Newman's Fish Co.

Here's another throwback from when I was on my food journey at the end of my spring 2012 semester at the UO. One place that I knew I had to try because of it's rave reviews was Newman's Fish Co., the local spot to get supposedly the best fish n' chips. There are two locations, so I can only speak on behalf of the one located on Willamette.

Now, I just have to get this off my chest. I don't really like fried foods. I mean, I'll take a bite out of it... but then I feel so oily and yucky. That being said, I fairly enjoyed the fish n' chips from Newman's, much more than the other fish n' chips option at the Saturday Market...not sure which restaurant that is. It wasn't as oily, and the fish tasted fresher.

Prawn Roll [$5.50]

Prawn Roll (inside) [$7.75]

Salmon Fish n' Chips [$7.75]

The prawn roll had a little too much mayo than I would have preferred, but it was still decent. The fish n' chips definitely out shined the prawn roll...but I am not sure if it was worth $7.75.  Food is competitively priced in Eugene, so this was a bit spendy for what you get. For fish n' chips lovers, this may be worth it, but for me...not so much. On the bright side, I did try their clam chowder (no image because the quality was really bad) and it was pretty good. Nothing was outstandingly memorable. The most memorable aspect of this restaurant is the glass case by the cash register showcasing the fresh fish that you can purchase. It really puts you in the mood to eat some fish n' chips!

Eugene City Bakery

One of the closest bakeries to campus is the Eugene City Bakery, known for their fresh baked breads. I am going to say right off the the bat that I prefer Noisette Pastry Kitchen's baked goods over Eugene City Bakery. That being said, Eugene City Bakery has a lot more choices in terms of little cookies and sweets.

Sorry for not putting captions! I took these photos over a year ago, so I don't remember what anything was. However, I do know that they are VERY affordable. Each item is about $1-$3, the REALLY spendy things would be about $4.

I would highly recommend this place if you are craving some baked goods and are by the University of Oregon. Everything is really tasty, but the vibe cannot compare with Noisette Pastry Kitchen. Also, for some reason I feel like Noisette's pastries are fresher, but that may just be because there is an open kitchen. If you do go to Eugene City Bakery, I recommend getting a box to share with others and just get a lot of different things to try! Everything is pretty yummy and affordable, so I am sure that you will be happy with whatever you grab! You can also catch Eugene City Bakery at the Saturday Market!

Studio One Cafe

During my freshmen year, I met a guardian angel named Sarah who told me about her favorite eating spots in Eugene (because she is one of the biggest eaters I have ever met). Conveniently located right across of her apartment was Studio Once Cafe, so she decided to take me there one day. Boy, this place is adorable. It has a very old Hollywood diner feel once you enter, with black and white pictures of celebrities adorning the walls. Restaurants with a certain theme automatically catch my attention because I enjoy searching for the subtle and not-so subtle hints of the certain theme throughout the restaurant.

First of all, I have to say this place is probably one of the most affordable breakfast joints in Eugene. You definitely get a very delicious band for your buck.

Pulled Pork Sandwich [$8.25] 

The Big Easy [8.25] 

The Original French Toast [$5.75]
(topped with almond custard, creamy Romanov sauce, and berry compote)

Avocado and Turkey Wrap [$8.00]

Soup&Salad Combo [$7.00]
(Caesar Salad)

Soup&Salad Combo [$7.00]
(Chile Verde)

I would highly recommend this place if you are in search of a hearty and affordable breakfast or lunch. I haven't been to Glenwood's, but from what I have heard, Studio One Cafe blows it out of the water. My favorite thing that I have tried from Studio One has got to be the french toast. YOU NEED TO TRY THE FRENCH TOAST. Prior to eating their french toast, I wasn't really a french toasty kind of person, but now I am converted. It opened my world to how amazing french toast can actually be! The berry compote is unbeatable. Must try. Although everything is yummy, nothing is really "kick-in-the-pants" memorable besides the french toast.

Eugene Saturday Market

If you are in Eugene from April to mid-November, you can't NOT go to the Eugene Saturday Market. Although it is not as big as Portland's Saturday Market, there is something very endearing about it. Maybe it's the sound of hippies playing their guitars and washboards. Anyway, there are two parts to the Saturday Market, the Farmer's Market side and the actual "shopping" market side. The Farmer's Market has various vendors selling anything from fresh produce to homemade goat cheese. They have a lot of different vendors selling baked goods including some of my favorites (Hideaway Bakery and Eugene City Bakery).

