Hi folks,
I'm going to be in Eugene this weekend and I'm wondering if you all have any restaurant recommendations. I'm particularly interested in places for breakfast as I think all of our dinners are already planned -- but I'd love to hear about any good place nevertheless. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Eugene, Oregon
Started by vrunka, Jun 09 2005 08:19 AM
176 replies to this topic
#2
thanschka
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Posted 09 June 2005 - 04:11 PM
I haven't been in over 8 years so someone else should probably chime in but Zenon was pretty darn good back then. Had some good lunch salads (the Louie) and desserts at the time too.
#3
ExtraMSG
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Posted 09 June 2005 - 11:36 PM
The classic place in Eugene is The Glenwood. It's an institution and should occupy at least one of your breakfasts. I'm not much of a breakfast lover, so I don't get around much, though, for that meal. See this link, however:
http://www.eugenewee.../chow/best.html
A couple other recs you might not have heard of:
The Indian restaurant near the Santa Clara Fred Meyer's, Priya, is pretty decent. Better than most in Portland, I'd say, and way better than the other options in Eugene. The buffet at lunch is pretty good for buffet.
The Typhoon of Eugene, Ring of Fire, does a couple very nice dishes. A very peanutty massaman and a nice yellow curry with granny smith apples. They also make an excellent coconut milk ice cream, one of the better ones I've had in any restaurant, which has to be eaten with the very nice fried bananas with honey.
There are several new Thai restaurants in town, more downscale and authentic than Ring of Fire. Chao Pra Ya was the first to meet my approval, but better is Aiyara over in Gateway. It's a very downscale place and the owner lady will probably cook for you. Nice green and red curries. Decent khao soi. Salads are very nice here, too. Make sure you check out the specials board and ask for recommendations. Makes nice desserts, too.
Lupita's Taqueria, very near Chao Pra Ya is the best Mexican I've had in town. Though the food's not as good, the new Plaza Latina is worth a stop. They carry Central and South American goods along with Halal and Middle Eastern items, too. And the produce is pretty good, too.
http://www.eugenewee.../chow/best.html
A couple other recs you might not have heard of:
The Indian restaurant near the Santa Clara Fred Meyer's, Priya, is pretty decent. Better than most in Portland, I'd say, and way better than the other options in Eugene. The buffet at lunch is pretty good for buffet.
The Typhoon of Eugene, Ring of Fire, does a couple very nice dishes. A very peanutty massaman and a nice yellow curry with granny smith apples. They also make an excellent coconut milk ice cream, one of the better ones I've had in any restaurant, which has to be eaten with the very nice fried bananas with honey.
There are several new Thai restaurants in town, more downscale and authentic than Ring of Fire. Chao Pra Ya was the first to meet my approval, but better is Aiyara over in Gateway. It's a very downscale place and the owner lady will probably cook for you. Nice green and red curries. Decent khao soi. Salads are very nice here, too. Make sure you check out the specials board and ask for recommendations. Makes nice desserts, too.
Lupita's Taqueria, very near Chao Pra Ya is the best Mexican I've had in town. Though the food's not as good, the new Plaza Latina is worth a stop. They carry Central and South American goods along with Halal and Middle Eastern items, too. And the produce is pretty good, too.
The greatest service chemistry has rendered to alimentary science, is the discovery of osmazome, or rather the determination of what it was. ~Brillat-Savarin
Nick Zukin, Mi Mero Mole & Kenny & Zuke's
Nick Zukin, Mi Mero Mole & Kenny & Zuke's
#4
Angelhair
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Posted 02 November 2006 - 10:21 AM
Eugene Weekly recently had their 'best of' food issue. Here's the link http://www.eugenewee...overstory5.html,
and here are the highlights:
BEST ASIAN
1. Ring of Fire
2. Chao Pra Ya Thai Cuisine
3. Sweet Basil Thai Cuisine
BEST THAI
1. Sweet Basil Thai Cuisine
2. Tie: Chao Pra Ya Thai Cuisine & Ring of Fire
3. Ta Ra Rin Thai Cuisine
BEST BAKERY/SWEETS
1. Sweet Life Pâtisserie (lifetime achievement award too!)
2. Eugene City Bakery
3. Metropol Bakery
I expect to see Hideaway Bakery giving numbers 2 and 3 a run for their money in next years placings.
