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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 10, 2002)
Ring of Fire, a great place to eat Ring of Fire 1099Chambers 344-6475 Fare: Thai $$ Jeremy Williams with Sherry Telford There are very few things in this world that please me as much as eating an excel lent meal with enjoyable company in a com fortable environment. Unfortunately, finding a restaurant to accommodate this need is not all that common. Luckily, the small city we live in has developed and supported a fairly large blend of great restaurants. Located on the comer of 11th and Chambers, Ring of Fire has established itself as one of the premiere Thai restaurants in Eugene. I would even go so far as to pull Ring of Fire out of the South East Asian restaurant categoiy, and label it as one of the finer restaurants in Eugene. The dining room is comfortably subtle and sizable enough to accommodate large groups, but given the popularity of the restaurant I would recommend reservations on the weekend. Even if you fail to make a reservation and must wait to be seated, you can always wander into the Lava Lounge. The Lava Lounge is a full service lounge located inside Ring of Fire that features a vast array of specialty drinks made with fresh fruit. Most of the specialty drinks that the Lava Lounge serves are not necessarily my cup of tea. Mainly sweet fruity cosmo like drinks. Just because I do not prefer sweet and fruity does not mean I don't know an excellent drink when 1 taste one, and the Lava Lounge easily makes some of the finest cocktails in town. After we had ordered our drinks, we started off our meal with an appetizer of prawns tempura served with a sweet yet spicy plum sauce. The sauce was unlike any other sauce 1 had ever had with prawns: the perfect blend of sweet and spicy. Next came the Hot and Sour Soup, brought to the table in a Mongolian Hot Pot to share. The Hot and Sour Soup was a deli cious blend of chicken, garlic, mushrooms, egg, bamboo, green onion and cilantro. We ordered Khi Mao as one of our main dishes and let our waiter, Quinn, choose our second main dish. Quinn suggested Homoke Souffle, which he would recommend to any one as a dish that is never disappointing. Khi Mao is an excellent stir-fry dish of sweet wheat noodles with carrots, cabbage, onions, jalapeno, basil, house- made mint chili sauce, and choice of chicken, tofu, or tem peh. The Homoke Souffle was the highlight of the entire meal with prawn and snapper in a red curry base. The dishes tasted excellent and looked excellent as well. The meal was topped off with Banana Island dessert, which I promise will be one of the best desserts you have ever tasted. Tempura bananas arranged in a circle around coconut ice cream is the perfect dessert to top off the perfect meal. If you are a vegetarian, no need to worry. Ring of Fire offers tofu as a substitute in any of their dishes that include meat. I have to give compliments to our server, Quinn. As a waiter myself, I know how diffi cult it can be to spout out the ramblings of the evening's specials with precision. Quinn accomplished this with a natural ease and his delivery seemed unrehearsed. Timing was impeccable. Each portion of the meal, starting with the drinks and end ing with dessert, was delivered in a long enough period of time to allow us to con verse without interruption or feeling rushed. We were never left wondering when our food would arrive. Overall, Ring of Fire is a fine dining Thai restaurant at an affordable price. If you haven't been there, you are missing out. I highly recommend the restaurant for any occasion, from just cocktails with friends to a full course meal. The Ring of Fire can accom modate a simple social outing as well as an intimate dinner for two. Chilled, Grilled, Fulfilled. 014833 Think of the menu at SweetWaters as a point of departure where every choice leads to dining fulfillment. Icy microbrews. Fresh, organic ingredients. Expertly grilled entrees Delicate sautes. Inspiring riverside views. With a focus on clean, refined flavors and chic plate presentations, nationally known chefs Michael Thieme and Paul Matin please your palate and your senses. So join us at SweetWaters and experience a taste of dining satisfaction. SWEETWATERS SweetWaters At the Valley River Inn ♦ 1000 Valley River Way ♦ 687-0123 www.valleyriverinn.com
