Thai eatery and lounge pleases exotic pallets
By Sara Jarrett
Oregon Daily Emerald
A complete sensory experi
ence!
Out on Chambers Street in
West Eugene, you’ll find a restau
rant that from the outside looks
like any other. Stuck on the cor
ner of a row of buildings attached
like an assorted box of donuts, sits
a relatively new addition to the
gamut of area eateries.
Though from the outside it
doesn’t look like much, Ring of
Fire Restaurant, which opened
last year, and the adjacent Lava
Lounge, which is only about a
month old, offers a blend of taste
and atmosphere that will perk
your palate and relax your mind.
With so many great restaurants,
it’s becoming increasingly harder
to choose where to dine - let
alone what type of food to hunt.
Alas, it’s time to forget the same
old diner where you know the
menu by heart and the waiters by
name. Try someplace a little dar
ing. . .a little spicy.. .a little wild!
Maybe it was the newness that I
found so appealing - maybe it
was the urban feel. Regardless, I
agree with those that gave this
new Thai restaurant the Best
Take-Out and Best New Restau
rant awards in the People’s Sixth
Annual Restaurant Poll Awards
recently published in the Eugene
Weekly.
Not only can you call in an or
der to-go until midnight seven
days a week, but you can eat-in
until between 11 and 12 on week
days and between 12 and 1 on
weekends.
My visit, on a weeknight, was
met with an intimate crowd and
boisterous service. First course
started with an order of Chicken
Satay. Five pieces of chicken on a
skewer, marinated in coconut
milk, spices and peanut sauce for
$7.50. They were promptly
washed down with an Emerald
Triangle, a house martini with
Stoli vodka, Midori melon
liqueur and sweet and sour,
served up with a cherry for $5.50.
I can barely write this sentence
without my lips puckering up.
The tartness of this drink, howev
er, was perfectly quenched by the
spiciness of the Matsaman for
$9.25. This rich curry dish of
roasted herbs, your choice of
chicken or tofu, potatoes, onions,
and coconut milk topped with
roasted peanuts and green onions
is a favorite. Almost everyone I
mention this restaurant to recom
mends the Matsaman.
My date also ordered an explo
sive combination of tart and spici
ness. The Phad Thai, a stir-fried
rice and noodle dish with either
chicken or tofu, egg, bean sprouts,
roasted peanuts and green onions
for $7.75 was washed down with
a Dragonfly. This tropical drink is
a mixture of Crater Lake Vodka,
fresh squeezed lemonade, guava
nectar and a splash of soda for $5.
For dessert, we had to try the
Ruby Island - actually on the
drink menu - that consists of two
scoops of coconut ice cream
smothered in Godiva chocolate
and Chambord raspberry liqueurs
for $6.50. The grand total for din
ner for two, including appetizer,
drinks and dessert, was $42.
We went all out, but you don’t
have to spend this much to have a
fabulous feast. The menu, which
is the same for both lunch and
dinner, offers appetizers for as lit
tle as $3.50, dinners range from
$7.50 to $16 and alcoholic drinks
are between $5 and $6 with the
exception of the Lava Lounge
Volcano Bowl for $15 - and no,
you don’t get to keep the bowl.
This drink, served in a hand
thrown ceramic bowl, made with
a blend of rums and tropical
juices, is recommended for 2 to 4
people.
Go for dinner, go for lunch, just
go for drinks one night. This
restaurant should definitely be
tried. And everything makes fab
ulous leftovers the next day.
'gales
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McDonald
Continued from Page 3 B
starring Burt Lancaster, Debo
rah Kerr and the notable Frank
Sinatra as Maggio. “On the Water
front” with Marlon Brando also
graces the screen this week.
Rounding out the week and
ending the film festival with a
bang (pun intended) is Martin
Scorsese's “Taxi Driver,” starring
a young, angry and crazed Robert
De Niro.
So it seems Regal Cinemas has
taken a bad situation and made it
good. With the theater's historical
appeal, inexpensive ticket prices,
comfortable digs and unique film
offerings, the McDonald Theatre
has made itself the premier art
house in the Eugene area.
For ticket and show-time infor
mation, call 344-4343. Advance
ticket sales for the Columbia Pic
tures 75th Anniversary Film Fes
tival are on right now. Tickets are
$3.50 for all shows before 6 p.m.,
$5 for students after 6 p.m. and
$6,50 general admission.
Amos
Continued from Page 4 B
as spontaneous as Amos is on
stage.
The live portion, titled,
“Venus, live, still orbiting,” be
gins with distorted guitars pro
gressively intensifying while the
crowd eagerly await her pres
ence. Amos breaks the tension
by hitting a low piano chord be
fore breaking into an emotional
ly-charged version of “Precious
Things”. Amos also includes
three well-know songs from
“Earthquakes,” “Cornflake Girl,”
“Girl,” and a nine-and-a-half
minute version of “Waitress”
where Amos repeats, “I believe
in peace bitch,” until she runs
out of breath.
Since she now tours with a
band, the acoustic version of
“Sugar” which appears on the
“Hey Jupiter” single is redone.
Even though the original version
is a favorite at live concerts, this
version of the song is just as pow
erful and intimate as it would be
if it were only Amos and her pi
ano.
Amos calls her songs her chil
dren, and picks which ones
she’ll play in live concerts if they
come talk to her. One such song,
“Cooling,” which Amos tells the
audience was supposed to ap
pear on her third release “Boys
forPele,” but it blew her off. Ap
parently it has become one of her
favorite live songs to perform and
it comes through in this moving
version. .
The last song on the live
CD,’’Purple People,” which ap
pears on one of the “Spark” sin
gles, is a quiet and highly emo
tional song that brings a peaceful
close to a remarkable double-al
bum.
Amos fans, or anyone who
wants to fully appreciate a live
concert, should be aware that she
is performing at the Rosegarden
in Portland on October 6.
NIN
Continued from Page 4 B
Reznor’s mood will ever get bet
ter. Unfortunately, on this CD, the
answer is no, but that’s what
makes NIN who they are and that
is what draws fans to their music.
“Starf#@!ers, inc.” is a blend of
industrial sound, punk, and even
Carly Simon’s famous lyric,
“you’re so vain, I bet you think
this song is about you.” Other
lyrics such as, “my God pouts on
the cover of the magazine/I’ll be
there as long as it works for me/I
play a game it’s called insinceri
ty,” may lead NIN fans to specu
late the lyrics refleqt the bitter
falling out between Reznor and
Marilyn Manson, his former band
member.
The word starf#@!er appeared
in Tori Amos’ song “Professional
Widow” from her third release,
“Boys for Pele” . Reznor’s voice
accompanied Amos’ second al
bum “Under the Pink,” in the
song “Past the Mission.” Is
Reznor saying hello to Amos?
Maybe.
The last track on the' second
CD, “Ripe (With Decay)” is anoth
er instrumental that combines a
violin, modern piano, nature
sounds and cavernous guitars.
The song abruptly ends in the
middle of a high-pitched guitar
chord leaving listeners with an
uneasy feeling.
“The Fragile” has the same
sound that Reznor introduced in
“The Downward Spiral” . “The
Fragile” is a double-CD filled
with heavy lyrics and distorted
sounds that most likely will not
disappoint NIN fans.
LOOK FOR IT IN -
THE ODE CLASSIFIEDS!