‘Locally grown’ means fresh-food alternatives
■ selecting rood grown in and
around Eugene allows buyers
to support local farmers and
ensure fresh ingredients
By Diane Huber
for the Emerald
Marche, an upscale restaurant
tucked into a corner of the Fifth
Street Public Market, serves its
dishes according to the season.
“Marche is the French word for
market, meaning we cook whatev
er ingredients are abundant, in sea
son, and as local as possible,” own
er Stephanie Pearl-Kimmel said.
Right now, Marche is in the
process of transitioning from win
ter to spring foods, Pearl-Kimmel’s
assistant Sulwyn Sparks said.
They’ve moved from braising to
grilling and searing, and they’ve be
gun serving spring vegetables such
as asparagus, she said.
Pearl-Kimmel is a firm believer
that locally grown produce is not
only tastier and better for the envi
ronment, but spiritually nourishing
as well, and said she tries to uphold
that philosophy in her restaurant.
Pearl-Kimmel, various nutrition
ists and dedicated seasonal eaters
argue any environmental purpose
for eating organically — a farming
process that uses only natural pesti
cides — is completely defeated
when produce travels by truck from
as far away as Southern California,
Mexico and Chile. These members
of the community strive to eat pro
duce grown right in Eugene’s back
yard, and say that with spring’s first
harvest just around the corner, now
is a better time than ever to start
thinking about eating locally.
Eating locally supports the local
economy and means “you’re not
paying for fossil fuels,” Sundance
Natural Foods produce manager
Lauren Bilbao said, which is why
she said she tries to buy Sundance’s
produce as locally as possible.
Nutritionist Skye Weintraub said
that because so little is known
about the origins of food from oth
er countries, it’s better to stick with
foods grown closer to home.
Turn to Seasonal, page 6B
Thomas Patterson Emerald
Sous chef Jeff Sirianni sautes a ragout of asparagus, morel mushrooms, fiddlehead ferns, ruby crescent potatoes and spring onions.
The ragout is served with Chinook salmon and costs $23.50 at Marche, a restaurant in Fifth Street Public Market.
Famous’ locals share their picks for top dining establishments
■ Local ‘celebrities’ say there
are some great places to eat
in the area surrounding the
University, even on a budget
By Marcus Hathcock
for the Emerald
College students face many chal
lenges while in school, but none so
challenging and repetitive as figur
ing out where to eat. Six local
“celebrities” recently tried to take
the guesswork out of dining, and
imparted some of their local knowl
edge on the subject. From the
spendy cuisine joint to the quick
cheap meal, the locals shared their
culinary favorites:
ASUO Vice President-elect Ben
Buzbee says he “eats out” one or
two times a week. On the week
ends, when the catering service at
the Delta Sigma Phi house is not
operating, Buzbee says he and his
fraternity brothers frequent many of
the restaurants the Eugene-area has
to offer.
Kuraya’s Thai Cuisine at 1410
Mohawk Blvd. in Springfield tops
Buzbee’s list of favorite diners.
“It’s a really small place, but it’s
really good,” Buzbee said.
When he goes to Kuraya’s,
Buzbee orders phad thai, a noodle
platter that is one of his favorite
dishes. Buzbee says Kuraya’s phad
thai is “the best.”
“I also like the more traditional
places such as Red Robin,” Buzbee
said. While at the restaurant or bar,
he orders the “clucks and fries”
platter, a chicken fingers dish.
Even frogs need grub. David
“Frog” Miller, a fixture on East 13th
Avenue, can often be seen selling his
custom joke books and asking the
trademark question, "Have you seen
the world’s funniest joke book?” But
when Frog leaves his spot near the
University Bookstore for lunch, he
said he likes his meals to be fairly in
expensive. So where does one go to
eat lunch on a tight budget?
“The absolute best food around
is the falafel guy right around the
comer (of 13th Avenue and Kincaid
Street),” Frog said. For a little more
than $4, one can buy a falafel with
hummus and get a free lemonade.
For Frog, a vegetarian, sometimes
that price is paid in joke books.
"That place will fill you up,”
Frog said. “You won’t be hungry for
a long time after eating that stuff.”
Frog also recommends the Philly
Grill and Big Town Hero, both on
13th Avenue, as places offering inex
pensive meals that offer a lot of food.
