In various cultures, the turtle has symbolized a number of things. Mayans believed the reptilian creature was the embodiment of Mother Earth. In Chinese lore, turtles stacked on the backs of one another represented new generations building on the lives that came before them.
In Eugene, a trip to Turtles Bar and Grill at 2690 Willamette St. will conjure up all new representations of the reptile: visions of tasty food, drinks with fresh-squeezed juices and an ambiance of calm familiarity.
“If Turtles were an outfit, I would call it shabby-chic,” proprietress Kate Boney said of the restaurant she has operated for almost six years. “It’s a very open environment. At any time of day or night, you’ll see business men in three-piece suits, a mom with her kids after a soccer game or a couple dressed up for their first date. We even get some hippies that come in and sometimes they smell funny, but you know, they sure eat well!”
Originally, Boney opened a more upscale restaurant called Pinot’s in the location Turtles now occupies. She said the food was beautiful, something that belonged in a magazine, but the fare just didn’t mesh well with the neighborhood. The restaurant closed after a year and a half.
“It was just too pricey,” she said. “And there’s nothing worse than going out for fine dining and having to stop at McDonald’s on the way home because you’re still hungry.”
The restaurateur believed in her location though, and she decided to start listening to her clientele’s calls for a “neighborhood joint,” a place they could get a great-tasting burger and a beer at a reasonable price.
Boney, however, did not sacrifice taste at the altar of economy. She describes Turtles’ cuisine as All-American, home-cooked, comfort food and maintains that almost everything on the menu, right down to the salad dressings, is made from scratch.
“Sometimes people want an extra side of something, like the Alfredo sauce, and I have to explain to them that it’s not just sitting in a bucket in the back,” Boney said. “I’m just all about making it ourselves.”
She added: “Some people accuse me of putting crack in the ranch dressing, but I just want to go on the record as saying that I don’t. It’s really just that good.”
Aside from the ranch, some other recommended items from the Turtles menu include the spinach, artichoke and roasted garlic appetizer; the blackened salmon salad and the baby back ribs. The green apple martini, Stoli orange Cosmo and the Italian margarita were some suggested drink choices.
Overall, it’s hard to deny that Boney made the right choice in sticking it out after the fall of Pinot’s. In fact, Turtles’ revenue has steadily increased every year since it opened.
After spending several nights at Turtles, it becomes clear that it’s more than just good food that has made the restaurant so successful. It may have something more to do with the fact that you can almost hear the theme song from “Cheers” playing in your head when you enter. (In fact, Boney said Woody Harrelson, who played the sweet-natured bartender on the old Boston-based bar show, always visits Turtles when he comes to Eugene.)
“We have a lot of regulars. We know at least 10 percent of the customers at the bar by name,” server Carrie Holloman, who has worked at Turtles for five years, said. “I think that’s how we stay so busy; we have a good, solid reputation and people just keep coming back.”
Indeed, a sense of family permeates the restaurant. Holloman said the staff even refers to Boney as “Mama Turtle.” Bartender Bill James, who has been with the restaurant for about five years as well, also cited the relaxed intimacy as one of Turtles’ greatest assets.
“The people we have an opportunity to serve and the people we work with, they’re just a great bunch of folks,” James said. “It kind of reflects the neighborhood, that sense of familiarity.”
When asked what the bar and grill has to offer students, the same response was given repeatedly: comfortable atmosphere and large portions at a good price. The fact that the restaurant is open until midnight was also a noted selling point.
However, the joint may gain some new appeal for the college-age set when the 21-and-over bar and lounge Boney is putting in at the old frame shop next door opens around winter break. The new establishment will feature an annotated version of the full Turtles menu and musical acts from a variety of genres including jazz, blues, funk, soul and bluegrass. It will be open “bar hours,” from 5 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.
According to Boney, in almost every culture, the turtle represents love, life and longevity. And so it would seem, with her small restaurant in South Eugene, this depiction holds true.