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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...
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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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?...
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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Perugino
Category:
Uncategorized
767 Willamette St
Eugene, Oregon 97401
(541) 687-9102
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...
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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Kiva
Category:
Liquor Stores
125 W 11th Ave
Eugene, Oregon 97401
(541) 342-8666
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...
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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This is one of Eugene's nicest shops, on a lovely stretch of Broadway that feels like a charming oasis in the middle of Eugene's otherwise depressed downtown. J Michaels has a surprisingly wide...
This is one of Eugene's nicest shops, on a lovely stretch of Broadway that feels like a charming oasis in the middle of Eugene's otherwise depressed downtown. J Michaels has a surprisingly wide selection for its size, and the owner is always willing to special order books. He actually seems delighted by the challenge of tracking down a rare or obscure title. I wish Eugene had more businesses like this one, where the owner so clearly loves what he does, takes pride in his store, genuinely cares about his customers, and thrives because of it.
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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...
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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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...
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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