Andy Jacob's Profile
Looking for a baking/cooking class in Eugene, OR
Pepperberries kitchen store (across from Sheldon HS) on Willakenzie has cooking classes.
Is this a good start for a wine tour in Sonoma?
Whiner, I'd recommend pacing yourself by focusing on the varietals you prefer, using the spit bucket, taking notes when tasting and bundling your winery visits by geography.
I don't recall seeing you list your favorite varietals. If you prefer certain varietals, this winery search site can be useful - or simply for a geographic search: http://cawinemall.com/.
If you are partial to Pinot Noir, for example, you will want to spend time in Carneros and the Russian River Valley. Similarly, there are numerous other AVA's (Dry Creek, Rutherford, Calistoga, Alexander Valley, Sonoma, Napa, etc.). If you do your research on your wineries and look at a map for grouping and distances between wineries it will all fall into place. Restaurant and lodging preferences are another consideration.
Know ahead of time, how much wine, if any, you plan to take home, and any associated costs / restrictions. In general, if making an appoinment, it is polite to purchase - you are engaging someone's time and consuming their product. In your case, finding out who their UK distributor is, assuming you like their product, would make a good impression.
You will, no doubt, have a great visit.
Best Pinots/vineyards in Willamette Valley?
In the South Willamette / Eugene area, I would recommend Pfieffer which is 4 miles West of the intersection of Territorial Hwy and High Pass Road (West of Junction City). They, imo, have the finest drinking Pinot in the South Willamette. Sweet Cheeks Winery and Silvan Ridge/Hinman are opposite one another on Briggs Hill Road off of Territorial ~ 30 minutes South of High Pass Road (approximately 8 miles North of King Estate). Wine Bars are popping up in Corvallis and Eugene, as well.
Marsh Anne Landing Winery is in the Oakland area ~ 45 minutes South of Eugene on I5 and they have nice reds (~ 3 miles East of the Rice Hill exit on I5 going South).
Eugene Seafood
All sorts of options exist, depending on your affinity for ambience and budget. To name a few:
Koho Bistro at Bailey Hill West of 18th has a nice Seafood Chowder and a menu with a nice variety of Seafood and non-seafood.
McMenamin's North Bank off Coburg Rd / Country Club along the Willamette has nice patio seating in the season and decent microbrews.
Cafe Lucky Noodle has seafood dishes and plays in the Asian / Italian genre. 5th at Oak
Sushi Station 5th at Oak
Steelhead Brewpub 5th at Oak
The Fish Market Blair at 7th has seating, though not upscale they have offerings ranging from Seafood Pizzas to Lobster tail.
PF Changs Coburg at Oakway (reservations recommended)
I also like Wings at the Eugene Airport, nice Chowder and ambience.
King Estate Winery would be another location for a memorable meal in the warmer months, especially, when you can sit on the patio and enjoy the view.
Eugene??
Always up for Thai, I ventured over yesterday. If you can judge a restaurant on a single dish, in this case Tom Kha Gai, I was underwhelmed. The flavor profile was good, however I found the soup to be coarse with chunks of ginger, lemongrass, etc. Worse yet, the chicken was all dark meat.
As to the quality of their service, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt as the soups are not on the lunch menu (odd in itself) but with the restaurant 1/4 full my order took 30 minutes.
Which pumpkin pie recipe is better? Libby's or Eagle Brand?
My MIL made the Libby's recipe with a twist, she'd substitute 1/3 of the milk with Bourbon. The alcohol cooks off, but the flavor remains. Always a family favorite!
I'm afraid of my habaneros!
Our favorite steak recipe includes habaneros in the sauce:
"Grilled Korean-Style Steaks with Spicy Cilantro Sauce" on the Food Network Web site:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_16359,00.html
Petite Sirah
Jewell has a nice Petit Sirah at Trader Joe's and World Market 10-$12. I picked up a Parducci for $7.99 at Trader Joe's that I have yet to try.
"Great" Restaurant Names
I would not be surprised. The stories I could tell...
