New Orleans in Eugene

According to Jorge Navarro, everyone should go to New Orleans at least once. He traveled to the Louisiana hot spot when he turned 40, and soon after, started Café Navarro, which served New Orleans-inspired dishes in Eugene until 2001. “I consider New Orleans-style food to be the real American culinary tradition,” Navarro says, explaining how the city’s famed Creole cuisine incorporates European, African, Native American and other influences, turning them into something new.   Continue reading 

Breakfast Love

Chef Josh Welton’s hairy right forearm has a big tattoo of fried eggs and a side of bacon.  “I really love breakfast. I’m not kidding,” he laughs, patting flour off his black chef coat.  Welton opened Tres Mil Border Cafe a year ago inside 5th Street Market’s food court. On a Sunday morning, he is busy behind the counter, serving up huevos rancheros with thick, house-made corn tortillas and generous spoonsful of sour cream. A reasonable trickle of people stand in line to order breakfast. Continue reading 

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 

Lane County Area Spray Schedule 1-21-16

Seneca Jones Timber Company LLC, 689-1011, plans to spray roadsides near Siuslaw River Road, Crow Creek, Douglas Creek, Sheffler Road, Doane and Crow Roads, Simonsen Road, Farman Creek and Camas Swale Creek near Weiss Road. See ODF notifications 2016-781-00876, 00877, 00879, 00880, 00881 and 2016-781-00882, call Brian Peterson or Robin Biesecker at 998-2283 with questions.  Continue reading 

Give Guide

Some of us donate tangibly. We give food, clothing, warm socks. The evidence of this has been in the EW front office the last couple weeks as community members have dropped off donations of jackets, sweaters, blankets and more for the White Bird Clinic. We’ve already taken several truckloads of donations over to the clinic. Some of us donate time. Nonprofits such as FOOD for Lane County (foodforlanecounty.org) or Occupy Medical are propelled by hundreds and often thousands of hours logged by volunteers.  Continue reading 

I Dream of Kesey Square

In the Pacific Northwest’s damp, dark days of winter, it’s hard to imagine any beckoning outdoors spaces, like say the twinkling age-old Christmas markets of Germany. But we do have a pocket of possibility right in the heart of the city: Kesey Square. Rather than look at its brick shell as some unintended consequence of ad-hoc city planning — where some local developers want to plop a building — we ask you to dream of the possibilities.  Continue reading