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