BEST BAR FOOD
1. The Horsehead
2. Rennie’s Landing
3. Sam Bond’s Garage
You can get crappy bar food anywhere in the world, except perhaps at Eugene’s Horsehead. Offering collard greens, cole slaw, catfish, cornbread and all the other staples of Southern cookin’, this joint rocks with lots of organic ingredients, a full line of hard liqs and pool tables. “It’s food you don’t usually find anywhere else,” bartender Tiffany Cortez says. “It fills your stomach up and helps maintain you throughout your day.” Or night, as the case may be.
BEST BBQ
1. Papa’s Soul Food Kitchen & Blues Joint
2. Hole in the Wall Barbecue
3. BBQ King
BEST BURRITOS
1. Burrito Boy
2. Burrito Amigos
3. Laughing Planet Café
BEST CAFÉ/COFFEEHOUSE
1. Allann Bros. Beanery
2. Full City Coffee Roasters
3. Espresso Roma
Go to Allann Bros. 5th Avenue Beanery enough, and you’ll start to notice a few things. Like the regulars. There’s the bespectacled guy with his books, and the fellow with the long ponytail who’s been going there for at least a decade. (How do we know? ‘Cause we’ve been doing the same thing, of course.) You could make up stories for them, if you wanted — or you could just focus on yourself and your delicious coffee, quiche, bagel or sandwich. The Beanery has variety in spades, from the drinks to the clientele to the lunch options. There’s always a table, they don’t care if you sit for hours, they have wireless internet and you can almost always find the right section of whichever paper you like the best in the bin by the door.
BEST DOWNTOWN LUNCH
1. Café Zenon
2. The Broadway
3. Café Lucky Noodle
A 25-year-old café in downtown Eugene! That’s called staying power. Credit the fine service that has always come in a white shirt and tie. Credit the exotic menu — Thai tiger’s tears salad, hirino souvlaki pork loin, izgara tavuk Turkish style chicken breast — with a fond nod to the old lunch favorite, Zenon chicken salad. Maybe most importantly, credit location, location, location and smart design. The café is freshly painted, a five-stool bar added and new lighting installed. The place is still noisy, but that might be calculated. Sit there in the middle of the traffic and chatter and enjoy the illusion that you’re in the center of a really big city.
BEST FOOD CART
1. Cart de Frisco
2. Alexander’s Great Falafel
3. One Bad Dawg
Magically appearing at the plaza on Willamette and Broadway during lunch hour, Cart de Frisco is a godsend to the downtown hungry hordes. The vendor – known simply as the “Sandwich Man” – works from a cart no bigger than a small closet, dishing up three grilled chicken entrees: Frisco stick, Frisco sandwich and Frisco salad. All three feature a “special Frisco sauce” and friendly banter (which recently consisted of locating the whereabouts of the “Saw-playing Girl”). Saw Girl, if you’re reading this, call your parents. Or at least let the Sandwich Man know you’re OK. He worries.
BEST INTERNATIONAL/CONTINENTAL
1. Marché
2. Café Zenon
3. Tie: Adam’s Place & Café Lucky Noodle & Café Soriah
BEST MEXICAN/LATIN AMERICAN/CARIBBEAN
1. Red Agave
2. Chapala Mexican Restaurant
3. El Jarro Azul
BEST MEAL UNDER $7
1. Laughing Planet Café
2. Café Yumm!
3. Burrito Boy
BEST ITALIAN/GREEK/MIDDLE EASTERN
1. Beppe & Gianni’s Trattoria
2. Poppi’s Anatolia
3. Café Soriah
BEST NEW RESTAURANT
1. The Vintage
2. El Vaquero
3. Papa’s Soul Food Kitchen & Blues Joint
Cheese fondue with apples. Dark chocolate fondue with strawberries and Rice Krispies squares for dipping. Funky signature cocktails like the lava rocks, with coconut rum and Pop Rocks on the rim instead of sugar. Savory crepes. Sweet crepes. Delicious appetizers, pastas and salads. Pizza with a twist. Beautiful vine-draped outdoor courtyard. Friendly service. ‘Nuff said.
BEST PIZZA
1. Pizza Research Institute
2. Pegasus Pizza
3. Mezza Luna Pizzeria
We’ll never forget our first PRI slice. We just didn’t know what we were in for. Spinach, feta, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts … It’s like the pizza wizards at PRI manage to make every ingredient — even the ones we’d never seen on pizza before, like peaches — somehow taste even better than usual. And where else is a slice of pizza a whole meal in itself? We made the mistake, that first trip, of ordering a slice of cheese to split with our dining companion. Just in case we were still hungry. We weren’t.
