BRAISED VEAL
SHANK OVER
MILANESE
SAFFRON
RISOTTO
‘When you get older, you realize who
you are and what you really want in life.
Which is peace and beauty.’
— PAOLO RUFFI, GENERAL MANAGER OF THE OREGON ELECTRIC STATION
plainly spoken while he opens his arms and gestures
broadly.
Guests have flocked to Oregon Electric Station.
Despite having a full house of 320 people and a wait
for tables on a Monday night, the reactions have been
positive. Nearly all furnishings inside the historic
building are new. However, the changes that were
made embrace the history and warmth of the building,
which was built in 1914 as a station for the Oregon
Electric Railway.
“We knew we wanted to keep the integrity of this
building, the heart of this building,” Ruffi says. “It’s a
warm building, besides being historic. It’s a milestone
in Eugene history. That’s why we kept the name and
the building intact.”
New carpeting, new tables and chairs, and new
stone floors and bar tops complement the building, not
the other way around, Ruffi explains. The space, from
the iconic fireplace in the courtyard out front, to the
entrance bar, to the private rooms and train cars, have
been lightened and brightened.
“We want people to see our food, to see our place,
how beautiful this place is,” Ruffi says. Private rooms
along with the revamped train cars offer different
“vibes,” he adds, from the modern, bustling bar to
the Santiam Express train car, which Ruffi says is
astonishing in its similarity to the Orient Express
train car in which he traveled from Istanbul to Paris.
“This looks just like it,” he says.
Yes, the Ruggeris are Italian, and so is the
executive chef, a man named Michele Godina, who
was executive chef at Ivar’s Salmon House in Seattle
for 10 years. But that doesn’t matter, Ruffi says. “It’s
a mixed menu. It’s not an Italian restaurant; it’s a
restaurant for everybody. Michele knows the food of
the Northwest. He knows the market.”
Guests can whet their appetite with burrata OES
— fresh, creamy mozzarella cheese, grilled zucchini
and mushrooms — or coconut prawns in sweet
chili sauce. Lobster, beef, salmon or beet carpaccio
is served with black topiko (fish roe), truffles,
microgreens or goat cheese.
Entrees range from wild salmon to ossobuco
(braised veal shank) and filet mignon to a double bone
pork chop. All breads, pastries and pastas, including
gnocchi, pappardelle and tortelloni, are made in-house.
The kitchen staff buys almost nothing other than
meats and vegetables, Ruffi explains, because they
make everything from scratch.
So, why did the Ruggeris and Ruffi, with their
globe-spanning interests, choose to live in Eugene
and invest so much money and effort into the Oregon
Electric Station? “Because when you get older,” Ruffi
says, “you realize who you are and what you really
want in life. Which is peace and beauty.”
The Oregon Electric Station is open 11:30 am to 10:30 pm Monday
through Saturday and 5 pm to 10 pm Sunday at 27 E. 5th Ave. See
oestrestaurant.com for more info.
Whirled Pies
Pizzeria & Bottle Shop
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Local Beer, Food &
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Hour
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Tap & Growler
PER
SU ST!
FA
Bicycle
Delivery
11AM–9:30PM
Details & delivery zones at
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1 ST
PLACE
FIRST PLACE
at the Oregon
State Fair for
"BEST COFFEE"
2010 & 2011
541.636.3737
1123 Monroe St, Eugene
Open 11am to 10pm Daily
Full Menu at WhirledPies.com
chow! SUMMER 2014 7