Eugene weekly., June 12, 2003, Page 34, Image 34

Food on the Fringe
Mini-reviews of suburban dining spots.
JUNG’S MONGOLIAN GRILL
Fisherman’s Market
Fantastic Seafood Entrées
Entrées change weekly.
Fresh U-Bake Sea food
Fresh Crab Dinner $9.95
Good Inexpensive Wine
Variety of Microbrews
Orders to go: 484-CRAB
7th & Blair • Open 11-8 Mon.-Sun.
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34 JUNE 12, 2003
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Lunch: 11:30 am-4 pm daily,
dinner 5-9pm Su-Th, 5-10 F
& Sa. $$. — Erin Lusk
8
D EA
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4355 Commerce Street, Suite 110,
344-7578
The Bethel area offers few interesting
dining options — I can count on one hand
the restaurants that actually require you to
get out of your car, where food is served
on a table and not through a little glass
window.
Lucky for hungry West Eugene wayfar-
ers, Carrie and Stephen Snyder opened
their first restaurant, Jung’s Mongolian
Grill, on May 20. Located on W. 11th
Avenue, between Courtsports and Target,
the new eatery boasts ochre walls, red
kanji-inspired borders, blue silhouette
lamps over the booths and marble-finished
green concrete floors that take you from
the standard mini-mall restaurant to a
place far more stylish.
Chest-level curved walls separate what
could have felt like a cafeteria into a more
intimate dining environment. On this
Friday night, only 10 days into the new
venture, Chef Greg Dunkin and
Chef/Owner Stephen Snyder are stationed
behind the grill and brushed steel counter.
After my companion and I are seated,
we dash for the buffet, filling our bowls
with fresh, raw peppers, onions, carrots,
mushrooms, water chestnuts and broccoli;
next we heap on the noodles, then move to
the protein: tofu in large chunks, shrimp,
scallops, thinly sliced beef, pork and
chicken. (Note: There is no separate vege-
tarian grill.)
Finally, we savor the sauces: citrus and
ginger-based sauces delight the palate and
the chili sauce sends even the toughest
tongue begging for ice water. We hand our
buffet selections over to the chefs, who
whisk everything onto the grill for the
ensuing cooking entertainment. Spatulas
flip and clap. Dunkin and Snyder add lib-
eral amounts of teriyaki upon request and
then dish up and hand back the
whole steaming mess.
While a second round of
grilled goodies sounds
appetizing (the meals
are all you can eat),
waiting in the now
long grill line does
not. I guess being
Bethel’s best does
have its downside.
The air is filled with
the sounds of families
chatting and the smells
of grilled food. Co-owner
Carrie Snyder sits smiling
in a booth with her baby
on her lap — Jung’s fills
the bill for what West
Eugene has been missing
and Snyder knows it.
POP’S DINER
D L
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1 4 .
A u g .
1170 Hwy. 99 N. 688-8900
Inside Strike City on Highway 99 is
a little café with great strawberry milk-
shakes — the kind with big chunks of
frozen strawberries and thick, creamy ice
cream. It’s not served in a metal cup, sadly,
and you don’t get a long metal spoon, but
the flavor and texture are impeccable. The
menu includes all the Americana favorites:
great big, fat burgers, crisp fries, chicken
in all forms and specials. The prices are
reasonable, the side vegetables were once
frozen, and the waitresses are down-home
friendly.
Of course, Strike City is really better
known for its entertainment. There’s bowl-
ing, miniature golf, pool, air hockey, bowl-
ing, and more video games than you can
shake your quarters at, including Dance
Revolution, which is much harder than it
looks.
Diner hours: 7 am-9 pm Su-Th, 7 am-10
pm F & Sa. Call for bowling and mini-
golf hours. $-$$. — Marina Taylor
LEFTOVERS:
Don’t forget it’s U- pi c k s t ra wb e rr y
season. Go get a bucket and freeze your-
self some. It’s fun and easy, it supports
local farms, and you do the work yourself,
making the reward that much sweeter.
Bush’s farm, north of Elmira on
Territorial, has big, red, juicy Shuksan
berries — call 935-4083 for availability. Or
try Corwin Farm’s smaller, tangy, intense
Bentons. Corwin Farm is at the end of
River Loop #2, out River Road. Call 689-
7297 for more info.
Now is also the time to nominate your
favorite server or chef for Chow’s
Happening Server. Call 484-0519, x. 20 or
email marina@eugeneweekly.com and
tell me all about them!
ew