Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia!

Eugene chef Beverly Lynn Bennett is on a roll — specifically, a gluten-free, dairy-free roll sprinkled with chia seeds enclosing a veggie burger made with chia seeds, alongside a salad made of chia seed dressing and chia sprouts. Bennett’s new cookbook is called Chia: Using the Ancient Superfood, and it’s all about this member of the mint family.  Continue reading 

The Baker and the Butcher

Baker Butcher, the newest addition to the international cafés at Fifth Street Market, is rustic-chic and simple. There’s a chalkboard menu, Mason jar chandeliers and colorful wallboards. The kitchen sits in front of your eyes, and the periodic dull horn from the nearby train over the muted chatter of eaters creates an energetic hum that sets a perfect brunchy atmosphere.    Continue reading 

A Smooth Operation

When getting a daily dose of fruits and veggies becomes a chore, a visit to The Green Plow Juicery can wipe out that to-do list in one delicious fell swoop. The juicery, set up in a 17-foot trailer across from Friendly Street Market, specializes in fresh juices and smoothies made to order from organic ingredients. Continue reading 

The Street Meatbeat

With summer threatening to emerge in bursts of sunlight, one’s mind wanders to warm-weather cuisine: watermelon, lemonade and wieners fresh from the grill. If you’re like me, it’s hard to wait for the rain to stop before satisfying that craving. So I hit the pavement in search of hot dogs. The following is what I found.     Continue reading 

No Pesky Protein

Bread isn’t just bread for those who can’t tolerate gluten — it’s a gut-wrenching problem food. And pasta? Forget it. About one in 141 people have celiac disease, according to the National Institutes of Health, and it causes an immune response when people eat gluten, a common protein in wheat, rye and barley. Another condition, gluten sensitivity, makes gluten a no-go as well. Continue reading 

The Italian Stallion

The building at 1290 Patterson is among the West University Neighborhood’s last remaining examples of early 20th-century architecture.  Prime for foot traffic, the building, a former coin laundry and tanning salon among other things, is located near the UO campus and PeaceHealth’s university location. Only adding to the desirability of the address is a brand-new, five-story mixed retail and residential development right across the street.  Continue reading 

It’s About Time – April 2014

The romantic song of chickadees cheering up the morning is living proof of the arrival of spring. When the sun comes out after a heavy rain shower, all the birds sing joyfully. There will be more and more vegetable starts in racks outside the local market while the neighborhood gardens are dominated by spring blooming flowers. It is really too early to plant much besides peas and onions. It is not too early to clean up the beds to stay ahead of the weeds. Continue reading 

New Arrivals

Poet T. S. Eliot famously called April “the cruelest month.” And of course he was right, in many respects, forgetting for a moment just how mean May might be. April here just bursts with life, “breeding lilacs out of the dead land, mixing Memory with desire.” Nobody should die in April; that would be too cruel, “fear in a handful of dust.” Winter has perished, taking snow- and ice-melt down to the rivers, and our world erupts in flowers. Continue reading