QUICK BITES New Restaurant is a Real Wiener Steve Solomon, owner of The Dog House Restaurant in Eugene, has heard the old joke: "Don't ask what's in the sausages." But he doesn't mind telling you exactly what his sausages, hot dogs, kielbasas and other assorted wieners are made of. "They're all-natural. There are no artificial preservatives, no fillers, no cereal, no textured protein, no meat byproducts," Solomon says. "They are made in Portland in small batches. Each one of the links is tied off by hand. The sausage maker comes from a family that has been making sausages since 1922." Solomon, who graduated from UO in 1967, hasn't been in the hot dog game for quite that long. He opened the original Dog House in Portland in 1993, selling only one kind of dog out of a 250-square-foot storefront with no seating. On his first day of business the store brought in a whopping $65. "What the heck did I do?" he asked himself at the time. But the Portland location took off. It now serves 300 to 500 people a day out of the same small space. He opened the Eugene location in August 2005 and now has 13 everyday hot dog and sausage items on the menu along with daily specials and assorted flavors of ice cream. The hot dogs and sausages are now also packaged to take and cook at home. "The catchphrase of the moment is comfort food," says Solomon. "Hot dogs and sausages have been comfort food forever." Grab a wiener at The Dog House, 195 East 17th Ave. (at Pearl). 485-0700. —Tim O'Rourke Pure Vanilla Marty Parisien and Bill Wiedmann are bringing a new approach to an ancient product: vanilla. Bakers have used vanilla beans and extracts for centuries, but the products found on most grocery-store shelves these days are heavy with sugar and chemicals, and rarely retain much of the character of the original fragrance. But the co-founders of Singing Dog Vanilla have partnered with farmers in Papua New Guinea to offer a fresh take on the baking staple with a product free of sugar or additives. The result is an anomaly in a seemingly straightforward market — a vanilla extract made essentially of pure vanilla. Vanilla beans, borne of the fruit of a tropical orchid and cured for months to bring out the famous vanilla flavor, are the product of the world's most labor-intensive (and thus expensive) agricultural process. Singing Dog Vanilla hopes to bring purity and economic feasibility back to the vanilla market — they offer both beans and extracts — by taking out the sugar, freshening up the image and working directly with farmers. Wiedmann and Parisien have recently moved their company to Eugene from Honolulu, Hawaii — and brought with them an ethic that will be right at home here. In addition to their focus on all-natural, sugar-free vanilla extracts, the folks at Singing Dog are working to establish "Fair Trade" practices within the vanilla industry. "In addition to getting a good price for vanilla," Wiedmann says, "our partner farmers get 5 percent of every dollar of sales." Wiedmann hopes that the additional income will help the farmers maintain sustainable agricultural practices. And the name? Its origins are the same as the vanilla itself: Papua New Guinea, home to both vanilla bean farms and a strain of dog that doesn't bark, but "sings like a whale." Check www.singingdogvanilla.comfor a list of local distributors. —Jessica MacMurray Blaine   Los Jarritos Becomes El Jarro Azul Until this month, when you walked into Los Jarritos for a margarita and some Salvadorian/Mexican food, you could see clay pots on beams, in corners and just about anywhere there was free space. The 200 clay pots are still there, but the name Los Jarritos, meaning ceramic pots or jugs, is gone because of a threatened lawsuit by a large Mexican soda company. The soda company, Jarritos, is based in El Paso, Texas and has been operating in the United States since 1988. Los Jarritos, owned by Eugene residents Edith and Jorge Rivera, had been operating under its name near the corner of 7th Ave. and Blair for six years, until the soda company threatened a $100,000 lawsuit first in February 2005 and then in October. Edith and Jorge decided that it made more sense to rename their restaurant and endure the estimated $2,500 in costs than to fight a large company in court. "I was really mad. [I was] crying and everything. It was sad," said Edith Rivera. "They go after the little people." Jarritos has been targeting any company that uses the common wording jarritos in its name. A San Francisco restaurant by that name decided to fight the soda company in court and other Los Jarritos, including restaurants in Los Angeles and Lafayette, Calif., have changed their names. El Jarro Azul, which means "the blue pot," won't be a drastic change from the popular Los Jarritos. "We're still keeping the pots," says Edith Rivera. "Everything will be the same except for the name." —Tim O'Rourke       Regal Bearing King Estate's exceptional expansion BY LANCE SPARKS On or about mid-March (the Ides?) of this year, the latest in a long line of innovations will open to the wine-touring public at King Estate Winery's grand "Castle-on-the-Hill." Their dazzling new tasting room (open now, seven days, noon to 5 pm) will be transformed into a bistro, serving a diverse menu inspired and supplied by the best of local, organically-grown and sustainably harvested fruits, vegetables, meats, poultry and fish. Many