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Big things planned for Agate Alley’s
new Laboratory BY VANESSA SALVIA
®
®
I
n the three years since opening, Agate Alley Bistro has become a popular but
improbable nexus of Northwest bistro cuisine, pub fare and signature cocktails
situated in a near-campus neighborhood populated by poor students and perpetual
academics. Now, owner Dug Beaird is branching out by creating a satellite location
he’s calling Agate Alley’s Laboratory, in the former Shoji’s at 2645 Willamette Street.
There’s a warmth and a casual bustling of activity in the original Agate Alley location
that quickly made it a cornerstone of the neighborhood. “Agate Alley’s been doing really
well and continues to grow in popularity,” Beaird says. “We’re hitting our stride for what
our goal was when we opened. This is a really cool space and we’ve been wanting to get
into catering for a while.”
The small kitchen at Agate Alley prevented
it from taking on the catering jobs that people
often requested, and Beaird sees a renaissance of
Agate Alley chef Jeff
sorts taking place in South Eugene. Agate Alley
is in the company of two other local restaurants,
Strom (with experience
Laughing Planet and Holy Cow, which recently
at the Beverly Hills
opened second locations in the area.
The new space is on the bottom fl oor of a
mansion of Playboy
building set back a bit from Willamette Street, so
baron Hugh Hefner
it’s quiet but still retains a wall of windows that
will be fronted by banquet seating. The restaurant
and locally at Marché)
will have 20 tables inside plus bar seating, along
will be the executive
with fi ve outdoor tables, and will offer both offsite
catering and onsite banquet facilities for up to 80
chef at both places but
guests. “Parking is never going to be an issue
here,” Beaird says. “We have huge lots in the
... this will be Strom’s
front and back.”
“laboratory” to create
Agate Alley chef Jeff Strom (with experience
at
the
Beverly Hills mansion of Playboy baron
new and exciting dishes
Hugh Hefner and locally at Marché) will be the
that change weekly.
executive chef at both places but, Beaird says, this
will be Strom’s “laboratory” to create new and
exciting dishes that change weekly. “If you look
at our entrees at Agate Alley, it’s going to be really comparable to what we will do here
but just a little more ‘out there,’” Strom says of such dishes as wok-fried Dungeness crab,
tri-tip steak in pomegranate-stout marinade or the perennially popular pumpkin enchiladas.
“We’ll be very eclectic with the menu,” he says, adding that the “lab” will still feature “the
Northwest vibe thing using local ingredients and a lot of seafood, but there’s going be a lot
more different world infl uences.”
Beaird plans generous booths of Brazilian purple cherry wood throughout the upstairs
and downstairs dining spaces. The lower level will be reminiscent of a laboratory theme,
with a more modern style of art and beakers and fl asks comprising part of the decor, along
with a copper-topped bar and an epoxy fl oor resembling copper. The upstairs dining area
will be “more warm and cozy,” he says, with shades of green and purple paint.
“I like to have restaurants with very defi ned spaces that are different, so people can
have a choice of where they want to sit. It’s also important to me that the restaurant is
comfortable and cozy,” Beaird says, “so it will defi nitely have that warm feeling that we
tried to create at Agate Alley.”
Beaird’s new “lab” will be serving dinners from 5 to 11 pm Tuesday through Saturday
come early May. And if Beaird’s success with Agate Alley’s original location is any
indication, this experiment is going to go very well indeed. ■
VALUE MENU
PIZZAS
Large Pizza with Pepperoni or Just Cheese............................$5.00
Original Round
Large Pleaser Supreme, Meatza, Veggie................................$10.00
Hula Hawaiian or 3- Meat…................…………………………...$8.00
(Make it a Stuffed Crust for $5.00 more or a Deep Dish for $3.00 more)
Add Additional Toppings...........................................................$1.59
Pepperoni, Canadian Bacon, Italian Sausage, Bacon, Mushrooms, Green
Peppers, Onions, Black Olives, Pineapple, Extra Cheese
Stuffed Crazy Bread 4 pc……………………………............……$3.00
Crazy Sauce…........…………………………………………………$1.00
Italian Cheese Bread……............…………………………………$3.49
Pepperoni Cheese Bread……………………….…………………$3.99
10 pc Caesar Wings………………………………………………..$5.00
TASTY & MOST AFFORDABLE
PRICES IN EUGENE
20 pc Caesar Wings………………………………………………..$9.00
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Crazy Bread 8 pc .......................................................................$2.00
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