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Red Agave
Category:
Restaurants
454 Willamette St
Eugene,
Oregon
(541) 683-2206
Far Be It From Pintos
Red Agave serves up the most compelling Southwestern cuisine I have had in
Eugene. The bar...
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Red Agave serves up the most compelling Southwestern cuisine I have had in
Eugene. The bar tender is cute, she mixes big stiff drinks, the chips and salsa are homemade, what more could you ask for?
We ordered four entrees: The pork tenderloin with tomatillo salsa and polenta cakes, cod cakes with jalapeno tartar and buttermilk onion rings, the green mole enchiladas, and Halibut with stuff I can't quite recall. They were all, especially the first three, to die for. The enchiladas in particular, were strangely delightful. I had low expectations, but when the crema blended with that sultry green mole, Dang!
Order any of these and a Gimlet, or perhaps the House Margarita, and you'll be singing La Cucaracha all the way home.
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The Best Restaurant in Eugene
I've been thinking a lot about this and have concluded that, hands down, Zalaya is Eugene's best...
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I've been thinking a lot about this and have concluded that, hands down, Zalaya is Eugene's best restaurant -- in every sense of the word "best." They call the cuisine Mediterranean, but really the dual foci here are Spain and Oregon. Zalaya doesn't try to be a true tapas bar, but what its owners have created is somehow more authentic, considering the setting -- more appropriate to Oregon. The menu is judiciously short (there are no weak dishes), seasonal, and locally-focused, taking advantage of the full bounty of the Willamette Valley. Call it Barceloregon cuisine. Or maybe Spangene. Zalaya's Amanida appetizer plate is a great way to start, offering tastes of half-a-dozen stellar tapas. The main courses, especially the paella and lentil gnocchi, are really outstanding. Trust the servers' wine recommendations, too -- they've steered me toward a lot of interesting Spanish wines and ports that I probably wouldn't have tried otherwise. So far, the only desserts they've offered are a ginger creme brulee and a dense molten chocolate torte; both are good, but not remarkable. But that's a small quibble. If you're looking for a nice night out in Eugene, a great special occasion spot or parents-in-town spot, I couldn't recommend Zalaya more strongly. The setting is lovely, too -- a beautifully restored, century-old house tucked away on a sleepy, leafy street in downtown Eugene. Enjoy.
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Not to be confused with Sunrise Colonics!
Eugene has a number of businesses with "sunrise" in their names, including Sunrise Colonics. I've...
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Eugene has a number of businesses with "sunrise" in their names, including Sunrise Colonics. I've never been to Sunrise Colonics, so I can't speak to their colon-cleaning skills. But I have been to Sunrise Oriental Market, and it's a godsend. When I moved to Eugene from Portland (after a few months of traveling in Southeast Asia), I was worried I wouldn't be able to find a good, authentic Asian market like I had been used to in Portland, Tacoma, and Seattle. Sunrise can't really compete with those larger cities with their , but it has its own strengths and charms. Its focus is more on Korean and Japanese foods (its owners are Korean) than Southeast Asian foods, which means I've had the chance to learn more about Korean food than I would have if I'd continued shopping only at Vietnamese-owned grocers. Sunrise makes a number of its own kim chis and other pickles, and they're consistently terrific. The owners are sweet as can be, too, and really proud of their business and eager to help. One of the store's weaknesses, though, is that since there's not a huge, vibrant Asian community in Eugene, some of Sunrise's produce isn't always very fresh. Rau ram, Thai basil, mint, birdseye chiles, bitter melon, amaranth, etc., are sometimes past their prime, since the store doesn't do a high enough volume in these products to merit restocking every day. Also, I wish there were more fresh noodles, fresh tofu, and the like available -- but again, that's a volume problem, and has more to do with Eugene's demographics than Sunrise itself. Still, I'm very grateful to have found this store. And I'm glad to see more and more Eugeneans discovering it.
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Vintage Books
This is an excellent bookstore for people who really love books. Even if you are only looking to...
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This is an excellent bookstore for people who really love books. Even if you are only looking to browse through the store, you are sure to find something special. They specialize in selling rare and out of print books to book collectors. They have both used and new books. The vintage building that houses this bookstore is very interesting in itself and adds an interesting atmosphere to the store.
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Kiva the
Category:
Liquor Stores
125 W 11th Ave
Eugene,
Oregon
(541) 342-8666
Beware the $2 cucumber
The other day, I ran to the Kiva to pick up a last-minute cucumber. You know what I mean by...
