Casey "No Name" A.'s Profile

My husband, daughter, and myself dined at Olivar after a meeting in the neighborhood.

Upon entering the restaurant I really was struck with the feeling I had been in the restaurant before.  I think I had coffee there with an old friend from high school many years ago, the murals were very familiar.  According to one of the waitresses they were hand painted in the 30's, it is a story about a Russian Czar.  I love stuff like that.  She said another restauranteur wanted to occupy the space but wanted to paint over the murals, but there was an outcry and the city protected the murals.  I assumed that meant they are on the historical registry in some fashion  but I am not sure.

The chef had created a family style menu for our group.  There were 15 of us.  All the food was very well done.  How many ways can you say it?  Amazing, flavorful, expertly done.  We started off with an arugula salad with blue cheese, roasted beets and balsamic vinegar.  Crisp greens with the slightly peppery flavor arugula is known for, the beets a touch of sweetness, the cheese a nice earthy flavor with cream and the vinegar was just enough to bring it all together.

Next was a portabello mushroom tart  with a PX vinegar reduction.  Now I could have eaten about three of these.  Crispy, flaky, buttery, rich flavorful mushroom flavor with the vinegar adding a touch of sweetness.  The tart was followed by sea scallops atop a parsnip puree and an herb salad.  The scallops were cooked to perfection, they were sweet and tender, flavorful, and creamy.  The salad, I am not sure exactly what herbs were in it but it was wonderful.  Out of the kitchen next was my husband's favorite, potato gnocchi with roasted red peppers and crispy Parmesan topping.   The gnocchi was fresh, melt in your mouth tender and buttery.  Yum.  And no dinner didn't stop there.  Following the gnocchi was my favorite which surprised me.  Seared duck breast with pickled green tomatoes and grilled polenta.  The duck had such a great flavor, I am not sure what I expected but between the flavor of the duck, the tomatoes and the awesome polenta, I would have had two of these following the three mushroom tarts.  The last main dish to come out was ground lamb meatballs with Nicoise olive and artichoke puree.  They were a lovely red color inside from a Moroccan spice (similar to paprika the waitress told us).  So flavorful, and still moist even though they were lamb and well done.

Of course no meal is complete without dessert.  After all the food we had enjoyed so far we still had one more to finish our meal,  an apple tart tatin with a cinnamon creme brulee.  I honestly didn't get much between my husband and daughter.  My one year old daughters comments as she sat devouring the creme brulee were "Yummm, yumm, yumm."  And then she reached over and stole the apple out of the tart.  I did have a couple of tastes of the creme brulee and it was rich and creamy, the sugar crust on the top was a lovely crispy caramel but no trace of burnt flavor some have.  The tart had that lovely flaky buttery crust.  The combination of the two were like an upscale version of apple pie with ice cream.

Oh and thank you to the chef who also sent out a slice of pumpkin bread with walnuts and pecans for my daughter who wasn't as patient as the rest of us for each course to come out, I would like to say it was delicious but she didn't share one crumb with anyone!

My husband and one year old dined here while we were in Eugene.  We were so happy with our choice!  The decor and music was festive, and entertained the one year old splendidly.  We ordered some chips and salsa while we tried to decide what to order of the very extensive menu.  The salsa was so fresh and lovely flavors and a bit of a kick, just the way I like it.  I asked for a suggestion and they were very helpful.  I decided on the Salvadorian Burrito.  Not only was the burrito huge, delicious (even the one year old liked it), it was downright cheap!  $5.95 for a huge burrito with steak (which was tender and moist), sour cream and guacamole.   Job well done!

We were told that lunch at King Estate Winery was worth the trip.  Let me tell you the view alone was worth the trip.  The amazing wine and food was definitely icing on the cake.

Upon entering the winery we were greeted by the chef Michael Landsburg.  We were being shown the area by the innkeeper we were staying with, unusual yes, but as we are innkeepers as well, not as unusual.  She was very well acquainted with Chef Landsburg.  Since we were also dining with our one year old we decided to skip a tasting as she was getting near her normal lunch hour and she does tend to get cranky without food at regular intervals on her schedule.

We were seated and our waitress Angela brought some items over for the little one to play with (large straws, some corks, metal dip containers), and asked if we wanted to start with some wine.  We hadn't had a chance to review the list in full so she left us to have a look-see.

A few minutes later she brought out a cheese and fruit plate for the little one and three flights of wine as compliments of the chef to help us decide on a bottle.  We decided on the 2007 Walla Walla Syrah.  We also ordered the Smoked Mushroom and Mozzarella Terrine.  It went with the wine so well.  The smokiness of the mushrooms played so well with the mozzarella  Delicious.  We ordered our main dishes, and a few moments later Angela came back with another round of appetizers courtesy of the chef, this time crabcakes.  Oh...they were...delicate, moist, flavorful, fresh....amazing.  Then our mains came.  I ordered the leg of lamb, hubby had the smoked chicken.  I couldn't tell you what his tasted like, I looked away for a moment and it had been completely devoured.  Mine, was again deliciously amazing.  The flavors were so well balanced.  My only con was that it was well done, and I prefer my lamb to still be pink in the center.

Three and a half hours later, yes seriously, we drug ourselves away.  Full of amazing wine and food.  We stood outside in the mist and fog admiring the yellow grape leaves and the rolling hillside.

Kudos to our waitress Angela.  She is perhaps the best waitress I have ever met.  Every need was taken care of and she was so good with our little one, it wasn't until the very end of lunch that she got restless.  Also a standing ovation to Chef Landsburg and his kitchen.  Job more than well done!