Oregon Commentator writer and
former ASUO Executive candidate
Tim Dreier admits that he eats out
“all the damned time,” but mostly
consumes fast food. When he is
able to sit down at a restaurant,
Dreier often frequents the area’s
late-night diners with his friends.
“I particularly like the Gateway
Denny’s and the Franklin (Boule
vard) International House of Pan
cakes,” Dreier said.
Duck quarterback Kellen
Clemens said he also eats at the
Franklin IHOP. Clemens and Dreier
choose to eat there because of the
value (it offers student discounts)
and the fact that the restaurant is
open 24 hours.
But when given the choice,
Clemens and Dreier agree that they
would choose to eat a steak at either
Outback Steakhouse at 3463 Hut
ton St., or the Roadhouse Grill at
3000 Gateway St.
“I can get a nice piece of steak (at
those restaurants) instruction
cooked almost rare enough,” Dreier
said. “The Yanks up here cook
everything too long. If you want a
medium-rare steak, order it rare.”
Clemens said he isn’t able to eat
out more than two to three times a
month. He lives in the University’s
residence halls, where he typically
eats off of the meal plan. He said
that while the food at his residence
hall is “not bad,” having a variety of
dining options makes the experi
ence more palatable.
“I’ve found that if you mix it up
between different places (that ac
cept meal points), then it’s really
not too bad to eat using the meal
plans. It definitely saves money
that way,” Clemens said.
The quarterback enjoys switch
ing between the H.P. Barnhart Din
ing Center, Hammy’s in the Hamil
ton Complex and Common
Grounds, also in Hamilton. But he
doesn’t recommend the University
food pavilions for a date night.
“Sometimes you do what you
gotta do, but I’d use it as a last re
sort,” Clemens said.
In order to impress a special
someone, Clemens recommended
the Oregon Electric Station at 27 E.
Fifth Ave.
“People are impressed by the
high class of the food, and the pre
meal entrees,” Clemens said. He
added that the Oregon Electric Sta
tion is where the football team
brings possible recruits. However,
Clemens warns, the menu is pricey.
KEZI television anchor Rick
Dancer said that if one can afford
the steep menu prices, Adam’s
Place at 30 E. Broadway is the
restaurant for very special dates.
Adam’s Place “is a really nice
restaurant,” Dancer said. “It’s like
you’re not even in town.” Dancer
added that the “pretty” interior of
the restaurant and the romantic at
mosphere make patrons feel as if
they’re somewhere else.
Senior Hayley McGee, the leader
of the University’s female a cappel
la group Divisi said that for a more
budget-friendly date, Ring of Fire at
1099 Chambers St. is tops.
“They have a very romantic at
mosphere with candle-lit tables,
nice soft conversation music and
yummy, reasonably priced food,”
McGee said.
At this Asian food restaurant,
McGee orders the sweet and sour
chicken, the spicy fried rice and
“the black bean noodle dish,” all of
which McGee calls “fantastic.” She
added that Ring of Fire’s huge por
tions add to a date because the plat
ters can be shared.
Both Buzbee and Dancer concur
that the Italian cuisine joint Am
brosia at 174 E. Broadway is an ide
al spot to take a date.
“On a college person’s budget,
Ambrosia is a really nice place,”
Buzbee said. “The food can range
from $10 to $15 a person, so it’s not
super-expensive.”
Dancer said that while he and his
wife try to venture out in search of
new favorite restaurants, they always
end up going back to Ambrosia.
“The atmosphere is nice but not
pretentious,” Dancer said. “You
just go in and eat.” He likes to order
Ambrosia’s individual pizzas, and
the salads — which have “the best
blue cheese dressing.”
However, Dancer warned that if
one eats at Ambrosia, he or she
must be prepared to smell like gar
lic the next day. Perhaps that will
make couples on a date think twice.
Marcus Hathcock is a freelance
reporter for the Emerald.
From national franchises and brands to local
vegetarian and vegan enterprises. From authentic
ethnic cuisine to the all-American hot dog.
The EMU has something for everyone.
food in the emu
Buzz Coffeehouse • Erb Essentials Store
Greatful Bread Bakery & Cafe • Holy Cow Cafe
Jamba Juice • Pizza Planet • Subway
Marketplace Foods [a different local food vendor every day]