Off the Waffle
“Waffles rock my socks!” “What would waffle do?” and “The waffle of my eye” are a few of the slogans customers of Off the Waffle have contributed to the eatery’s décor.
“After people have eaten their waffles, they will draw on the bag it came in and hang it on the walls,” said Dave Orian, one of the two brothers who started the store.
Among the drawings is a grinning waffle ornamented in a yarmulke and side-locks with the phrase, “Jews love waffles” above its head. “People have been doing this since we opened,” Orian said.
Off the Waffle seems to be more than a quaint neighborhood place to eat. Not only does it offer divinely delicious waffles of substance, but it provides free book exchange and bartering.
“We barter all the time. Nothing specific, we just barter for what we need. We swap everywhere and for everything, from local restaurants to services,” Orian said.
The menu spans a multitude of options for filling your waffles and your stomach. “The most popular is strawberry chocolate chip,” Orian said, as his brother Omer shouted “blugo!” while walking by. “Blugo is blueberries and goat cheese,” Orian explains.
With two locations, the original Off the Waffle on 7th Avenue and Van Buren Street in the Whiteaker area of Eugene and their new campus location on 13th Avenue, the restaurant’s popularity is indisputable. “I don’t know what the hype is,” says Orian. “I’m always on the inside. If the word is spreading about waffles, I don’t know about it. I do know that Eugene is the reason we are succeeding.”
The Brown Betty Cafe
Papa’s Soul Food Kitchen is no stranger to Eugene. However, its little sister Brown Betty, is new in town. Located across from Soul Food on Van Buren Street is the newest restaurant created by Papa Soul.
“I’m a breakfast fanatic,” Papa said. “I go out to breakfast at least four or five times a week. We started just as a bakery, to bake goods for Brown Betty as well as the Soul Kitchen. So while we had a bakery in the back room, the front room was going to be an office, but it morphed into a café.”
What’s on the menu? Well, that’s hard to say. “A lot of cafes have a theme. They target, advertise. We don’t have a menu. So we just make what we feel like making that day,” Papa said. “People love the biscuits and gravy. It’s a great old-fashioned plate for three bucks, and everything’s made from scratch.”
The name “Brown Betty” was borrowed from a favorite dessert. “Apple Brown Betty cobbler, it’s something grandma would bake,” Papa said. “With a scoop of ice cream, spices and whipped cream — it’s a bowl of goodness. And the name just stuck.”
Although it’s far from campus, the Brown Betty’s prices are hard to beat, not to mention the warm service and uncluttered environment any student might crave during a hectic week.
“Not too many students know about us, but we’ve got our fingers crossed,” Papa said. “The prices fit right into their pocketbook, and it’s something they can feel at home with — good, real food.”
Sushi PURE
Restaurants in the 5th Street Public Market have been known by Eugeneans for tasty food and dining in a pleasant atmosphere, but for students, the prices attached to these eateries are far from friendly.
“We want to stress that while are in the 5th Street Market, we are not expensive. We have a range of prices to fit everyone,” said Preston Shin, who co-owns the new Japanese restaurant Sushi PURE with Sunny Moon.
Shin said Sushi PURE deals with the largest fish distributor in Oregon, and he is its biggest buyer. “I get the best fish,” Shin said. “There is a good and bad part to every fish, I buy in quantity to ensure that we have the best quality fish in Oregon.”
Shin and his staff have high standards for the fish they buy and prepare for customers.
“We don’t market or advertise, so we spend all of our money on the quality of the fish,” said Sterling Shin, cousin of the owner and chef at the restaurant. “People love the rolls, the Poseidon, Victoria’s Secret, and house rolls are very popular.”
Other rolls on the menu include Smooth Operator, a salmon, green onion, baked tobiko with a creamy sauce, and the Colosseum roll, containing lobster tail tempura with a house sauce.
The restaurant’s name was created by Preston Shin, with the realization that many Eugeneans would not be able to pronounce a traditional Japanese name. “I came up with something simple, that gives a good image and reflects our concept,” says Shin. “We have a good chef with a good heart and we try to educate and converse with the customers, that makes it personal.”
Pizza Research Institute
The Pizza Research Institute has long been noted for its vegetarian offerings, innovative
recipes and, of course, delicious pizza pies.
Recently, however, the Eugene favorite has undergone a major transformation — a change of location. Once situated on 13th Avenue and Lawrence Street, the shop was “impossibly small,” said Usha Boise, who co-owns the restaurant with her husband Will.
With this in mind, the owners found a new venue, on the corner of 5th Avenue and Blair Street, and reopened May 8.
“This space is about nine times as big as our old place,” Boise said. “There has been a huge community outpouring. If a group comes in and says they have a party of 15, we’re like, ‘No problem!’ This would have taken up the entire restaurant before.”
The new building is certainly more spacious, with soaring ceilings and several outdoor areas letting in a plethora of natural light. The walls are adorned with a mixture of paintings and other artwork, as well as random items that despite their unsystematic nature do not seem out of place. “We do a lot of reclaiming,” says Boise. “All of the woodwork is recycled stadium seating, and the vintage bar was a garage-sale find.”
Within all the visual interest PRI holds, it is hard not to notice the fire-engine-red shipping container-turned-kitchen in the restaurant’s largest room. “We brought in the container to make the kitchen extension. When we cut off the bottom, it was the perfect size for the stage,” says Boise, pointing into another room. “We want to grow as organically as possible, and we enjoy doing quirky things at our own pace.”
