One of the longest-living marvels of the booming Wild West of the early 1900s, the Oregon Electric Station has become Eugene’s cornerstone dining establishment. It fuses together the refurbished authenticity of the old railways that brought a boom to the region with a menu of handcrafted and reasonably priced lunch and dinner dishes sure to leave the most refined of pallets satisfied and full. Located on 5th Avenue next to the train station, the Oregon Electric Station is the maverick and marquee destination in the 5th Street Market, Eugene’s finest and hippest eating and shopping district.
Walk into the depot building today and you might be greeted with a low-lit, relaxed environment filled with the ambiance of live jazz and sports broadcasted on high-definition television. But flash back nearly 100 years ago and instead of ordering a prime rib and a fine local craft beer, you would be ordering a one-way ticket north to Seattle aboard an electric train.
Designed to serve the Great Northern and Northern Pacific Willamette Valley electric train system, the Oregon Electric Station opened on Oct. 15, 1912, to local headlines that called it the “greatest day in the history of Eugene.” It would stimulate the local economy and make Eugene easily accessible to thousands around the region. The depot itself was designed by Portland’s A.E. Doyle and is marveled to this day for its impressive and visually appealing structure. According to the Oregon Electric Station’s website, it was built in the Georgian Revival style, with a basic rectangular plan with hipped roofs, classically detailed eves, and Palladian windows.
Since the peak of Oregon’s electric railways, the Oregon Electric Station has been used as an office, storage space, and as the Southwest Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. As of 1981, the Electric Station has been listed on the Oregon State Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places. The building has been restored to its original veneer, with all renovations based on the original A.E. Doyle designs.
Not only are you basked in the history of Eugene while dining at the Oregon Electric Station, you are also put in the presence of one of the state’s best prime ribs. Individually cut from USDA choice grade and aged for a minimum of 21 days, the always-tender and gorgeously marbled cuts are slow-roasted in special ovens designed to retain the meat’s natural juices. Broiled and finished with maitre d’ butter, the rib is seasoned with house recipe seasoning salt and is served with creamed horseradish and garlic mashed potatoes.
The Oregon Electric Station also prides itself on serving only the highest quality and freshest fish available in the Northwest. From crab cakes to scampi to Pacific halibut, the seafood dishes are masterfully prepared with sautées that pronounce their freshness with a shout and are served with a rice pilaf that will ensure your leaving with a full stomach. And whether you are having fish, poultry or pasta, there are over 250 labels of wine to choose out of the Oregon Electric Station Wine Cellar that are certain to compliment any dish perfectly.
Lunch is served Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with dinner services daily from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. Dinner on Sunday is served from 4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. And, of course, parking is always free.
For more information, call (541) 485-4444 or visit the restaurant’s website at www.oesrestaurant.com.
[email protected]