Food Crawl

My Dear Hubby and I had date night today. He let me plan the whole date. I took him on a Food Crawl to two Sustainable Restaurants. (Maybe, just maybe.. I watch a little too much Top Chef, Food Network or Rachael Ray.. hence the idea of the Food Crawl). I thought that choosing food and restaurants that used local organic ingredients, produce and meats would be fun and adventurous for our taste pallets.

First stop was Lunch at the Laughing Planet Cafe at 760 Blair Blvd in Eugene, Oregon. We dressed casual, but felt a bit out of place with the hippie granola crowd, but they were laid back and didn't mind our company. Dear hubby and I shared a cup of their famous Vegan Chili (beans, tomatoes, zuchinni, carrots, onions, peppers and spices), a Farmboy-Tim Smoothie (canteloupe, honeydew, blueberries, kiwi, peaches and apple juice) and split a Burrito (organic chicken, pinto beans, organic brown rice, cabbage, picco de gallo and their homemade mild green tomatilla salsa). Tasty, healthy and satisfying meal.

Dear hubby and I spent a few hours digesting our meal by meandering around the Eugene Library and borrowed books on our next family vacation destination which will be to The Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park.

Next stop on the Food Crawl was to Dinner at Adam's Sustainable Table at 30 E. Broadway in Eugene. Great atmosphere, fine dining and very attentive staff. They are a Dinner House and we got there just as they opened at 4:30 PM. We had the place to ourselves at first as we were earlybirds. I fibbed/joked and told dear hubby that I reserved the Restaurant just for us. Okay enough joking, on with the food. First course was a cup of the French Onion Soup (carmelized onions with a floating crustini topped with bubbling cheese). The beef broth and onions were rich and sweet, but it lacked seasoning. Second course was the Roasted Beet Salad (roasted yellow beets, shaved apple, shaved fennel, toasted candied walnuts and Artisian Alsea Acres goat cheese and vinaigrette). Gorgeous presentation and was so fresh and delicious. Next course was the Entrees, we each ordered an entree and split them. My Dear Hubby is a meat and potatoes kind of man, so what did he order? The Smoked Prime Rib Sandwich with organic potatoe wedges. (Prime rib was from a local farm and the beef was steroid and antibiotic free). It was so tender, as if you were eating a filet mignon, and melted in your mouth like butter. We've never had a Prime Rib taste so wonderul. Next entree was the Savory Chicken Crock Pie (Chicken pot pie in a terra cotta crock with root vegetables, organic pasture raised chicken with a fresh baked buttermilk & herb biscuit pastry top). Couldn't eat it all so we brought home a doggie bag. Dinner was fabulous and we had a great Food Crawl together... but what about dessert?

We were a bit stuffed, so we spent a couple of hours digesting our meal walking around the mall, picked up some spring outifts for the kids and enjoyed hanging out at Barnes and Noble and picked up an audio book. Ahhh grown up time and shopping without kids is a nice treat. Speaking of treats... we ended the night with ice cream at Coldstone Creamery, we were both in the mood for chocolate and peanut butter. It was pretty crazy in there as a youth group was having a scavenger hunt and had competitions eating icecream and singing Coldstone's jingles. They looked like they were having a blast.

Food Crawl was a success, we tried some vegan dishes, sampled new dishes and new ingredients for the first time. Maybe next month we will do it again and pick a different food fare and new restaurants that we haven't experienced yet. One thing we learned is that with local sustainable ingredients the menu's change frequently due to the availability of what is in season.