Veg-u-ary

Recently at Veg Salad Craft, a new restaurant in downtown Eugene, a woman exclaimed, “I’m from San Diego and this tzatziki is to die for!”

Whether San Diego is known for its tzatziki remains unclear, but what is certain is Veg makes its own vibrant tzatziki. Along with other dressings including jalapeño ranch, wild berry vinaigrette, miso ginger and more.

It all goes on top of Veg’s salads — build your own, or order off the menu. Creations celebrating what restaurant founder Mike Roscoe calls “the bounty of the Pacific Northwest. We don’t need to go to Florida or California,” he goes on, “It’s all right here.”

Roscoe partnered with his wife to open Veg last fall in a vacant retail space on Willamette. The concept is “healthy, local produce in a super sustainable, super nourishing package,” he says. The bowls in which the salads are served are completely sustainable, Roscoe explains, down to the glue adhering the Veg logo to the outside of the package. I try the Cobb salad (chop iceberg, chicken, red beet, egg, avocado, cherry tomatoes, blue cheese and bacon) with jalapeño ranch. Veg offers tons of vegan and vegetarian options, but there’s also steak, chicken, smoked salmon, bacon and eggs, Roscoe explains.

In the Cobb salad, the produce is fresh and flavorful, the portion hearty, with a little savory, bacon-y pop alongside the energetic heat of the jalapeño. There’s also the Buddha Bowl (mixed greens, tofu, edamame succotash, red onion, sweet red pepper, cherry tomatoes, shredded rainbow carrots), or the Dirty Bird (Chop romaine, chicken, roasted corn, black beans, avocado, pico de gallo, pepper jack cheese, tortilla strips and Southwest spice mix.) Or instead of a salad, try the soup.

Step inside Veg, with exposed brick, hardwood floors, a stainless-steel salad bar designed to make the colors of the produce pop, and you just feel a little cleaner. Pick your salad topping and watch the Veg staff build your salad for you. Meanwhile on the wall, video screens silently tell the story of a fifth-generation hazelnut farmer in Junction City. It’s an urban yet accessible aesthetic. Very Eugene, but also tailor-made to be replicated across multiple locations in a good-food-fast twist on the fast food formula. “We wanted to use reclaimed lumber as much as possible,” Roscoe says. “We wanted it to be very sleek and clean and modern looking.”

Overall, Roscoe wants people to know Veg is a Eugene-grown concept. The reason they did it in Eugene, he says, is to reflect back health and outdoor-lifestyle focus of the community. “We are 100 percent Eugene,” he says.

Veg Salad Craft is open 10:30 pm to 7:30 pm Monday through Saturday at 861 Willamette in Eugene. For more information see vegsaladcraft.com.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!