Eugene Weekly

The rumors started flying on Saturday: Bel Ami is closing. Get down there. Last night. Since then, we’ve heard from a number of disappointed folks, from former employes who spoke of the restaurant’s staff having been one big family to semi-regulars at the bar who were already in mourning. And we’ve read stories that said the whole Bel Ami space was closing, and some that said that it wasn’t. We got confused. As it turns out, a little bit of everything seems to be true. Continue reading →

As of Tuesday, March 3, current info on Bel Ami/Midtown can be found in the following post. Word is coming in from multiple places that Bel Ami Restaurant and Lounge is closed. The fate of the front of the building — the coffee shop, wine shop and bistro — is less clear, though it sounds as if they’re remaining open. More detail will come as we have it. Continue reading →

A good local alternative to Starbucks downtown—light, airy, comfy chairs, friendly, free wi-fi and a big green tree soaring to a vaulted ceiling with skylights. They could use a little bigger baked goods selection, though. Continue reading →

I’m a bit embarrassed that I completely forgot to mention this last week, when I first heard it, but better late than never: Culiarnia Eugenius, also known as EW’s food columnist, Jennifer Burns Levin, reminded me with her recent post that hey! Mark Bittman ate at Bellly last week! And that’s kind of nifty. Continue reading →

At the very tail end of last year (I admit it: I’m still stuck in 2008), The New York Times had one of those I-wish-I’d-thought-of-that pieces, this one about the rising popularity of salted caramels, now available not just at Starbucks, but in your local (er, well…) Wal-Mart. Continue reading →

Pizza Research Institute now has another award to hang next to their handful of Best of Eugene certificates: The delicious pies and slices have led the tiny, tempting-smelling joint to be selected as one of the country’s Top 10 Vegan-Friendly Pizzerias. They’re sitting nicely in the middle of the pack at number five; the press release from PETA says: Continue reading →

The boyfriend and I wandered into the Bier Stein tonight on a whim, which is usually how we wind up there: “I think I’m hungry.” “OK, what do you want to eat?” “Um, I dunno … Bier Stein?” We have a thing for their sandwiches, though the pizzanini is still missed. Continue reading →

It took us a minute to realize why it was so empty everywhere. The Safeway parking lot, the streets, Brails … oh, wait! Everyone must be on campus. Right? We thought about biking down there, but that would have meant forgoing our delicious containers of leftovers (bi bim bob for him, pork bulgogi for me), and that simply wasn’t an option. We’d wolfed down all the side dishes — how I love small pickled/fermented things — but each Brails entrée was definitely enough for two meals. And they serve beer and wine with dinner! As if you needed more reasons to eat there. Continue reading →

The saddest thing about Chef’s Night Out, FOOD for Lane County’s annual fundraiser of deliciousness, is that it’s pretty much impossible to enjoy all of it. I ate until I was stuffed, then ate a little more, and felt like I’d only scratched the surface of what the 50+ booths in the Hult Center had to offer. Continue reading →

A few weeks ago — or maybe it was more like a month, but it’s unimportant — I went to one of these lovely Music Industry of Eugene events, where writers, booking folks, venue owners, radio people, studio owners, PR folks and more (I’m sure I forgot something pretty key) get to meet face to face to chat and mingle and simply find out who we all are. I kind of love this; it just always helps to actually know who someone is. Continue reading →