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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 13, 2005)
BY MOLLY TEMPLETON NOW SERVING CHEF JEVON’S BAYOU BAR-B-QUE Tantalizing Tapas El Vaquero raises the bar. JAMBALAYA5PULLED PORK5MAC & CHEESE NEW LUNCH HOURS 11:30AM-2PM EVERYDAY EXPANDED BREAKFAST FOR SAT. & SUN. BRUNCH CHECK OUT THE NEW FRONT PATIO SEATING 683-3154 • 99 W. BROADWAY • EUGENE 15 ravioli. www.risingmoon.com ~ Organic Spinach & Cheese Ravioli ~ Vegan Garlic & Roasted Veggies Ravioli (... and 13 others) Available at natural food stores. The Best Thai Cuisine 5BEST NEW RESTAURANT 2003-2004 5BEST SOUTHEAST ASIAN 2004-2005 5BEST TAKE OUT 2004-2005 2 6 L u n c h S p e c i a l s • Lunch & Dinner, Dine In or Take Out H u g e V e g e t a r i a n S e l e c t i o n s • Family Owned & Operated. 580 Adams St., Eugene (across from Red Apple) • 344-1706 MON-FRI Lunch: 11am-3pm, Dinner: 4:30-9pm • SAT 12-9pm • SUN 4-9pm For Delivery Call Pony Express 485-2090 38 OCTOBER 13, 2005 O the stage for the heartier dishes to come. n a seemingly ordinary Thursday The coconut prawns were succulent, night, El Vaquero was bustling. The lightly fried, the sauce zingy but not over- new restaurant in 5th Street Public whelming. Lobster meatballs, so tender they Market has only been open a few weeks, but fell apart in the clearly word has mouth, made for gotten around that El Vaquero an unusual texture there’s something 296 E. 5th Ave. (5th Street Public Market). and flavor combi- special going on Lunch, 11:30 am-4:30 pm. Dinner, 5:30 pm- nation. The sweet here. Owners 10 pm Su-Th; 5:30 pm-11 pm F & Sa. Tapas, potato fritters, Katie Marcus and 11 am-1 am. $$$-$$$$. crispy outside but Sara Willis, who soft and moist in- also own Red side, were lightly spiced, with a faintly Indian Agave, have hit the mark in every regard with tang. this spacious, comfortably elegant tapas restaurant. Dark wood and warm gold tones But without question, the most stunning make the space inviting; the simply designed dish was one not on the menu. We’d planned to menu lists dishes in Spanish with an English order the sashimi aquachile, fresh ahi tuna with translation beneath; and the service is impec- serrano chiles, but for the night the dish had cable. changed to a tuna steak on a bed of Dungeness Lobster meatballs, so tender they fell apart in the mouth, made for an unusual texture and flavor combination. El Vaquero has two menus, one for en- trées with delectable-looking side dishes, and a tapas menu with an incredible array of small plates. It can be hard to tell how many small plates you’ll need (or crave), but you can hang on to your menu and order in stages. Five tapas plates for two people (with two miniature desserts) left us happily stuffed. Garlic scallops, crab crepes, Red Agave’s grilled baby back ribs, artichoke tamale — how’s a person to pick? We started with a cheese plate, taking our waitress’s sugges- tions of Mt. Tam, a soft, triple-cream California cheese, and garrotxa, a tart, hard goat cheese from Spain. Served with two slices of bread and a handful of almonds, the cheeses — along with the cucumber, lime and guacamole tasting plate that arrived be- fore we’d even ordered drinks — nicely set crab mashed potatoes, topped with braised fen- nel. Each element alone was delicious, but to- gether they created virtual perfection. The but- tery, falling-apart fennel sweetened the tuna, and the crab gave the potatoes a distinct texture and a last kick of flavor. We opted to end with two tapas dessert plates: a tiny pot of chocolate and peanut but- ter topped with whipped cream and one soli- tary peanut, and a seashell-sized key lime tartlet with the same mildly sweetened cream. Both were so luscious we could hardly have eaten more. The true appeal of El Vaquero isn’t just that the dishes are an utter taste treat. It’s the fun of anticipating each plate, comparing one to the next and sharing them all with your dining companion(s). This is food to linger over, to savor, to have fun with — and defi- nitely not to miss. ew
