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 

For Unadorned Carnal Knowledge

If you’re a little wary of Lars von Trier — never sure whether you’re going to take him seriously and get laughed at, or laugh at him and find you should’ve taken him seriously — you are hardly alone. His last film, Melancholia, was surprising for not offending or pushing buttons; instead, it left me crushed and dazed.  Continue reading 

Giant Sounds

Young the Giant

After breaking into the modern rock and alternative worlds in 2011 with hit singles like “Cough Syrup” and “My Body” from its self-titled debut record, Young the Giant needed to decompress before starting work on its 2014 release Mind Over Matter. Continue reading 

Kitty Cat Club

Kitten

“Like a Stranger,” track one off L.A. band Kitten’s 2013 release of the same name, is romantic ’80s dance-pop to the max — all smoke machines, teased bangs and the distinctive electric-boogaloo beat of the era; think Madonna’s “Lucky Star” meets Pet Shop Boys remixed by early hip-hop pioneer Grandmaster Flash. Continue reading 

Kids These Days

Future Islands

Don’t be surprised if Future Islands comes snapping out of 5th Alley like a gang of dancing street toughs from 1955. The North Carolina-founded, Baltimore-based synth-pop trio has grooves to spare, and lead vocalist Samuel T. Herring has some dance moves that will make you feel inadequate. They’ve been working at that can-do sound of theirs, all the while evolving from kids to adults, and nowadays they’re surfing a wave of half-maturity that leaves their sound feeling hopeful, ponderous and full of heart. Continue reading