sfizio and Rabbit Bistro (now moving), Markets of Choice and Sunrise. Still happy anytime anyone says "Let's go to Marche!"

[cave76]

Just found this thread----- When I moved here a couple of years ago I was surprised at the 'white bread' food culture here. I thought being a Uni town it would be different. It didn't help that I'd lived near and eaten in San Francisco for decades. But that was then........

I love Eugene, don't get me wrong. But I crave ethnic foods (I don't count Italian or French as ethnic) and don't care if it's a fancy restaurant or a food cart.

Mio Sushi, which is a glitzy Japanese restaurant does have good food and is very clean and appealing to the eye. It's in the Oakway Center.
Yi Shen is a Viet market and restaurant. Not fancy at all---- but the food is good----- and forgive me for saying --- "for Eugene".

Someone mentioned Marche. I haven't been there but the Schnitzer Museum on campus has a cafe run/managed by Marche, I believe, with good cafe food.
Belly's is on my list of places to go.
Osteria Sfizio was very good. I'll go back again but, as I said, I don't consider Italian food ethnic. But Noli in the Fifth Street Public Market has some very good Italian food--- it's a sorta fast food place but I love their food. Priced right too.
What about Indian food? Korean? Jewish deli? Any place else I should know about?

Soriah's was good and it is a very pretty place to eat. But the lamb dish I ordered was 'good' not great. The fried calamari I had for 'starter' was great, however!