NON-FAST food places to eat?

Going to Eugene to visit mother-in-law, need places to eat that are not chains! Have been there many times, never really found good food. Maybe there isn%26#39;t any? We thought Ring of Fire was overly-pretentious and not that great compared with CA.

NON-FAST food places to eat?

Most of the really good restaurants in Eugene are NOT fast food or chains. Give me some idea of what sort of food you like and I%26#39;ll give you several recommendations. If you like Thai and think Ring of Fire pretentious you might like Sweet Basil, Mekala%26#39;s or Tasty Thai. Don%26#39;t know where you%26#39;ve been munching, but there%26#39;s something wrong if you couldn%26#39;t find good food in Eugene! Even the Saturday Market offers great, freshly prepared dishes. Have you been to Beppe %26amp; Gianni%26#39;s, Cornucopia, Koho Bistro, Papa%26#39;s Soul Food, Poppi%26#39;s Anatolia, Cafe Soriah or...oh, well, tell me what you%26#39;re looking for!

NON-FAST food places to eat?

I guess my problem is that we listen to my brother in law for recommendations. When we%26#39;re up there we are staying in Creswell :( and don%26#39;t have a computer with us! So I%26#39;m doing research before we go this time! We like Italian, Chinese, Indian %26amp; Thai,

also a good chunk of prime rib-we%26#39;ve never found that there! My niece is a cook at Olive Garden-not to excited about that!

Thank you for your suggestions,I will look them up! We don%26#39;t expect fancy,or even tablecloths, just good cookin%26#39; Is there anything like Chez Panisse or the French Laundry there?

Also, my son %26amp; wife are coming with us, she has never been to Eugene, we are outdoorsy, like to hike,

any suggestions?

Pardon the interruption, but given today%26#39;s date and Ducklady%26#39;s last post, I don%26#39;t know if I%26#39;d take the time, oregonpoppa. Makes me wonder who on this forum Ducklady might be related to....

Just took a look at your past inquiries and discovered that I did answer you on a couple of places to eat with your kids. Did you take my advice then? Those recommendations still hold. Our counterpart to Chez Panisse and the Laundry would have been Chanterelle, which closed over a year ago. The Zenon was once highly recommended for all visitors, but declined over the years after a change in management and closed a few months ago. The good news is that the owner of Cafe Soriah has announced plans to reopen Zenon. Many of our restaurants feature locally grown produce and meats and sustainable regimens. You thought Ring of Fire was pretentious and then asked about restaurants and chefs in the class of Alice Waters and Chez Panisse. So, I have to ask, are you really looking for a fine meal at a reasonable price...or haute cuisine a la $$$?

OH, I missed the April Fool date. Doesn%26#39;t matter. I aim to please. Although following up a do we have a Chez Panisse request with where she can get a decent prime rib doesn%26#39;t compute. Not clear exactly what is being sought. We have a new restaurant called Rabbit which serves its namesake in a variety of ways...and Belly, which worships the swine side of the menu. We even have a great ramen restaurant...but that might be a bit too pedestrian.

Didn%26#39;t answer the hiking inquiry. Depending on the season, hiking options are unlimited. Give me some idea of yout comfort zone (distance, elevation gain, etc.), how far you%26#39;re willing to go to get to your hike (urban hike, coastal, Cascades, etc.) and date of your trip (since most of the mountains are still under snow). Might also be able to hook you up with a scheduled Obsidians hike. If you%26#39;re serious.

Sorry if you%26#39;re not happy with my responses. I%26#39;ve given you several restaurant suggestions that I think are worth your trying. There are a few steak houses in Eugene where you can check out their prime rib (I haven%26#39;t been to them yet)...and some of the restaurants in the area offer prime rib specials. One of the places I do like that has prime rib is the Original Roadhouse Grill in the Gateway Mall area (but it%26#39;s part of a chain).

As for hikes, suit yourself, but you should know that I am an active hiker and leader with the Obsidians, the largest and oldest outdoor organization in Lane County. Websites don%26#39;t always tell you what you need to know for your own comfort zone. You might also get a copy of William L. Sullivan%26#39;s hiking guides for the coast and central Cascades. His guidebooks are considered gospel by most Oregonian hikers. He%26#39;s an Obsidian, by the way.

The more you tell us about yourself and your interests the more we can help you. There are, indeed, many new restaurants that have opened in Eugene since 2007; but there are also many still around that you apparently haven%26#39;t experienced (other than Ring of Fire). I%26#39;ve given you enough leads to get you through your next several visits, I think.

Ducklady, there is no need to insult any Oregon poster.

It is also against the TA rules.

As you have had very few posts perhaps you should familiarize yourself with the posting guidelines.

Have a nice holiday.

I really think we can give ducklady what she wants, if she%26#39;ll discuss things with us. It%26#39;s very frustrating when those asking for advice don%26#39;t respond to our questions. We have that problem even among some of our forum regulars who don%26#39;t respond to follow-up questions. I would like to know if our previous suggestions for family dining met with her approval (or whether she ever made use of them). Such feedback is like manna from heaven for us because it verifies the value of our advice. When I moved here from Southern California I was struck with the wonderful flavor of locally grown produce and the whole Pacific Northwest cuisine, which is available at most of our fine restaurants. I know we would all like to introduce visitors to these pleasures...but they have to give us more than that they thought a restaurant was pretentious (how was the meal?) or that they were looking for the ubiquitous prime rib (but not at a chain).

As I said, I think we can give ducklady what she wants...if she%26#39;ll just talk to us.