BEST SERVER
1. Quinn O’Dell, Ring of Fire
2. Dawn Merrill, LaVelle Wine Bar & Bistro
3. Rayney Meisel, The Vintage
Serving at Ring of Fire was Quinn O’Dell’s first restaurant job, one he has held for seven years. He’d like to run his own establishment someday, and he definitely prefers customer interaction to whisking sauces and scrubbing pots. “It’s excellent!” O’Dell said, after learning he was a finalist for best server. So after getting this glorious recognition, O’Dell must think he’s hot stuff, right? Naw, he’s much too modest for that. “It’s more like a confidence thing, just getting really confident in finding out what people want,” he said. “You can always learn better ways to take care of people.
BEST SPECIAL OCCASION/FINE DINING
1. Café Soriah
2. Marché
3. Adam’s Place
BEST VEGETARIAN OPTIONS
1. Laughing Planet Café
2. Lotus Garden
3. Café Yumm
and here are the highlights:
BEST ASIAN
1. Ring of Fire
2. Chao Pra Ya Thai Cuisine
3. Sweet Basil Thai Cuisine
BEST THAI
1. Sweet Basil Thai Cuisine
2. Tie: Chao Pra Ya Thai Cuisine & Ring of Fire
3. Ta Ra Rin Thai Cuisine
BEST BAKERY/SWEETS
1. Sweet Life Pâtisserie (lifetime achievement award too!)
2. Eugene City Bakery
3. Metropol Bakery
I expect to see Hideaway Bakery giving numbers 2 and 3 a run for their money in next years placings.
BEST BAR FOOD
1. The Horsehead
2. Rennie’s Landing
3. Sam Bond’s Garage
You can get crappy bar food anywhere in the world, except perhaps at Eugene’s Horsehead. Offering collard greens, cole slaw, catfish, cornbread and all the other staples of Southern cookin’, this joint rocks with lots of organic ingredients, a full line of hard liqs and pool tables. “It’s food you don’t usually find anywhere else,” bartender Tiffany Cortez says. “It fills your stomach up and helps maintain you throughout your day.” Or night, as the case may be.
BEST BBQ
1. Papa’s Soul Food Kitchen & Blues Joint
2. Hole in the Wall Barbecue
3. BBQ King
BEST BURRITOS
1. Burrito Boy
2. Burrito Amigos
3. Laughing Planet Café
BEST CAFÉ/COFFEEHOUSE
1. Allann Bros. Beanery
2. Full City Coffee Roasters
3. Espresso Roma
Go to Allann Bros. 5th Avenue Beanery enough, and you’ll start to notice a few things. Like the regulars. There’s the bespectacled guy with his books, and the fellow with the long ponytail who’s been going there for at least a decade. (How do we know? ‘Cause we’ve been doing the same thing, of course.) You could make up stories for them, if you wanted — or you could just focus on yourself and your delicious coffee, quiche, bagel or sandwich. The Beanery has variety in spades, from the drinks to the clientele to the lunch options. There’s always a table, they don’t care if you sit for hours, they have wireless internet and you can almost always find the right section of whichever paper you like the best in the bin by the door.
BEST DOWNTOWN LUNCH
1. Café Zenon
2. The Broadway
3. Café Lucky Noodle
A 25-year-old café in downtown Eugene! That’s called staying power. Credit the fine service that has always come in a white shirt and tie. Credit the exotic menu — Thai tiger’s tears salad, hirino souvlaki pork loin, izgara tavuk Turkish style chicken breast — with a fond nod to the old lunch favorite, Zenon chicken salad. Maybe most importantly, credit location, location, location and smart design. The café is freshly painted, a five-stool bar added and new lighting installed. The place is still noisy, but that might be calculated. Sit there in the middle of the traffic and chatter and enjoy the illusion that you’re in the center of a really big city.
BEST FOOD CART
1. Cart de Frisco
2. Alexander’s Great Falafel
3. One Bad Dawg
Magically appearing at the plaza on Willamette and Broadway during lunch hour, Cart de Frisco is a godsend to the downtown hungry hordes. The vendor – known simply as the “Sandwich Man” – works from a cart no bigger than a small closet, dishing up three grilled chicken entrees: Frisco stick, Frisco sandwich and Frisco salad. All three feature a “special Frisco sauce” and friendly banter (which recently consisted of locating the whereabouts of the “Saw-playing Girl”). Saw Girl, if you’re reading this, call your parents. Or at least let the Sandwich Man know you’re OK. He worries.
