SUMMER
D
E
R
O
S
N
CE
We’ll take a look at all
MUSIC FESTIVALS
from SF to Seattle
and points East and West.
WINE TASTING Events and Tours . . .
MICROBREW FESTIVALS . . .
FOOD FESTIVALS
and anywhere people gather to
CELEBRATE SUMMER AND LIFE!
DEADLINES FOR RESERVATION ARE MAY 30, 2003.
PRODUCTION ADS DUE FRIDAY, MAY 30.
CAMERA READY ADS DUE TUESDAY, JUNE 3.
call now 484-0519.
MISS NAUGHTY
SORORITY GIRLS CONTEST
Wet T-shirt Competition
Nudity not required
BIG CASH PRIZES!!!
No sorority affiliation necessary
to enter or win cash prizes
LAST BIG BASH
BEFORE SCHOOL LETS OUT
THURSDAY
JUNE 5 TH
Fisherman’s Market
Fantastic Seafood Entrées
Entrées change weekly.
U-Bake Entrées $2.99
Dinner Specials $9.95
Good Inexpensive Wine
Variety of Microbrews
Orders to go: 484-CRAB
7th & Blair • Open 11-8 Mon.-Sun.
Chao Pra Ya
The Best Thai Cuisine
• 26 Lunch
Specials
Only $5.95
• Huge
Vegetarian
Selections
• Lunch & Dinner • Family Owned
Dine In or
& Operated.
Take Out
580 Adams St., Eugene
(across from Red Apple) •
344-1706
MON-FRI Lunch: 11am-3pm, Dinner: 4:30-9pm • SAT-SUN 12-9pm
28 MAY 29, 2003
JAMES BATEMAN
EVENTS
ISSUE 6.5.03
Learning the Lingo
The good, the bad and the deep fried delights.
Lingo
741 Lincoln St. 338-8244
S
tepping into Lingo bookshop and
coffeehouse is like stepping into
someone’s welcoming and well-ap-
pointed living room. The warm wood floors
and big red-trimmed windows, the happy
houseplants and tempting pastry tray from
New Day Bakery beckon you into a cozy
space. Some of the walls, though not as many
as you’d expect for a bookstore, are lined
with a careful selection of progressive books.
Posters of past and future events deck the
walls: belly dancing and spoken word, DJ hip
hop events and acoustic folk singers. The
seating outside on the front lawn is nice for
watching people go by, there’s lots of foot
and bicycle traffic on that section of Lincoln.
The view otherwise is a little bleak: A
Chevron gas station across the street and
WOW Hall’s dusty back parking lot to the
side. Bicycles also crowd the space, leaning
against trees and hand-railings. Perhaps a real
bike rack is in the works.
Lingo serves up organic, shade grown
coffees, wickedly good hand-whipped hot
chocolate, teas, yerba maté and pastries if you
get there early enough.
7:30 am-6 pm M-F, 9 am-6 pm Sa & Su. $.
— Marina Taylor
McGrath’s Fish House
1036 Valley River Way, 342-6404
W
hat could have been a winning
combination — receiving my fed-
eral tax refund on the very day I
suffered a major prawn craving — ended up a
shrimp shambles. On a Saturday afternoon, I
treated myself to lunch out, charting my
course toward McGrath’s, remembering that
it’s won the Eugene Weekly Reader’s Poll for
Best Seafood more than once.
I thought the patio might be open but the
manager told me it was closed, “due to the
weather.” It was warm outside and not rain-
ing.
He sat me in the bar section by the win-
dow instead.
A very friendly waitperson was on me im-
mediately, pushing drinks. I let her twist my
arm and ordered a beer: a 14-ounce Fat Tire
for $3.95.
Unfamiliar with the menu, I took my time
reading it, withstanding the three interrup-
tions by the excellent service-oriented wait-
person: “You ready yet, hon?” No. Just an-
other minute, I promised each time. Then she
remembered. “Don’t order the special. It’s
way too heavy on the basil; everyone has sent
it back.”
Finally, I settled on the Coconut Prawns
($9.99). I substituted one of the sides with a
cup of clam chowder for an extra 49 cents,
which seemed like a great deal, until I real-
ized why: The cup was a thick paste of pota-
toes and flour, not a clam in sight, nor flavor
to be found.
I moved over to my salad. The “light
vinaigrette” was in fact something heavy and
dark that saturated the wilted lettuce, appar-
ently designed to hide the brown edges. One-
half of a semi-green, semi-coral, cement-like
tomato adorned the plate, along with some
carrot shavings and two cucumber slices.
The basketful of warm sourdough bread
was good.
The prawns in coconut batter arrived.
They were large and coconutty but tasteless
and the orange-sesame sauce for dipping so
sweet the combo would have made a better
dessert. The small mound of broccoli and
cauliflower was overcooked mush.
“Another beer?” the excellent waitperson
was again at me. I nearly blurted out “For
$3.95? Are you kidding?” but refrained and
mumbled a polite “No, thank you.”
I was tempted to tell the server the truth
about my food when she asked how every-
thing was — except she never asked.
I paid the check and left.
The Best of Eugene ballot comes out in
August. If McGrath’s wins Best Seafood
again, remember, it’s the readers who choose.
Please don’t blame us.
11 am-10 pm M-Th, 11 am-11 pm F & Sa,
10 am-10 pm Su. $$-$$$. —Aria Seligmann
At the Market:
C
heck out the deep fried asparagus at
Canby Asparagus Farm’s booth in
the downtown Tuesday Farmer’s
Market. For $3.75 you get a pile of rich, deca-
dent crispy spears, which is enough for a fill-
ing lunch. The farm stand also offers tasty
fresh asparagus, a whole line of piquant sal-
sas, fresh tortillas, hand-made chips, and
wonderful tamales. The tamales and deep-
fried asparagus are served hot only on
Tuesdays. The tamales can be purchased cold
on Saturdays: Take them home and steam
them up for a quick dinner during the week.
The meat version runs $4 each, and the vege-
tarian asparagus tamales run $3.50 each.
— Marina Taylor