Dry is relative. One only needs to take a viticulture and enology course to sample the research wines. I had the good fortune to have a tasting tour about 4 years ago there and we tasted 5 decades of Cabernet '60 to '00.
"Great" Restaurant Names
Out of Grants Pass Oregon there was a restaurant called the Boarding House Reach
At UC Davis the Student Counseling center was called the First Resort and the on-campus pub, where I worked, the Last Resort.
Coffee shop in Berkeley - Sufficient Grounds
Bar in SF The White Swallow.
Searching for something like J. Lohr Cab or EXP Syrah
I like the Jewell Petite Sirah, as well. It is $10-12 in Oregon. World Market carries it. Rosenblum Vintner's Cuvee Zinfandel is nice and jammy and was selling for $12-15 at Costco and Trader Joe's locally.
Eugene??
Evergreen is reminiscent of Priya but in a much better location. It was crowded today. It is 2 driveways W of Agate on the N. side of Franklin.
teach me how to grill a steak...
Our new favorite grilled steak recipe is :
"Grilled Korean-Style Steaks with Spicy Cilantro Sauce" on the Food Network Web site:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_16359,00.html
has received rave reviews with family and friends.
I marinate two tri-tips in a large pyrex pan overnight. We choose to grill tri-tip sirloins on aluminum foil, removing from foil towards the end for some char. Don't use a fork to lift the meat off of the grill, rather use tongs to save the juices. If you fashion your aluminum foil properly, you will also have plenty of juices from there as well.
We love the cilantro habenero sauce and it improves over time with leftovers. This
Speaking from experience don't get the sauce in your eyes. I made a wrong move with my napkin and paid dearly for 20 minutes.
Just bought a 9x13 Pyrex (glass) casserole pan: What's easy to make in it?
Asparagus, lemon juice (or olive oil) salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese, broil.
Halibut, white wine, your favorite seasoning, bake under foil.
Eugene??
GW88 - Where's Evergreen?
BTW, went to Aiyara's today and it must have been their 1st day open since expanding. New server. Meal took 3X (35-40minutes total) longer than usual to arrive. Interesting that both Aiyara's and Chao Pra Ya are remodeling / expanding at about the same time.
ore: peggy's of rice hill--there or gone? alternatives?
The best local BBQ is purported to be in Cottage Grove ~25 min up I5 from Rice Hill. In Creswell, 10 minutes N. of Cottage Grove (on I5) there is a good ice cream Parlor W of I5 on Main Street.
Eugene??
Tio Pepe's has good Mexican food on River Rd. We like their macro salsa with carrots and jalapeno's, etc.
My favorite Mexican in town is Plaza Latina ~7th and Taylor. Their marinated meats are excellent. A combination of 3 tacos of various meats (Asada, Pollo, Lengua, Chorizo, Pastor) and an ice cold coke (from Mexico, like they used to taste in the US) tantalizes my taste buds. When Coke introduced CocaCola Classic they switched from Cane sugar to Corn sugar - in Mexico it is still made with Cane sugar and packaged in a glass bottle.
I like the Mauna Loa Chicken at Hawaiian Time - a nice little spicy burn from what I have long considered a, comparatively, bland cuisine.
I was surprised to see how crowded the patio was at Sweet Cheeks Winery last Friday night. I guess live music is standard fare and it looked as though many brought picnic dinners to enjoy the wine and views from the hillside location.
Eugene is spoiled with Thai choices, but Vietnamese is lacking (Pho and Bahn Mi). Indian locally hasn't been the same since Priya shut it's doors.
I have lived in parts of the country where dining out meant choose a meat and three vegetables (a meat and three) so I guess I can't complain (but sometimes I still do, life's been good to me so far...)
one night in Eugene. where to eat? open to ideas
If you search past posts, everything's pretty much current. It has been an adjustment moving here from Sonoma County.
PF Chang's is the newest place drawing locals, but since it is a national chain it likely does not hold interest for you.
Relative to where you are staying, I'd recommend Cafe Zenon($$), Marche($$$), Ambrosia($$) or Adam's Place($$$).