Berry Scone

The actual food area has a lot of ethnic choices, including Mexican, Thai, and fish n' chips. I haven't ordered a lot of things from this side of the Farmer's Market as much, and nothing is worth boasting about. This past time I went I tried a berry smoothie from Lulu's Smoothies, which had apples, marionberries, strawberries, and other yummy goodies.

12 oz. Berry Smoothie [$3.75]

Fish n' Onion Rings

The prices at the Saturday Market are pretty fair, most things are $7-$10. Though, like I said, the food is pretty good but nothing amazing. Part of the fun of going to Saturday Market is just walking around and looking at what the vendors are selling. Everything from tie-dye shirts to spoon rings can be found here. Definitely if you are looking for a "one-of-a-kind" piece as a souvenirs, the Saturday Market would be the place to purchase it. The market is open from 10am-5pm, so be there or be square! It definitely helps you experience the Eugene culture in a nutshell.

Party Downtown+Red Wagon Creamery

Just a warning, this will be a long review because I have A LOT to say about this place. First of all, I have heard a lot of things about the popular food cart "Party Cart." I had always wanted to go here because apparently they make amazing pies and have delicious locally sourced food. When I heard that they had just opened a restaurant in downtown Eugene in early May (it was mid-May when we went), I knew we just had to try this place!

The concept of this place is very interesting. The minds of two successful Eugene food carts came together and made this fusion restaurant. The "front" of this restaurant is Red Wagon Creamery, which is a very popular ice cream cart serving crazy, original flavors using almost completely locally sourced ingredients. We were originally confused because we intended on just going to Party Downtown, but hey, we got ice cream!

"Saturday Morning"
Junior Sized [$2.25]

Anyway, you have to walk through Red Wagon Creamery and past the Party Downtown bar to get to the eating area. The eating area had a very "hipster/chic" vibe.

We had a party of seven, so we were told to wait 15-20 minutes, we were seated in about 15. They definitely still have a lot of kinks to work out, seeing as they just opened. Accidents happened, but they were almost a freakout about whether or not we were the group that was supposed to be sitting at the table they put us on.

Menu

By the way the menu was arranged on the wall (on removable chalkboards), I am assuming that the menu changes daily. Also, when they run out of items, the chalkboard is taken down. By the end of our meal, there were about 4-5 boards taken down.

House Bread [$3.50]

 We starts with the "House Bread" which was pretty good! There were three different varieties of their bread totaling 9 slices. This was a good little appetizer, but some of the bread was really dry. On the bright side, the honey was surprisingly sweet.  Now, here's where my review kind of goes south. I can understand that they are a new restaurant, but the food took YEARS to come out. I am not exaggerating when I say that it took at least an hour. The food also came out at very spread apart times, so the first person wanted to wait to eat their food, but by the time everyone else got their food, her food was cold. I know that was on our own accord, but the food should have come out around the same time.

Flank Steak [$13.00]

Turkey Leg Confit/Gnocchi (small) [$8.00]

We ordered other food, but due to the dim lighting I wasn't able to snap really good photos of them. Orders included the "Pickled Filipino Sausage with Dirty Wild Rice," "Sweet Pea Honey Pot de Creme," and "Spinach Artichoke Dip."  The sausage dish was really good because they make the sausages in house! The food was okay, nothing to hate, nothing to love. I love the concept of being locally sourced, but the portions were a little TOO small. As much as I love the idea of paying for experience, this place wasn't memorable enough to make me want to pay $8.00 for a little dish. However, I am glad that I went to this place at least once in my life, just because the idea behind it is so neat. I guess it also didn't help that my friends were complaining like no other about the size, price, and everything. It made me feel extremely uncomfortable. 

I would recommend this place if you are into the whole "fresh and locally sourced" fad because that's exactly what it is. However, if you want a lot of food and are on a budget, I would not recommend. If you are like me and in between, it's good for a one time deal, but DO NOT be expecting to get full off this meal. I am excited to see how this restaurant will blossom.