While the atmosphere has taken a turn in a different direction, the food remains as mouth-watering as ever, with pizza toppings such as chevré, marinated eggplant and caramelized onions, which may not sound an appetizing combination until you’ve tried them on a pie.
“We have a signature pie called chef’s choice. It’s very, very popular,” Boise said. “It’s a seasonal veggie mandala pie and we get a lot of vegetables from organic farms.”
Another favorite is the “Number 2,” topped with Granny Smith apples, smoked Gouda and roasted walnuts. “We are a vegetarian and vegan restaurant, so we certainly get a lot of vegetarian and vegan students, and with our Internet buzz, we literally get people from all over the world,” Boise said.
If the tempting flavors of Pizza Research Institute aren’t enough of a draw, the live music might just be. Every Wednesday evening from 7 p.m. to close there are local artists and DJs including Roots n’ Dub, King Toby, Militant I-nification movement, DJ Crown and Brimstone Sounds.
Vero
On the corner of 14th Avenue and Pearl Street lies the elegant yet unpretentious Vero. This stunning Victorian home-turned-coffee shop offers a variety of caffeinated treats as well as sandwiches and breakfast foods.
The café Borgia is among one of the most popular drinks, said Cindy Casey, the manager who helped owner Sunny Seo start Vero months earlier. “The café Borgia is a fused mocha with fresh orange grind, cream and foam,” Casey said.
Aside from coffee, some of the store’s menu items include turkey, ham and bagel sandwiches, as well as waffles, and an as
sortment of salads.
Vero caters to coffee-lovers of all shapes and sizes, for students and professionals alike flock to Vero’s welcoming atmosphere. “We are right on the brink between the college campus and the professional buildings, so we get a good mix,” Casey said.
It is not uncommon to walk by Vero’s outdoor terrace and see a mixture of customers enjoying the last weeks of summer weather.
“My first impression of Vero was driving by it one sunny afternoon after it had opened,” Mora Reinka, a Vero regular and University student, said. “I noticed the outdoor patio was full of friends, couples and businessmen having coffee, so I made a mental note to go check it out.”
With its free wireless Internet, staff made up of entirely college students and proximity to campus, Vero could easily become a staple spot for many students. “I can see myself sitting at a window table, latte in one hand, computer in front of me, while the rain pours down outside and I try to finish a psych paper,” Reinka said.
Not only does Vero accommodate a large audience, it is also perceptive of Eugene’s organic community. “We serve Stumptown coffee, and all of our sauces and syrups are home made, all natural and no preservatives,” Casey said. “Vero’s coffee is certainly one of the best in Eugene, and I’ve been to a lot of coffee shops.”
Beyond serving natural drink and food items, Vero’s owner had a noble goal in mind for the store’s creation. “Sunny bought the house almost four years ago and spent three years getting it ready,” Casey said. “She had a vision for this house, and put in a lot of thought and hard work. She wanted a place where she could give back to the community, where you could come to meet people and feel right at home, as if it were her house.”
Even for the non-coffee-lovers, a visit to Vero’s vintage interior or patio is worth the trip. Crimson walls accompany hardwood floors and large, open windows. “I was taken aback by how cute the place is. Vero has a sophisticated and inviting atmosphere, with a little quirk on the side. The furniture doesn’t all match and every chair is comfortable,” Reinka said.
Dickie Jo’s
At first impression, it is hard to see how Dickie Jo’s, the new 1950s-inspired burger joint, would survive in a town full of environmentally friendly and organic-crazed Eugeneans.
But wait — naturally raised beef patty and local veggie burgers? It seems the times have changed, and while the sex and rock n’ roll of the era hasn’t much transformed, food consciousness undoubtedly has.
Retro and clean-cut, the boldly painted red-and-white checkered diner on 13th Avenue is hard to miss. The atmosphere is “fun and refreshing,” said Josh Rose, a student and fan of the new establishment.
While walking into the restaurant, it is hard to avoid the oversized mirrors to your left. Adjacent to your reflection are a few dozen tables with candy-apple red chairs and booth seating attached.
“It’s definitely a place that will attract local business from students and families, or anyone who is just craving a burger and fries,” Rose said.
The menu, visible above the register as you order and seat yourself, is simple and affordable. For less than $7, you get a burger — veggie or beef — adorned with onions, tomato, lettuce and traditional burger sauce, with a side of fresh cut fries. Add-ons cost extra. For fewer than $4, you can get a vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, banana, caramel or butterscotch milkshake. “They have really good shakes, probably some of the best in town; really thick and creamy,” Rose said.
Riva’s
Located on Willamette Street and 15th Avenue is Riva’s, the new Mexican restaurant that replaced Muchas Gracias. It seems the past few restaurants in that location have been only moderately popular, but Riva’s is proving to have more potential.
With an extensive menu, Riva’s offers over a dozen different burritos, tostadas, tacos, enchiladas, a children’s menu and breakfast options. “Our most popular is the Oregon burrito; it has steak, potatoes, Mexican salsa and cheese,” employee Erika Jasso said.
Jasso said students haven’t yet caught on to the restaurant, as its main business comes from consumers around the area. Burrito prices range from $3.25 to $5, fitting right into a student’s pocket, and the 24-hour drive-thru to satisfy students’ late-night munchies has promise.
Outside of your traditional burritos, Riva’s offers combination plates for about $7, like a beef burrito and enchilada, or two carne asada tacos. The breakfast menu includes a bacon, potatoes, eggs and cheese burrito, a beef, egg and potato burrito as well as several others for fewer than $5.
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New eats and treats for the starving student
Daily Emerald
September 16, 2009
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