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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 26, 2012)
DUCKING THE COLD Wild Duck Café heats things up BY ANDY VALENTINE I t may have been the driest winter on record for a while there, but that doesn’t mean it’s warm. Au contraire: This year’s mercurial weather has meant that a lot of the time it’s still nail-bitingly, teeth chatteringly cold outside, and humans need more than fro-yo to get through a lunch break. Enter Wild Duck Café, the East Campus sports restaurant keeping it chill when it comes to warmth. Some may know the joint by its former name — the Villard St. Café — and the management team remains, but Wild Duck has a new menu of mid-range prices and delicious ways to body slam the cold right out of your bones. “There’s just no comparison to fresh ground beef when you’re eating a gourmet hamburger,” says Bob Jensen, Wild Duck’s jovial and personable manager, as I sink my teeth into a spicy jalapeño burger, piled high with cream cheese and whole jalapeño peppers. “And those onions came out right on the money.” Here Jensen points to the unique creation that is “Haystack Onions,” a thin- sliced take on onion rings that arrives looking more like delicious wisps of angel’s hair than anything else. That’s the name of the game, seemingly, at Wild Duck; it’s all the comforts of sports-bar food (wings, soup, burgers, etc.) with a twist on each item that makes it seem new. For example, the wing appetizer comes with a choice of spicy sauces beyond the generic buffalo (Vietnamese garlic sauce, et al.), and the beer cheese soup is one of the sharpest, most beer-tasting soups in the city. Add sweet potato tots and you’ll be wearing an internal food blanket in no time. Wild Duck also has a catering service that’s been in business since 1996, and this acts as a lucrative side-project as well as a ready supplier for the restaurant’s ingredients. With a solid base like this, it’s unsurprising that the folks at Wild Duck have fancy plans for the future: Among them will be the installation of a 12-foot Chef’s Table, an exclusive seating area allowing patrons a front row seat while the chef prepares their food. “The table is going to be made of Koa,” Jensen says, divulging a NEW WINTER M E N U PHOTO BY JACKSON VOELKEL • JACKSONVOELKEL.COM great passion for Oregon sports as he launches into a story involving the formation of his friendship with Max Ung- er’s grandfather in Hawaii (Unger is a former offensive tackle for UO’s football team). “We’re going to make an event called Unger for Hunger.” While the event is not projected to come to fruition until next fall, the concept itself is a great idea: With Max Unger’s influence, Wild Duck Café hopes to create handcrafted beer & food NOW GET YOUR BEAGLE ON, 7 NIGHTS A WEEK! a benefit — including a ukulele auction and dinner — that will aid Food for Lane County. Beating the cold may seem a daunting task, especially considering the fact that the heavens have finally opened, but when you’ve got choices like these, who cares? It won’t take long before your belly is stoked and your body is bathed in warmth. ■ Wild Duck Café is located at 1419 Villard St., 485-3825. SOUL FOOD D KITCHEN KITT C H E N Tues-Fr Fri LUNCH 12-2 & 5-1 10pm DINNER Sat 2-10p 0pm CATERING TO 2009-2012 WINNER - Best BB BQ 400 BLAIR BLVD. 342-7500 FALLINGSKYBREWING.COM 2435 Hilyard St. Eugene, OR 97405 541-484-3062 www.thehumblebeaglepub.com open for dinner sun-thurs 5pm - 10ish fri-sat 5pm - 11ish happy hour everyday EAT OREGON! come on by, we’re open 1334 Oak Alley 5-6pm & 9pm-close 2 CHOW! Winter 2012 chow.eugeneweekly.com
