2008 Woodie Awards
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The best bites in town
Campus area dining offers the tastiest food to satisfy hungry students' varied tastes
by Jaime Swindle | Pulse editor
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If you want the crispity crunchity fries, but don't want the greasy cheeseburger to go with them, then why don't you try something with a Mediterranean twist? The Caspian offers an array of Greek delights, from vegetarian-friendly falafel to chicken gyros and lamb kabobs. All of these items include some form of fluffy pita and a delicious creamy, garlicky tzatziki sauce. Looking for something a little lighter? Then take no hesitation in ordering the Greek salad. This crisp bed of greens is topped with juicy tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, briney Kalamata olives and a ton of salty feta cheese.
The Caspian Restaurant, 863 E. 13th Ave., 683-7800
Best Burrito North of the Border:
You may remember the burrito guide the Pulse staff put out for Cinco de Mayo last spring term, and the sheer number of Mexican restaurants that Eugene has to offer. However, Taqueria El Pato Verde sticks out like a precious gem in a pile of coal. The toasted burritos are big, zesty and, more importantly, authentic in their Mexican flavor. With options like the Burrito Al Pastor, which combines the spiciness of chilies with the nature-made sweetness of pineapple, you find yourself transported out of the dreary Eugene weather and onto a sandy white beach.
Taqueria El Pato Verde, 682 E. 13th Ave., 686-9700
Best Place to Get Your Caffeine Jitters All Day Long:
Caffeine by way of coffee is many students' most valuable study tool; it keeps you awake and alert when you're starting to flag from the boredom that inevitably ensues during the mountain of reading you are required to consume. Even moreso than the delicious espresso, sandwiches, quiche, muffins and coffee cake, Hilyard St. Beanery boasts free wireless for customers - a commodity many coffee shops don't offer. It's also far enough away from campus that it isn't packed full of college kids,
making it a bit quieter for the seriously studious.
Hilyard St. Beanery Allann Bros. Coffee, 2465 Hilyard St., 344-0221
Best Decadent Dessert:
If presidential candidate Barack Obama is a fan, then it must be good. Prince Pückler's Ice Cream has been a Eugene staple for years and has some of the best homemade creamy stuff that many people have ever had. With some flavors using local fruit, such as Bing Cherry, and others going more toward the eccentric side, such as Green Tea, you're bound to find something that you love. If a sundae is what you crave, the hot fudge sundaes will surely sate your lust. They include sliced banana, hot fudge, and a sprinkle of nuts - all topped off with a swirl of whipped cream along with your favorite ice cream flavor. I recommend Mexican Mocha or Banana Brownie for this decadent endeavor.
Prince Pückler's Ice Cream, 1605 E. 19th Ave., 344-4418
Best Late-Night Drunchie Delivery:
After the last drink has been poured and the head-spinning hike back to your humble abode has been completed, there's nothing better than an alcohol-soaking snack. What's better is that it can come right to your door 'til 3 a.m. Dough Co. serves up 31 different mouth-watering calzones - including classic pepperoni and Spicy Taco - and four varieties of freshly baked cookies, as well as salads and ice cream, all for moderate prices and no delivery charge for orders of at least six bucks. With large calzone sizes, think of them as your own personal pocket of fun that you can eat half of now and half the next morning as a hassle-free breakfast.
Dough Co., 1337 Hilyard St., 485-7459
Best Reason to Make the Trek to Safeway (Other Than Grocery Shopping):
Coming from a Japanese background, I feel as if I can safely say when I know good, authentic Japanese cuisine. Toshi's Ramen truly has some of the best soup broth and fresh ramen noodles I have ever had. This filling meal is perfect for all those cold, rainy days when you're looking for anything that will warm you to the core. With three different soup bases to choose from - Shoyu (soy sauce), Shio (salt-based) and Miso - you won't go wrong. Each bowl of steaming hot soup is topped with a piece of pork chashu, some bamboo shoots, green beans and bean sprouts. What's more, you can order it with wakame or seaweed (which is my personal favorite), extra chashu, garlic or butter.
Toshi's Ramen, 1520 Pearl St., 683-7833
Best Reason to Forgo Your Brown-Bag PB & J:
Don't get me wrong, I love a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but that combo of sandwiching materials can really get stale after a while. In its stead I've scarfed many a sumptuous sandwich at the Campus Sub Shop. It offers many meaty varieties, from ham and turkey to roast beef or salami. You get your choice of a white or wheat roll, which is then stacked with your choice of meat, American cheese and all the vegetable fixins you could ask for. There is also soft-serve frozen yogurt that's a frosty, low-fat way to finish your meal. It comes in all the usual flavors, plus a few seasonal taste sensations that have included pumpkin, mango and peppermint stick in the past.
Campus Sub Shop, 1225 Alder St., 345-2434
Best Place to Cure the Hangover Blues:
We've all been there - the pounding headache, slight feeling of nausea and light sensitivity that comes the morning after a long night of drinking, party hopping and bad decisions. At this point it's time to re-gather and re-group to discuss the debauchery from the night before while staving off last night's residual drunk over a nice hot plate of biscuits and gravy, French toast or bacon and eggs at Studio One Café. Serving breakfast until 4 p.m., it would be difficult for you to sleep through the delectable selection of eggs Benedict, variations of which include (among other things) replacing the English muffin with a crab cake or biscuit and topping the poached egg with gravy instead of the classic hollandaise.
Studio One Café, 1473 E. 19th Ave., 342-8596
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