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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (April 5, 2012)
THE SKY IS FALLING I But hey, there’s beer BY SARAH DECKER & SHANNON FINNELL f, by the pure definition of things, a brewpub’s main focus is its beer, an extremely close second at Falling Sky is the food. It doesn’t have a lengthy menu, but what they have is fantastic. If you are of the carnivorous persuasion, there is the ever- classic burger, but if you have yet to sample the pork carnitas tacos, you are missing out on one of the great dishes in Eugene. In fact, what this place does with the pork it serves up — both in the tacos and the pork-belly Cuban — is divine. The selection of salads, daily soups and comfort foods vary by the day — and by season. The just-concluded winter menu featured a root vegetable potpie and a falafel patty served up as a burger and cooked to perfection. Early spring at Falling Sky means new seasonal ingredients and a new menu. The pork stays on, and so does the superfood-tastic kale Caesar salad. The menu also includes Pacific cod ceviché, duck nuggets with ginger plum sauce, a garbanzo and barley field burger and chilaquiles. The “mini-me” in your family can try out her own mini menu that reads like it was designed to stuff the gullet of a picky young eater. Classics like grilled cheese, hot dogs, hamburgers and an organic PB&J? These folks know their target market. Plus, if you want to start the next generation drinking early, there’s cider porter ice cream for dessert. For the non-drinkers, Falling Sky also makes its own sodas. We tried two different flavors — the carrot ginger and the cran-blu green peppercorn. We can honestly say, without hesitation, that the latter was possibly the best soda we’ve ever had. The flavors blended perfectly, not too sweet and not too overpowering, then finished with just the tiniest hint of pepper. It was insanely refreshing. On top of all the delicious pub grub, Falling Sky has a top-notch beer selection. If you’re there for beer, you might as well order the flight and taste all six of Falling Sky’s concoctions. We were wild about the Bare Hands Bitter, which won us over by being genuinely bitter — without having a bitterness that completely overpowered the flavor. The blonde we tasted was fantastic as well, a little more bitter than a lot of blondes but still light and a great summer beer. The pale ales we tasted impressed us because we’re not hops-crazy enough to be fans of a lot of pales. The hops were there all right, but these are balanced beers that even hops-haters should give a shot. That brings us to the Pouring Porter, which was like a rich, smooth dessert in a glass — everything a porter should be. Whether you’re a food-lover or a beer-lover, Falling Sky is packed with a rotation of treats right up your alley. The next time a craving for either hits you, we heartily recommend it for delights in both. ■ P H O T O S B Y T R A S K B E D O RT H A PORK CARNITAS TACOS KALE CAESAR PORK BELLY STEW VOTED BEST PIZZA ZA :&"3436//*/( :& 6//*/ 6// ɁɁ ɁɁɁɁ Pizza Research Institute Tomorrow’s Pizza Today F Service Dining Full & Take Out 4pm-9:30pm daily • LIVE JAZZ FRIDAY EVENING • HOLIDAY & EVENT CATERING • BANQUET SPACE AVAILABLE e.co om m pizzaresearchinstitute.com #MBJS#MWEr 8 CHOW! Spring 2012 chow.eugeneweekly.com