BEST INTERNATIONAL/CONTINENTAL
1. Marché
2. Café Zenon
3. Tie: Adam’s Place & Café Lucky Noodle & Café Soriah
BEST MEXICAN/LATIN AMERICAN/CARIBBEAN
1. Red Agave
2. Chapala Mexican Restaurant
3. El Jarro Azul
BEST MEAL UNDER $7
1. Laughing Planet Café
2. Café Yumm!
3. Burrito Boy
BEST ITALIAN/GREEK/MIDDLE EASTERN
1. Beppe & Gianni’s Trattoria
2. Poppi’s Anatolia
3. Café Soriah
BEST NEW RESTAURANT
1. The Vintage
2. El Vaquero
3. Papa’s Soul Food Kitchen & Blues Joint
Cheese fondue with apples. Dark chocolate fondue with strawberries and Rice Krispies squares for dipping. Funky signature cocktails like the lava rocks, with coconut rum and Pop Rocks on the rim instead of sugar. Savory crepes. Sweet crepes. Delicious appetizers, pastas and salads. Pizza with a twist. Beautiful vine-draped outdoor courtyard. Friendly service. ‘Nuff said.
BEST PIZZA
1. Pizza Research Institute
2. Pegasus Pizza
3. Mezza Luna Pizzeria
We’ll never forget our first PRI slice. We just didn’t know what we were in for. Spinach, feta, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts … It’s like the pizza wizards at PRI manage to make every ingredient — even the ones we’d never seen on pizza before, like peaches — somehow taste even better than usual. And where else is a slice of pizza a whole meal in itself? We made the mistake, that first trip, of ordering a slice of cheese to split with our dining companion. Just in case we were still hungry. We weren’t.
BEST SERVER
1. Quinn O’Dell, Ring of Fire
2. Dawn Merrill, LaVelle Wine Bar & Bistro
3. Rayney Meisel, The Vintage
Serving at Ring of Fire was Quinn O’Dell’s first restaurant job, one he has held for seven years. He’d like to run his own establishment someday, and he definitely prefers customer interaction to whisking sauces and scrubbing pots. “It’s excellent!” O’Dell said, after learning he was a finalist for best server. So after getting this glorious recognition, O’Dell must think he’s hot stuff, right? Naw, he’s much too modest for that. “It’s more like a confidence thing, just getting really confident in finding out what people want,” he said. “You can always learn better ways to take care of people.
BEST SPECIAL OCCASION/FINE DINING
1. Café Soriah
2. Marché
3. Adam’s Place
BEST VEGETARIAN OPTIONS
1. Laughing Planet Café
2. Lotus Garden
3. Café Yumm
#5
Jill-O
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Posted 02 November 2006 - 10:35 AM
I love that they have a "Best Server" category!!
Thanks for posting this Ms. Hair.
Thanks for posting this Ms. Hair.
Never give up! Never surrender!
#6
ExtraMSG
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Posted 02 November 2006 - 11:46 AM
I don't understand why they have a Best of Asian and a Best of Thai -- it's all fucking Thai!. (And they miss the best of the bunch, Aiyara's, unless they're truly limiting it to Eugene, not Eugene-Springfield.) What, there is no Indian, Chinese, Vietnamese, or Japanese worth eating in Eugene? (I know this NOT to be true.)
And Papa's Soul Food Kitchen is absolutely horrendous stuff. Horrendous. I haven't tried BBQ King, but Hole in the Wall is mediocre, at least. I suspect this has a lot to do with the fact that Papa's is practically on campus and Hole in the Wall is way out in west Eugene.
I've had Metropol's baked goods and they don't approach any of Portland's artisan bakeries. Hell, New Seasons is probably better.
Why "Special Occasion/Fine Dining" and "International/Continental"? They should be adding a breakfast category since the cafe category is taken up by coffee shops.
It's a reader's poll, though, so you can't expect too much from it.
And Papa's Soul Food Kitchen is absolutely horrendous stuff. Horrendous. I haven't tried BBQ King, but Hole in the Wall is mediocre, at least. I suspect this has a lot to do with the fact that Papa's is practically on campus and Hole in the Wall is way out in west Eugene.
