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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (July 21, 2005)
CHOW! SPRING 2005 GOOD FOOD FAST As You Wish Espresso Bar and Eatery BY SARA BRICKNER TODD COOPER I tomer, Hodgins says, even comes and pur- n Eugene, drive-through coffee chases three entrees at a time to take stands are as plentiful as casinos in home. The couple is so encouraged that Las Vegas, with the same general after only two months of being in busi- rule: If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen ’em ness, another espresso stand is already in all. From a distance, As You Wish the works, and the original As You Wish Espresso Bar and Eatery, located at 2145 will soon be open for dinner. West 7th Street, looks just like any other “I think what people have really coffee kiosk in town. responded to is that it’s a drive-through But with their recent joint venture, place that has healthier fare,” Hodgins owners Crystal Havener-Hodgins and Michael Hodgins have proved that a coffee stand doesn’t have to be limited to three-day-old pastries and espresso. While As You Wish does serve coffee and Metropol Bakery pastries, the stand also serves full, fresh meals made while you wait. And it’s not your average fast food; Hodgins and Havener- Hodgins are dedicated to using local, primarily organic ingredi- ents and meat that is exclusively antibiotic and hormone free. “[It] just feels really good because that’s nothing less than what we would eat at home,” Havener-Hodgins said. “We wouldn’t serve something that we wouldn’t want to eat ourselves.” The idea, Hodgins says, is to make healthy, home-cooked food that’s as good as Grandma would make but comes from a to-go stand. In selecting their menu, the pair tried to keep it simple, but diverse enough to satisfy vegans and beef lovers alike. The dish- es include delicacies and all- American favorites. Breakfast Michael Hodgins & Crystal Havener-Hodgins items include Belgian waffles with a choice of two toppings, said. Hodgins, whose culinary experience breakfast sandwiches and biscuits and includes cooking in large hotels in gravy. For lunch, customers can choose Anchorage, Alaska, impressed Crystal from burgers (made from beef, salmon or Havener-Hodgins on their first date by falafel), ciabatta sandwiches, salads, daily making her salmon burgers and mochas pasta dishes and homemade soup. And the — to go. So when Hodgins realized that a local, organic Café Mam coffee they serve career change was in order, the couple is as fresh and high-caliber as their decided to open a restaurant and follow entrees. their collective passion. So far, the public seems to be respond- “Now here we are, serving salmon ing to the couples’ innovation, and burgers and mochas,” Havener-Hodgins Hodgins and Havener-Hodgins say the said. customers keep coming back. One cus- ©2005 Anheuser-Busch, Inc., Bud Light® Beer, St. Louis, MO www.eugeneweekly.com CHOW! JULY 21, 2005 11
