Going Downtown: Bar 201
Update, August 2009: Sadly, Bar 201 is now for sale. Continue reading
Culture: Page 289
I Could Have Eaten Another Bite *
Things I learned at this year’s Chef’s Night Out, the annual foodtastic benefit for FOOD for Lane County: • Do not attempt to have a time limit, for lo, you will find yourself cursing the fates, and yourself, on your way out of the Hult Center. • Do not attempt to have a plan, for lo, your plan will be flawed and un-carry-out-able. • Do not forget to refill your beer glass. Continue reading
Update: Changes at Midtown Marketplace & Bel Ami
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
Major Change at Midtown Marketplace
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
Slurp Local
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
Mark Bittman Eats at Belly
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
It’s a Rough Life: Looking for the best job ever?
Economy got you down? How about the weather? Looking to make a little more money but also get out of the rain? Australia would like you to apply for what they are ever so casually calling The Best Job in the World: The Caretaker of the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef (their excess capital letters, not mine). You live on a teeny island for six months, get paid good money for it and tell the world about how totally awesome the experience is via blogs and photos. Responsibilities of the job include: Continue reading
Trendy McSaltypants
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
Better Not Pout
Let’s not myth out on Santa Claus
Better not Pout Let’s not myth out on Santa Claus An essay by Jim Earl We live in a state of near-total confusion. So few of us know what we really believe. Continue reading
Your Favorite Bartender is EVERYWHERE
How does the national media love the man Eugeneans voted Best Bartender? I’ll spare you from counting the ways; you can check the press page of his website for that. I just want to mention the two latest, er, mentions: • Last week, The Wall Street Journal did a story on Repeal Day, the growing-in-popularity sorta-holiday that celebrates the end of Prohibition: Continue reading