Old Favorites

Here are some Eugene restaurant staples

EW often writes about the new and shiny. Readers and writers alike take interest in stories describing the latest food trends or the most recent restaurants to hit town.  But sometimes, there’s value in taking a look back at the restaurants that have stood the test of time. The restaurant business has a high rate of turnover, and a trendy new place might close a month after it opens. Continue reading 

King of the Square

The Afghan food cart is great for an outdoor lunch at the square

Thirty years ago, Abdul-Waheed Wahed was sitting in the Frankfurt airport, waiting for his flight from Germany to Eugene. Wahed, a Kabul native who’d earlier fled the Soviet conflict in Afghanistan, had some time to kill. So, perched at the airport bar in 1986, he had a few drinks. A woman he knew sat down beside him. They shared a whiskey, then a few more. Wahed missed his flight. Continue reading 

Mac Attack

Who doesn't love mac and cheese?

Settling in with a bowl of gooey macaroni and cheese is pretty much the culinary equivalent of a hug, and it’s not just for kids: It’s popping up on adult menus everywhere. The dish is simple, comforting, nostalgic and oh so American. And it’s versatile — anything can be a topping!  In our highly scientific approach, we looked at noodle types (it’s not always macaroni) and quality, cheese and cheese sauce, the presence of breadcrumbs and add-in options, presentation and, generally, if it made our bellies swoon. Continue reading 

Fusion Frenzy

Get the best of both worlds at Kun Fusion

There’s nothing else quite like Kun Fusion Grill in Eugene, and that’s the point, says owner Shawn Werner.  Take Kun Fusion’s rice bowl, for example, resplendent with savory chicken, crunchy veggies and mounds of rice topped with a fried egg. It’s fusion food at its very best, combining Korean and Mexican cuisines to delicious effect.  Imagine hefty burritos filled with sumptuous Korean barbecue meat, rice and vegetables, and you’re getting close to picturing just how delightful this cultural combination can be. Continue reading 

New Voices

A bevy of modern performers bring the future of music to town

I saw classical music’s future and its name is … Roomful of Teeth? That takeoff on Jon Landau’s famous 1974 encomium to a young Bruce Springsteen might be a little over the top. But then again, with nearly 30 million Americans singing in choirs and a cappella music a genuine populist phenomenon, an ensemble that combines the universal human instrument — voices — with contemporary artistic ambition might well be a key to bringing new listeners, as well as new singers, to 21st-century classical composers, and vice versa. Continue reading 

Welcome to Hotel Fregoli

The screenwriter and occasional director Charlie Kaufman has been delightfully gas-lighting moviegoers since 1999’s Being John Malkovich, a film that takes place, quite literally, inside the head of John Malkovich. Like Rod Serling before him, Kaufman loves to knock everything just slightly off kilter, creating an existential free fall that is at once exhilarating and upsetting. Using wry humor to offset his philosophical heebie-jeebies, Kaufman’s what-if movies pry open absurd cracks in accepted reality until a plausible explanation of our human condition emerges. Continue reading 

No Grand Bargain

My, how the world of Oregon politics has changed in two years. Twenty-two months ago The Oregonian reported that John Kitzhaber, then preparing to run for an unprecedented fourth term in November 2014, held a press conference to announce a “grand bargain.” In a series of backroom meetings, Dr. John had persuaded rival union and business groups sponsoring several competing proposals to back off from going to the November ballot two years ago. Continue reading 

Biz Beat 1-28-2016

• The independent private Oak Hill School will be the new home of Super Summer, a three-week academic enrichment program for advanced learners and Talent and Gifted students, and will expand to include sixth and seventh grade students. The popular program has been housed at the UO for the past 35 years. Super Summer will begin its permanent residency on the rural Oak Hill campus near LCC June 27. The application process will open Feb. 8. See oakhillschool.com or call 744-0954. Continue reading