I've had Metropol's baked goods and they don't approach any of Portland's artisan bakeries. Hell, New Seasons is probably better.
Why "Special Occasion/Fine Dining" and "International/Continental"? They should be adding a breakfast category since the cafe category is taken up by coffee shops.
It's a reader's poll, though, so you can't expect too much from it.
The greatest service chemistry has rendered to alimentary science, is the discovery of osmazome, or rather the determination of what it was. ~Brillat-Savarin
Nick Zukin, Mi Mero Mole & Kenny & Zuke's
Nick Zukin, Mi Mero Mole & Kenny & Zuke's
#7
Angelhair
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Posted 02 November 2006 - 11:54 AM
I don't get to Eugene too often. But you do, don't you MSG? Can you post some of your favorites on this thread?
#8
Foamer
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Posted 02 November 2006 - 03:36 PM
I'm surprised the Oregon Electric Station didn't get mentioned in there somewhere.
#9
ExtraMSG
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Posted 02 November 2006 - 03:55 PM
I don't get to Eugene too often. But you do, don't you MSG? Can you post some of your favorites on this thread?
I don't get there near as much as I used to before the deli. My weekends are always tied up now. I meet friends from Eugene in Salem for dinner more than Eugene now, unfortunately. (And also unfortunately, one of them doesn't like Mexican.) I'll probably be going down for Thanksgiving. Maybe a night out with the wife is in order. Perhaps a little exploration. (Not of the wife, but of Eugene's food, not that they're mutually exclusive.) Actually, my wife explores the food scene down there more than me now.
I'm surprised the Oregon Electric Station didn't get mentioned in there somewhere.
The OES just really isn't that good. It has kind of a nice ambience and a lot of history for the town, but it's not better than a lot of chains up here. It's big step down from a Marche.
The greatest service chemistry has rendered to alimentary science, is the discovery of osmazome, or rather the determination of what it was. ~Brillat-Savarin
Nick Zukin, Mi Mero Mole & Kenny & Zuke's
Nick Zukin, Mi Mero Mole & Kenny & Zuke's
#10
ks95008
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Posted 03 November 2006 - 08:15 AM
I took Foamer's comment on OES to be tongue-in-cheek.
Maybe not?
Maybe not?
#11
westslope97225
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Posted 13 November 2006 - 11:08 AM
Back in the early 90's I use to go to a small greek cafe, Poppi's. downtown by the university.
They had great grilled chicken and pork chops greek style (oregano/lemon/garlic/ blk pepper) served with fryed potatoes and a greeksalad. Their fryed cheese was exceptionlly good, too. imo.
I heard they are still their and doing a good job. I just wished they were a little closer. = 8-9
great atmosphere, too.
I would recommend and repeat for sure.
POPPI'S ANATOLIA 541-343-9661
992 WILLAMETTE ST
EUGENE, OR 97401
They had great grilled chicken and pork chops greek style (oregano/lemon/garlic/ blk pepper) served with fryed potatoes and a greeksalad. Their fryed cheese was exceptionlly good, too. imo.
I heard they are still their and doing a good job. I just wished they were a little closer. = 8-9
great atmosphere, too.
I would recommend and repeat for sure.
POPPI'S ANATOLIA 541-343-9661
992 WILLAMETTE ST
EUGENE, OR 97401
#12
melly53
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Posted 23 November 2006 - 06:47 PM
I don't get to Eugene too often. But you do, don't you MSG? Can you post some of your favorites on this thread?
I don't get there near as much as I used to before the deli. My weekends are always tied up now. I meet friends from Eugene in Salem for dinner more than Eugene now, unfortunately. (And also unfortunately, one of them doesn't like Mexican.) I'll probably be going down for Thanksgiving. Maybe a night out with the wife is in order. Perhaps a little exploration. (Not of the wife, but of Eugene's food, not that they're mutually exclusive.) Actually, my wife explores the food scene down there more than me now.I'm surprised the Oregon Electric Station didn't get mentioned in there somewhere.
The OES just really isn't that good. It has kind of a nice ambience and a lot of history for the town, but it's not better than a lot of chains up here. It's big step down from a Marche.
Where do you eat in Salem? When we traveled back to CA in September we drove around and didn't find a damned spot that looked good. We should've had bkfst in Portland, but DH wanted to "get on the road".
