Thai food allows Valentine’s Day sweethearts to take in an exotic foreign food without embarrassing themselves with chopsticks. Mekala’s is the place in Eugene to take your sweetie for Thai food, offering a low-key, romantic setting, along with a special Valentine’s Day menu.
Mekala’s elegant Thai cuisine includes authentic vegetarian, curry and seafood dishes with a menu offering appetizers, salads, soups, Thai curry dishes, noodles, desserts and cuisine from the wok and grill.
Most plates come as a main dish instead of a single serving – with the exception of Pad Thai – allowing everyone at the table to sample a wide range of dishes. This is ideal for large groups, but my party consisted of two during an afternoon lunch.
Our first pick came off the Thai curry menu – a must-have while at Mekala’s. We chose the Massaman dish ($13.95), a sweet and spicy curry dish that illustrates the Muslim influence in Thailand. The dish includes chicken, roasted peanuts, herbs, potatoes and chilies. Although the chefs will gladly switch between chicken and beef in most dishes, the Massaman dish is only served with chicken.
The second dish was the Asian Salad ($8.95), a mix off cabbage, carrots, onions, bean sprouts, sesame seeds, peanuts, grapefruit and chicken. We switched the Asian Salad to beef.
Both dishes were flavorful. The Massaman dish was by far the tastiest because of its rich sauce that filled the bowl, saturating the chicken. The sauce can also be poured onto rice. The dish, labeled “very spicy” on the menu, was actually quite mild. If you like spicy, request extra. The salad, a Northeastern Thai dish, had plenty of beef mixed in with salad and grapefruit.
Although the prices are out of range for some students, diners could pony up a lot more at swanky downtown restaurants. At Mekala’s, the price matches the large portions and delicious food. The server didn’t look at us funny for ordering water, either. Dishes range from $4.95 to $17.95.
Mekala’s move from the trendy Fifth Street Market in Eugene to Franklin Boulevard proves that it can survive alone, attracting diners not out of convenience, but out of desire for good food. The new location doesn’t allow for people watching or listening to a fountain while perched above the ground floor of the shopping center, though. Instead, the view from the Franklin Boulevard location consists of a bare lot, a side street and Track Town Pizza. Nonetheless, the inside of the restaurant makes up for the not-so-romantic views. (For an evening dinner, the view would likely be irrelevant.)
The walls are washed in a dark orange color, and plants such as ferns adorn the restaurant, forming a welcoming entrance while perched on support beams. Gentle track lighting and candles – lit even for our lunch – make for a romantic setting.
If you go during the day, Mekala’s has an open feeling that lets the outside in, with large windows covering one wall and skylights allowing plenty of light. Diners don’t have the hassles of competing with shoppers for parking, either. The new location also has more seating, which means diners don’t have to wait.
Although Mekala’s may have lost customers because of its new location and increased competition with 10 other Thai places in the Eugene-Springfield area, including the new Sweet Basil Thai Cuisine (Best New Restaurant, Readers Pick, Winter Chow 2006, Eugene Weekly), those who know Eugene’s best Thai will continue dinning at Mekala’s.
The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. For more information, those interested can call 541-342-4872. Wine, beer and microbrews are also available downstairs in the Mai Tai Lounge, open until 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and until midnight Friday and Saturday. Mekala’s is located across from the University at 1769 Franklin Blvd.