This inn was lovingly and meticulously restored.  The house was FANTASTIC.  Anne Marie and Jack have done am absolutely amazing job.  The decorating is done very well, the antiques are astonishing, the bed was so comfortable, the gardens were like walking through a botanical garden, the plants all have individual name tags, and the miniature garden complete with trains was adorable.  Breakfast was lovely, the hosts nice as pie.  This is definitely the place to stay in Eugene.  Look it up, I swear you won't be disappointed. http://www.cestlaviein.../

I had to just give it three stars.  The fries were exceptional.  Good fries can make or break a meal.  The burger was good, don't get me wrong, but Big Tom's is just up the hill, and while I thought Daddy O's fries were better, I would take a Big Tom with onions over the Deluxe Daddy O.  So Daddy O's gets only three stars instead of four simply because of proximity to my house.  They are too far away for me to be a regular or a huge fan.

We were warned.  Everyone we talked to told us.  The food, phenomenal, the service...not so much.  We knew we were in trouble when we walked in, took a table, asked if they had another high chair and the waitress looked at the restaurant and said, "Doesn't look like it."  Then proceeded to take another table of four that had just walked in ONE glass of water.

We perused the menu, so many tantalizing options.  What does one go with.  Appetizers? Sweet Potato Fries, Quesadillas. Soup? Black Bean, Fried Pork Belly. Tacos? Fish, Shrimp, Chanterelle Mushroom. Burritos? Bacon, Potato, Pickled Jalepeno. Fried? Swimming?

I went with a suggestion and ordered the steak, bacon and potato burrito.  Hubby ordered the Firebird, and for bambino we ordered a children's bean and cheese burrito.  We were pleasantly surprised to be asked if we wanted the "bean and cheese" burrito with rice. Yes please!  Oh and after looking at the drink menu we ordered two sodas at $1.50.

Firstly I was a bit put off to receive the said sodas and realize that they were two cans of soda with a straw, but it isn't the worst thing in the world.  Value wise we might have been better off with a beer.  Secondly, I thought the waitress could have done a better job of procuring THE highchair.  When we asked her about said highchair it was not being used by the table that it was at, it was sitting vacant with a dirty tray.  After trying to keep my climbing 1 year old off the table and not licking the salt shaker I asked if they were using it and they said no, so we cleaned it and moved it over.

Then the food came. I think a bit sooner than normal as the 1 year old bambino was getting restless and hungry and letting the entire restaurant know it.  Good thing it isn't known for being a quiet place.  The music was actually quite loud and the tables so large I couldn't really hold a conversation with my hubby.

The food was absolutely delicious, but remember that child's burrito we ordered?  It was the same size as ours, ABSOLUTELY HUGE.  Nearly as big as she was.  She ate one tiny bit of it and it was still huge.  The flavors on the Firebird were well put together.  The steak bacon and potato was good, but towards the end (yes we finished both of ours) got to be a little salty.

It took us a while to actually make it there (long waits, and lack of lunch hours), but we will be back, there are so many yummy things on the menu to try.

Decor...pretty...well not pretty, second hand booths, tables and chairs (some of which resembled my grandmas) but it seems to fit in with Olympia's character very well. I think they have rotating art, there were price tags on the little collection above our table.

All in all.  Great food, decent prices.  The three of us ate for $25, for a dinner that isn't so bad, and the burritos are bigger than any burrito I have ever gotten as Taco Del Mar, and SO SO much better.  Really if you had one you wouldn't need to eat anything in a long long while.

We have driven past this restaurant tucked into a new "business park" strip mall in Lacey several times.  We are always looking for a good fish and chip shop.  My husband and I both ordered the small Cod basket.

I chose the cod because I didn't want a heavy batter and the owner (I am assuming he was wearing the chef's jacket), said that it was in a panko coating as the tilapia and catfish were in a corn meal batter and the Halibut was in a beer batter.  I am guessing my husband ordered the cod because I did; he says when he orders something different my meal is always better than his.

It did not disappoint.  The basket came with two sizable pieces of fish, chips (fries), two hush puppies, and cole slaw.  They also have other sides such as collard greens, fried okra (didn't spot fried pickles though), and other traditionally Southern foods, including peach cobbler.  The fish was indeed crunchy on the outside, not over cooked, and no mushy coating.  The fries had a great flavor.  The cole slaw was not too gloppy, and the tartar sauce seemed to be made in house, had a nice combination of spices and herbs (dill and thyme maybe) in it.  The hush puppies while tasty did seem a little overcooked to me, but I am by far no hush puppy expert.

I would definitely go back.  It isn't an Australian fish and chip shop.  I think they would look at you funny if you asked for two flake and a minimum chips, but it is so much better than we had hoped!

They were friendly, they have been open about 5 months now, and said they were doing pretty well.  Good luck and keep up the good work!

Kay and Craig have done a wonderful job with this B&B.  My husband and I stayed one night in their Garden Terrace room.  It is such a comfortable and cozy room with its private patio overlooking the hill and the Cascade mountains.  The fireplace in the sitting area gave it great ambiance and the dinner recommendation was fantastic.  Breakfast in the morning was so yummy and you can really tell that they take pride in their home and business and taking care of us guests!

You could not ask more from a B&B Experience.  My husband and I went to stay for a couple of days.  We were having a rough couple of months and just wanted somewhere to getaway to, this place was perfect.  We stayed in the Stilly suite for two nights, the air jetted tub was so relaxing, we went for walks in woods, were referred to excellent restaurants in town, amazing breakfasts and spa services.  We each had massages and facials and when we left two days later we felt like new people.  Bob and Lisa are fantastically friendly hosts and we look forward to staying with them again in the future.

The yummiest tortillas!  LOVED them.  So hot and tasty.  I ordered the Mariscos con chipotle.  Delicious, I could eat that frequently, the sauce was just spicy enough but not too spicy and creamy.  The waitstaff were so friendly and service was prompt and accurate.  I would definitely eat there again if I was in the area!