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The other day, I ran to the Kiva to pick up a last-minute cucumber. You know what I mean by last-minute cucumber, right? You're in the middle of cooking--I was making sushi--and you realize you forgot that one ingredient at the farmers' market, and you're frustrated, and you don't really want to make the dish without that one ingredient because that would only frustrate you more? You know? Well, the Kiva is close to my house, but I don't shop there very often except for these sorts of last-minute ingredients because the store alternately frustrates and puzzles me. There's no excuse for a store with Kiva's prices to have dirty floors and flies buzzing around the vegetables. Its prices are some of the highest in Eugene--comparable to specialty markets in Portland, like Pastaworks--but the quality and atmosphere don't merit that at all. The Kiva feels past its prime, like it needs a makeover and some new blood. It has its charms, too, and feels very authentically Eugene-y. Also, I appreciate that all the produce is organic. But there's absolutely no excuse for a $2 cucumber that turns out to be dry and mealy.
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Perugino
Category:
Uncategorized
767 Willamette St
Eugene,
Oregon
(541) 687-9102
Not quite like espresso in Perugia, but wonderful still
To call Perugino a restaurant is probably overstating it a bit -- it's a coffee and wine bar, and a...
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To call Perugino a restaurant is probably overstating it a bit -- it's a coffee and wine bar, and a great one. It draws its inspiration from the elegant espresso bars of Italy, but Perugino doesn't overdo it with the Italian theme. There's beautiful handpainted Italian deruta pottery hanging on the wall in the back of the shop, but there's also art by local artists near the front of the shop. The space, designed by a local architect who teaches at the University of Oregon, is one of the most beautiful interiors in Eugene, and on a rainy day you want to hang out here all day in the little front window alcove area. The baristas really know how to pull a shot, too -- a surprisingly rare skill in coffee-obsessed Eugene. The food here is quite good, too -- the biscotti and panini, salads and sweets. A gem.
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Cornucopia
Category:
Liquor Stores
295 W 17th Ave
Eugene,
Oregon
(541) 485-2300
Super beer selection, awful service
This place is right around the corner from my house. They have decent food, a great beer selection,...
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This place is right around the corner from my house. They have decent food, a great beer selection, an OK wine selection, and a lovely back patio that's heaven on warm nights. Sounds perfect, right? Unfortunately, the service is some of the worst I've ever encountered. There are a few really friendly, attentive servers here, but they're the exception, certainly not the rule. The sometime-manager/server, a crabby middle aged woman, who has waited on us a few times, is probably the worst server I've ever had. She gets orders wrong and then insults you if you point out her mistake. She once cut off my girlfriend and me after we'd had two beers each (over the course of three hours sitting on the patio, eating lots of Cornucopia's food) and, again, proceeded to insult us. It's always a struggle to get the check -- you often have to ask for it three or four times. And yet we keep coming back here; the setting really is nice, the location convenient, and the beers superb. I only wish they'd train their staff a little better -- and fire that grouchy manager woman!
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Lone Goose Press
Category:
Uncategorized
1166 W 2nd Ave
Eugene,
Oregon
(541) 465-9079
A Eugene treasure
Sandy Tilcock's Lone Goose Press (or, as Sandy prefers to write it, lone goose press) publishes...
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Sandy Tilcock's Lone Goose Press (or, as Sandy prefers to write it, lone goose press) publishes handmade letterpress books and broadsides from nationally-renowned poets and essayists. Full disclosure: I know Sandy, and I've done some freelance design and writing work for her. She really is one of the most talented book artists I've ever seen. She also runs the University of Oregon's fine literary press, Knight Library Press: http://libweb.uoregon.edu/klp. If you like writers like Barry Lopez, Gary Snyder, Terry Tempest Williams, David James Duncan, Patiann Rogers, and Kim Stafford, and you'd like to see their work presented in the most beautiful format on earth -- letterpress books and broadsides -- check out lone goose and Knight Library presses.
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Old Pad the
Category:
Restaurants
3355 E Amazon Dr
Eugene,
Oregon
(541) 686-5022
Sports Bar
This place is great for watching games on big screen televisions. The crowd is usually good and the...
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This place is great for watching games on big screen televisions. The crowd is usually good and the service is great even with a full restaurant. The menu is extensive and includes low carb sections. There sometimes are coupons available for buy one meal, get one free. This place is open for breakfasts as well as lunch and dinner.
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Gray's Garden Center
Category:
Plant Rental & Maintenance
777 W 6th Ave
Eugene,
Oregon
(541) 345-1569
Garden Center
This is one of the major garden centers in the Eugene area. They have a wide selection of bedding...
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This is one of the major garden centers in the Eugene area. They have a wide selection of bedding plants, vegetable plants and hanging baskets. They also have a large section of landscaping plants including fruit trees and bushes. They sell gardening supplies as well though they seem to have more chemical fertilizers than organic ones.
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