Triomphe Midtown, at 1591 Willamette St., has a variety of options that would make even the pickiest of eaters happy, such as coffee, ice cream, breads, soups and more.
Late last year, Ali Pourfard purchased the building that once housed the L&L Marketplace with a goal to create “a pleasant community gathering place.” At the corner of 16th Avenue and Willamette Street, only two blocks from the approximate geographic center of Eugene, the building is now home to Triomphe Midtown, Pourfard’s still growing culinary vision that currently includes a bakery, espresso bar and bistro.
The building is open but not yet complete; tables and chairs are placed sloppily about the floor, not quite filling the space left by the produce stand that once stood in the northwest corner. The building is dominated by warm, earthy tones of orange and brown, with a generous helping of copper and iron. The recently purchased Serrano’s coffee shop has not yet been assimilated into the decor, but will eventually be renamed Midtown Coffee and likely renovated to match its counterparts.
Triomphe Midtown began with the Triomphe Patisserie, a traditional French bakery that offers a delicious selection ranging from flourless chocolate tortes to brandied currant bran muffins, made at the bakery using all organic ingredients and, most importantly, real butter.
A particularly delicious item is the parmesan, poppy seed and red onion savory. Savories are fluffy, rolled pastries with a featured filling that changes daily . At $1.75, they make an ideal on-the-go snack that will satisfy the snobbiest of palates. The bran muffins at Triomphe are nothing short of incredible either, with a sweet, crispy head and moist center that defies all negative preconceptions one may have about bran.
The Triomphe Bistro offers a delicious breakfast and lunch menu. One particularly delicious treat is the grilled manouri cheese and beet sandwich, a decadent stack of warm beets and soft cheese dressed with a lemon-artichoke tapenade, herbed mayonnaise and served on bread baked fresh at the Patisserie. Served with homemade garlic-rosemary potato chips, this amply sized gourmet meal only costs $7. For breakfast, $5 buys a breakfast sandwich with a fluffy pillow of scrambled eggs, topped with prosciutto, mozzarella cheese, pesto and tomato. Triomphe also offers a delectable corned beef hash, served under wood-oven baked eggs with thick chunks
of potato and onion — a far
cry from the corned beef hash served at truck stops and all-night diners.
Despite the high quality of food and beverage, the prices are perhaps the most impressive aspect of Triomphe. Pourfard hopes that Triomphe can be a place where people can enjoy delicious, gourmet food any time, not just on birthdays and other special occasions. He believes that it is possible to offer the same quality food one might pay $25 a plate for elsewhere for an average price of $12 to $15.
Plans for a lounge that serves alcoholic beverages, tapas and a full dinner menu are in the works, and construction on the New York-style deli appears to be underway. Pourfard expects Triomphe to be complete by December. Until then, the patisserie and coffee shop are open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The bistro serves breakfast from 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and an afternoon menu from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Triomphe serves brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.
