Mahaney
in the House
Translating
the local bounty
WORDS
BY ADRIENNE VAN DER VALK | PHOTO BY TODD COOPER
If you think you recognize Brendan Mahaney's
tousled blonde hair and movie star smile, it's because he's been around
the Eugene food scene for a long time. Arriving in town with a substantial
gourmet resume, Mahaney made his culinary home at Marché and
Red Agave for three years apiece before taking a hiatus to Mexico.
He returned to create an award-winning menu at Eugene Weekly
readers' favorite bar, Sam Bond's Garage, and in January the basketball-loving
chef relocated to downtown's Chanterelle, a continental restaurant
with an attached bar that's become Eugene's most unlikely sports-watching
venue.
"As an English major, you've pretty much got your
foot in the door of any kitchen," Mahaney says with a straight face,
explaining how he first found himself behind the fine-dining scenes
in San Francisco many years ago. Although he learned the art of gourmet
cooking on the job, eating quality food was a big part of Mahaney's
unusual upbringing.
"Dad was a CIA spy in Paris, France posing as a diplomat,
so I grew up there," he says, casually. "He cultivated an appreciation
for some pretty good restaurants, food and wine. Mom became a good
cook and gardener. I have a lot of early memories of tomatoes fresh
out of the garden. Even after we moved back here, Dad would go to
France and return with stuff you're really not supposed to bring into
the country: unpasturized cheese and salami. He'd just smuggle it
in."
While Eugene may not be Paris, Mahaney has found
a food universe in his adopted home that suits his values as both
a professional and a consumer.
"I like working at places that allow the chefs some
freedom and access to the Willamette Valley bounty. I want to go to
Long's, Newman's and the Farmers' Market. That's good for me, as opposed
to, 'The Sysco truck shows up on Wednesday!' I think owners and chefs
in Eugene need to push each other to translate that bounty onto the
table without putting on too many airs and jacking up menu prices."
Mahaney is currently craving seasonal vegetables like
collard green raab ("I feel like my body is crying out for that stuff!"),
and he wishes there were more grandma-style, slow-cooked stews on
local menus. Although he may cook in the fancier kitchens in town,
his palate has led him to some more modest businesses that never fail
to satisfy.
"Korea House is my favorite non-expensive restaurant
in town," he says emphatically. "If you don't order the lunch special
and dig a little deeper in the menu there are some really unusual
flavor combinations. I'm also happy to see the Plaza Latina in town.
They sell fresh tortillas and this creamy white pork fat in little
containers for a dollar. It's like gourmet lard."
Keeping good food accessible and enjoyable is important
to Mahaney, who in the past co-hosted the Belly Supper Club, an "ongoing,
occasional, seasonal, communal dining experience." The club offered
15 to 20 diners a set menu in an outdoor, courtyard environment. While
he's not currently planning Supper Club events, Mahaney still has
an outlet for exploring new food combinations in his position as head
chef at Chanterelle. His dinner menu includes specialty steak, poultry,
game and seafood dishes (of the steak Diane and rack of lamb Provencale
varieties) while the bar offers a rotating selection of Mahaney's
less traditional appetizers and small plates.
"I like the opportunity I'm getting there to continue
with the continental cuisine and experiment with some bar menu items,"
he says. And while the lounge area is not technically a sports bar,
he says that fans of high quality drinks, creative cuisine and flat
screen televisions will find it "a great place to watch a game!"
Chanterelle
is located at 207 E. 5th Avenue, Suite 109 (duck around the corner
onto Pearl for the bar entrance). 484-4065.
PARADISE
CITY CAFE | KEKAU
CHOCOLATES | LESSER KNOWN FOOD
CARTS | THE DEVINE CUPCAKE
KOBE
BURGERS | THE FORTUNE COOKIE CHRONICLES
| BRENDAN MAHANEY | CHOW
SHORTS | WORD IS …
|