#13
ExtraMSG
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Posted 24 November 2006 - 01:41 AM
We usually meet for Thai. It's all been mediocre. The only truly good food I've had in Salem has been Mexican.
The greatest service chemistry has rendered to alimentary science, is the discovery of osmazome, or rather the determination of what it was. ~Brillat-Savarin
Nick Zukin, Mi Mero Mole & Kenny & Zuke's
Nick Zukin, Mi Mero Mole & Kenny & Zuke's
#14
bbqboy
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Posted 24 November 2006 - 08:05 AM
The best place to stop for Breakfast or Lunch and goodies out on I-5 is Novak's in Albany.Where do you eat in Salem? When we traveled back to CA in September we drove around and didn't find a damned spot that looked good. We should've had bkfst in Portland, but DH wanted to "get on the road".
#15
alma
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Posted 24 November 2006 - 11:22 AM
Back in the early 90's I use to go to a small greek cafe, Poppi's. downtown by the university.
They had great grilled chicken and pork chops greek style (oregano/lemon/garlic/ blk pepper) served with fryed potatoes and a greeksalad. Their fryed cheese was exceptionlly good, too. imo.
I heard they are still their and doing a good job. I just wished they were a little closer. = 8-9
great atmosphere, too.
I would recommend and repeat for sure.
POPPI'S ANATOLIA 541-343-9661
992 WILLAMETTE ST
EUGENE, OR 97401
I worked at Anatolia back in the late 80's. It is a split menu half Greek/ Half Indian food. I go there when I visit Eugene because I love Diantha who bought the biz when Poppi herself left town, and because I crave their gyros and their thali platter. I also recomend their rice pudding. Simple goodness. It was really a fabulous place to work- we were treated well and the food was high quality. I don't think any of that has changed.
#16
riverinn
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Posted 20 February 2007 - 12:21 PM
So we're going to Eugene for my birthday and need a really nice place for dinner on Thursday night. Does anyone have a rec? We ate at Marche last time we were there and enjoyed ourselves a lot although our server was a bit dim. We pulled out a Grand cru 1983 (my birthyear) so we would like a place that allows you to BYO although we will probably order champagne to.
#17
Twitch
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Posted 20 February 2007 - 02:17 PM
So we're going to Eugene for my birthday and need a really nice place for dinner on Thursday night. Does anyone have a rec? We ate at Marche last time we were there and enjoyed ourselves a lot although our server was a bit dim. We pulled out a Grand cru 1983 (my birthyear) so we would like a place that allows you to BYO although we will probably order champagne to.
Cafe Zenon - a mish mash of things, but I've never had a bad execution - prolly my second fav after Marche.
Adam's Place - haven't had the food in a while, they're known for cocktails.
Koho Bistro - unassuming place inside a strip mall - the interior isn't a strip mall, but isn't as nice as Marche.
Chaneterelle - old NW place I've never been to, kind of under the radar. I'm not sure how they're supposed to be these days.
Beppe and Gianni's - still my favorite Italian in Oregon. Get the Bishops Hats.
Red Agave- supposedly the best latin in town, I have yet to be.
Avoid:
Vaquero - tapas trend bomb
Lucky Noodle - overpriced pasta
Cafe Soriah - overrated Mediterranean of indiscriminate selection
Oregon Electric Station - it's like Chili's, but worse.
#18
DRYVEM
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Posted 21 February 2007 - 03:00 PM
Chaneterelle - old NW place I've never been to, kind of under the radar. I'm not sure how they're supposed to be these days.
Owner recently retired and sold to a customer.
#19
Jill-O
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Posted 21 February 2007 - 03:06 PM
Welcome to the site, DRYVEM!
Never give up! Never surrender!
#20
riverinn
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Posted 23 February 2007 - 02:49 PM
So we ended up going to Marche again. I decided I didn't want a crap shoot for my birthday dinner. It was fantastic! Everything was perfect. I started with 1/2 doz. raw oysters and ryan had the baked mussels. Both were perfect. Then we shared the seared chicken liver and apple salad, which was oh so tasty and they split it for us for $1 and it was the perfect size. Then we opened our wine (we had cocktails before) and had the Squab with soft polenta and I had the Beef tenderloin with potato leek gratin and stewed winter greens. Oh my, was it tasty. We took home leftovers, and left a hefty glass of wine with our server who was actually our server the first time we went there. All in all it was a perfect birthday and a perfect dinner.
