Fine dining at Marché

Marché is the closest experience I have had in Eugene to fine dining. The food and service were on par with some of the best meals I have enjoyed, from Kauai to Washington, D.C., to Florence (Italy). I couldn't more highly recommend any restaurant in Eugene.

Marché prides itself as a French-inspired locavore-specialized restaurant. The chefs use regional and local ingredients -- the kind that would be available at the local market at that given time of year -- so the menu changes seasonally, and daily, as needs be, to allow the chef to only serve the healthiest, freshest ingredients.

In the spring, for example, I was treated to a chicken thigh -- a highly overlooked cut of meat, by the way -- dressed with fresh morel mushrooms and fiddlehead ferns, culled from the hills around Eugene, and doused (with a light hand) with a buttery creamy sauce. Perfection. This fall, I enjoyed a vegetarian homemade tagliatelle with woodsy mushrooms in a flavor-rich yet light sauce.

Although I thought the vegetarian tagliatelle was very good, it doesn't compare to the meats at Marché. The chicken leg was possibly the best prepared chicken I've ever tried. The grilled beef tenderloin, prepared in a decadent black truffle butter, is served year-round (as far as I can tell), but it's served with seasonal ingredients. One time, it's served with polenta gorgonzola and spring vegetables; another time it's served with potato-leek gratin and winter vegetables. The coq au vin, served over smashed potatoes, is worth a try, if it's on the menu when you arrive. The chefs also prepare more inspired meat dishes, such as braised rabbit or veal ravioli, which, judging them on their other dishes, are probably also very good. But I'm a picky eater when it comes to meat, so I can't tell you from personal experience. Still, I would probably recommend any of their meats.

Marché serves smaller portions than most American restaurants these days, but larger than some gourmet restaurants. (I have walked into a gourmet restaurant, plunked down $50, and received a giant plate with three baby carrots, a minute cut of meat and a delicately splashed sauce, much to my disappointment. I'm not a fan of bite-sized gourmet meals.) Marché serves appropriate portions to allow a diner to taste all the foods, and enjoy an appetizer or a dessert as well.

These are also worth trying. I enjoyed all of the appetizers I have tried -- from Dungeness crab cakes to a bruschetta trio. (In the winter, the crab cakes come with an avocado and grapefruit salad that is a fantastic blend of salty, sweet, biting and smooth.) The desserts are good, but tend to be a bit too gourmet for my tastes. I recognize that I have more plebian tastes, especially when it comes to desserts, but pear sorbet (albeit tasty and very pear) or star anise biscotti or espresso pot de creme do not cut it for me. That said, last spring, I enjoyed a strange concoction that they called a lemon meringue something-or-other....it was not a lemon meringue pie, or anything like it, but it was melt-in-your-mouth divine. So perhaps the flavors these chefs mix make it worth going outside the box and trying their concoctions.

Marché also has a great wine list -- one of the better wine lists in this town, I think. It's extensive and specializes in local wines, though they have a wide list from elsewhere too. The staff is also very knowledgeable about the wines (and the menu, for that matter) and happy to suggest pairings. In fact, the staff is a standout here. My glass was never empty, yet I did not feel as though I was being watched or pestered.

This is a terrific restaurant for a date or a special occasion -- or for any dinner, if you can afford it. It's not the cheapest restaurant in town, by any stretch of the imagination. A meal for two, including wine, an appetizer and dessert, will easily run you more than $100 not including tip. But if you ask me, it's worth it.

And there are ways to make it cost less: Try the prix fixe menu, for example. It includes a salad, a main dish and a dessert for $25. Or try the bar menu, which is filled with delectibles like a smoked pork sandwich or a wood-fired pizza with goat cheese, wild mushrooms and black truffles, for far cheaper prices. Or bring your own wine. For $15 per bottle, the waitstaff will uncork and serve your wine. That's far cheaper than any bottle on their wine list.

No matter what your background or tastes, I think anyone can find something enjoyable at Marché. Reservations are highly recommended.

http://www.marcherestaurant.com/home.htm

Overriding Thoughts

1. I do NOT agree with most of what Eugene residents vote as "best XXX" in the annual Best of Eugene awards. In fact, through trial and error, I have largely learned to steer clear of anything voted a "best." Especially anything ethnic.

2. Brewpubs tend to be very good around here. Beer, food and service are all above average.

3. Service tends to be slow everywhere. Whether you go to a brewpub or a fine dining establishment, expect your dinner to take an hour and a half to two hours -- and that doesn't include waiting for a table. I think it's because life is slower-paced here in the Pacific Northwest than it is in Washington, D.C., so no one is in a hurry. This took me a long time to get used to.

4. There are very good vegetarian options around here. That's a plus. Most restaurants I've tried offer decent vegetarian options -- good in both variety and flavor.

5. There aren't a ton of "middle of the road" options. There are some very good fine-dining options (the kind that will set you back $100 for a dinner for two), and there are some good pubs and sandwich-type restaurants. But I haven't found a lot of good eats at moderate prices. Sure, I've found moderately priced places, but they weren't good. Maybe I just haven't found them yet?

Welcome!

My husband and I moved from the Washington, D.C., area to Eugene, Oregon, last fall. Thankfully, I was able to retain my job as a magazine editor for EARTH (www.earthmagazine.org), so I manage the magazine and my staff from 3,000 miles away. Work is busy, but good.

Life is also busy but good. I've enjoyed our time in Eugene, hiking the hills, exploring the town's offerings -- everything from the bike trails to the Saturday market to the wineries. I've also made a special point to try out as many restaurants as I can while I'm here. And that brings me to the purpose of this blog. I wanted to offer my thoughts -- for whatever you may think they're worth -- on the cuisine of Eugene.

So far, I've probably tried 15-20 restaurants with varying degrees of success. I'll try to go back and fill in my thoughts on the ones I have already tried, and of course update this with each new restaurant I try. Bear with me. Although I understand that food and tastes are highly subjective, I have pretty strong opinions on what makes good food and good service -- I'll be offering them here. Take them or leave them, or send me a note and tell me why you agree or disagree with me. I'm open to discussion.