The Vintage (8th & Lincoln) is nice and a different scene as is Cornucopia (at 17th and Lincoln). Steelhead Brewery has a local scene and a serviceable menu.
Beyond that McMenamin's North Bank has patio seating separated from the river by a jogging path.
Further afield, Ring of Fire, Aiyara, Chao Prao Ya (all Thai)
Koho Bistro
King Estate Winery ~ 30 minutes S from downtown Eugene
Soprano's Dinner, what to serve
Lest you forget, the drinks, whatever your preference, should be mixed as a couple of shots and a splash.
Please tell me there's something decent to eat in the San Jose Airport.
The San Jose Mineta International airport is centrally located, my recommendation would be to check in your bags. You are within 5 miles of fine examples of many excellent cuisines. Chinese, Japanese (near Japantown), Thai, Korean, Indian, Vietnamese, Italian, Mexican. If you are willing to catch a cab, downtown SJ, Japantown, and El Camino Real would be your best bets for a nice excursion.
You could even go for a nice wine tasting at J. Lohr Winery off the Alameda (1 exit S. of SJ airport on the 880).
NY Hound visiting Portland & Eugene
Agreed, though I was keying off of the stated interest in organic. I'll reserve my comments on the wine (momma said "if you can't say something nice..."). I like Sweet Cheeks, Sylvan Ridge and Lavell. My favorite is 30 minutes S of King Estate (exit 150 on the 5 South, then 3 miles East on Goodrich Hwy). MarshAnne Landing. All reds ~1000 case producer. No affiliation.
NY Hound visiting Portland & Eugene
As always Nick (extramsg) is spot on. I would only add:
I don't know where you are staying in Eugene, but my recommendation would be to check out King Estate Winery's Restaurant which features produce from their organic garden. It is approximately 30 minutes from downtown, South on Territorial Road (W 11th to Bertelsen S, then 20 minutes). It was featured in BA a year ago or so.
My only other recommendation would be to drive to the Coast which may or may not be in the scope of your trip. Nursing drinks at the bar in the Adobe Inn at Yachats is a nice way to watch the sunset. Old Town Florence is vaguely reminiscent of Mystic, Connecticut (in a pacific nw tourist trappy sort of way). By the way, had the coin flipped the other way, Portland, OR would have been named Boston.
What's your favorite Key Lime Pie recipe?
Nellie and Joe's website has a version of Black Bottom Key Lime Pie:
http://keylimejuice.com/recipes.html
Culinary trip suggestions in U.S. for the fall?
My recommendation would be to check out Ramekins in Sonoma. They have a culinary school and catalog of classes offered. You can also check out Localwineevents.com for any wine pairing dinners that might be offered during your preferred travel dates. Lastly, I'd recommend looking at the California wineries mall website and searching by varietal or appellation for your preferences. There is a winery in Knight's Valley that has guest houses. It is centrally located relative to Napa / Sonoma / Alexander and the Russian River valleys.
Keep in mind that many wineries require reservations on weekends for tasting (particularly in Napa).
Favorite cooking word or phrase?
Clearly many of the prior terms cross over to consumption rather than just tasting
Toothsome
Crumb (as in bread / cake)
Family favorites:
"Smithing it" (Named for the family who would serve themselves (perhaps taking the choice selection) along the way when you asked for a dish to be passed)
Gruntled
Underwhelmed
What's to eat in Eugene?
The latest (Summer 2006) buzz is coming from outside Eugene 20 miles South at the King Estate Winery. Defined by quality organic ingredients, a gorgeous view and a prevailing afternoon breeze, the patio is just the ticket for a lazy afternoon / evening meal.
I'm not a big fan of KE's wines, but I am trying. For my taste, I prefer Sweet Cheeks Winery (a grower for 25 years, relatively new to the winemaking business) ~10 minutes up the road from KE on Briggs Hill. Iris Hill, next door to KE (just a mile or two up the road) is up and coming as well.
Foodwise, I also enjoy "Our Daily Bread" in Veneta ~15 minutes West of Eugene (and ~20 minutes N. of KE on Territorial). They have a wine list featuring local wines and a varied menu for each of breakfast, lunch and dinner.
