U-Pick the Berry Best

Summer is shining ahead of us, and one of its brightest parts is plodding through the dirt to gather Oregon berries in the morning sun. Fortunately, u-pick farms surround Eugene, making the experience easily accessible. Check out these farms (and there are many more!) for their u-pick options; we’ve organized them by distance from the Park Blocks that host the Lane County Farmers Market. Many of these farms are augmented with other fresh produce, flowers and baked goods you can pick up, plus it’s a great way to wear out kids if you’ve got ‘em. Continue reading 

Middle Eastern Soul Food

When Chef Walid “Willie” Saleeby makes traditional Lebanese food, he’s replicating the dishes his mother and grandmother made for him in Lebanon when he was a boy. It’s not about working off a recipe, he says, but remembering all those tastes and textures — that’s what makes the best traditional meals. Continue reading 

Making Healthy Delicious

Eating healthy as a taste snob can be a chore. But not at Tru Veg. Crystal DuBoyce and Brian Igarta, and their 12-year-old daughter Skye, serve up plant-based foods packed with both flavor and nutrition from a tiny white trailer in the parking lot of an automotive business on Chambers Street. They’ve divided the menu at Tru Veg in two: cooked vegan food and raw, or living, food.  Continue reading 

Chow Down(Town) Springfield

Mitchel Hescheles’ grandfather woke every morning at 2:30, tending his farm before heading to work at a factory. After retiring, he refused to get out of bed before 11:11 am. Hescheles is unclear why his granddad picked such an arbitrary time, but he decided to pay homage to his hardworking grandpa when opening Chow, his new restaurant on South A Street in downtown Springfield.  Continue reading 

French Twist

Securing a seat at certain times was nearly a sport at chef Gabriel Gil and restaurateur Cory Stamp’s first restaurant incarnation in Eugene, the Rabbit Bistro and Bar. The space was tiny and Chef Gil’s creativity was staunched by a lack of storage space, famously leading to a “no substitutions” clause on the menu. And that “no ketchup” thing? “That truly was because I forgot to order ketchup,” Gil says, laughing. Continue reading 

Taste of Malaysia

While Kopi-O is the first restaurant that Azam Ismail has ever owned, chances are that you have enjoyed some of his creations before. “My dad was a chef at Ring of Fire, Adam’s Sustainable Table and Lucky Noodle,” his son Aaron Ismail says. “This is a dream he has always had, and we’ve always wanted to make it happen for him.” Continue reading 

Word Is – 2013 Summer Chow

A new food cart has opened up in Veneta, off Hwy. 126 on the way to the coast (and the Oregon Country Fair). Johnny Riv’s Steakshack serves tri-tip, ribeye and “steak shack sliders” to those craving meat on weekend jaunts. Check out the Facebook page at http://wkly.ws/1ht.   Townshend’s Tea Co.’s new Eugene shop is now open at 41 W. Broadway, and those chairs and couches look darned comfy. Look for news at their Facebook page: http://wkly.ws/1hu.   Continue reading 

Splendor in the Glass

Memorial Day has passed, so it’s OK to drink white. But, “The first duty of a wine is to be red.” That quip has been attributed to various wags, most enduringly to Alec Waugh, English novelist, who added, “the second is to be a Burgundy,” by which he meant pinot noir (not an unreasonable amendment, according to pinotphiles). Wine scholars have argued that Waugh was merely repeating an eno-adage that originated in the Middle Ages, or maybe with the antique Greeks. Whatever the actual source, a lot of bad attitudes about white wine have ensued. Continue reading 

Going Up

Annual vines provide color in late summer

This time of year, an abundance of annual vines suddenly appears in garden stores. Annual vines are inexpensive to grow and fun to play with, and have the added virtue that they are at their best in August and September, when flower gardens can be in need of a lift. Plant them in the ground or in containers, and try something different every year. Vines are wonderful for softening blank house walls, concealing unsightly fences and adding instant height in young or temporary gardens. Continue reading