of the foods and food products — jams, jellies, compotes and such — will be the freshest possible, harvested daily from King's own organic gardens, greenhouses and orchards. Whatever is not produced on the grounds will come first from the most local area possible — many of the suppliers are Lorane Valley farmers and ranchers — but all will be organically grown. The menu, designed by the team of Chef DeeAnn Hall and Hospitality Manager Linda Norris, with input from Ed King and Director of Winemaking Bill Kremer, will always complement King Estate wines for flavors, aromas and textures. Where many other wineries in Oregon and elsewhere offer visiting wine tasters breads, cheeses and crackers, King Estate intends to offer a food/wine experience to rival some of our finest restaurants. How about King Estate 2003 Pinot Noir Domaine paired with grilled Catttail Creek lamb on rosemary skewers with fig and olive tapenade? Or the 2004 Gewürztraminer (superb, available only at the winery) matched with grape leaves stuffed with Willamette Valley chevre, herbs and pine nuts? Sound good? Tastes even better. Many of the ingredients will be available in the King Estate MarketPlace, also featuring locally-made handicrafts, during the months between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The space, too, is so beautiful it cannot help becoming a destination venue, especially in the summer months when the outdoor patio will offer spectacular views across the verdant apron of King Estate vineyards and along bucolic Lorane Valley, its farms and forested foothills stretching north and south for miles. Even when Oregon's misty climate compels indoor noshing, bistro guests can lounge in an airy space, under softly indirect lighting, on comfortable chairs matched to polished wood tables covered in white cloths. The design of the room invites wandering with a glass to peer at King's enlarged photos (recovered from the archives of the Oregon Historical Society) revealing the people and lifestyles of the pioneer era in the Lorane community. Any visitor with an eye for woodcraft will admire the meticulous workmanship in the heavy posts and beams, the wainscoting, the curved service bar, the built-in cabinets and shelving, all native Oregon Douglas fir, much of it stained and polished in warm cherry tones. The floors alone deserve attention; waxed and polished to a high sheen, they look like marble but are painted concrete, simple, durable and unspeakably elegant. From the grounds, the buildings, the designs, the foods and wines and all the personnel, top to bottom, one impression emerges: an uncompromising commitment to the highest quality, but always on the most human and humane scale. That commitment has been abundantly apparent in King Estate wines from the very beginning, with the outcome that King Estate Pinot Gris, for instance, has become world-recognized as the standard for the varietal, drawing top scores and rave reviews from the world wine press. But CEO Ed King III is determined to make his family's wine venture into an icon for a new model of doing the business of farming with a renewed sense of community, showing what it means to live somewhere while sharing the resources of a locale — soil, air, water and all the life they sustain. "It's showing that it can be done and it should be done. It's good stewardship, it's good husbandry." Visitors to the estate — more than 10,000 last year, with more projected for this year — are witnessing the emergence of something very special, a corporate ethic that encourages profound respect for the land and for all the creatures that live in and upon it. This sensitivity to the land reaches beyond the immediate grounds of the estate, to the community at large, to a place and its people, to their work and their businesses. This vision has resulted in King Estate receiving the Oregon Tilth 2005 award for Producer of the Year. Ed King adds this: "I don't know what the future holds for this concept [of organic growing and the common marketplace] but I feel very strongly that the return of local growing and local farming is really important to our community and our state." Meanwhile, it also offers us access to good food and fine wine, in a breathtaking space. King Estate Winery, 80854 Territorial Road, Eugene. (800) 884-4441, www.kingestate.com     Digging for Gold The Oregon truffle gets its due at the Oregon Truffle Festival. BY MOLLY TEMPLETON I've never tasted a truffle. I've read about them, what little good that does me. I understand that the oddly shaped fungus is food fit for kings, that it's been praised and written about for thousands of years, that it is a foodstuff for celebration. In 1825, French gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin wrote, "Let no one ever confess that he dined where truffles were not. However good any entree may be, it seems bad unless enriched by truffles." No faint praise, that. Though James Beard once declared the Oregon white truffle "at least as good" as the Italian white truffle, truffles from our corner of the world are still underrated, if not largely unknown outside the area (the Wikipedia entry on truffles, for example, makes no mention of Oregon). The Oregon Truffle Festival intends to change that. A cheerily enthusiastic press release says, "The Oregon Truffle Festival is dedicated to proving to the world that the Oregon truffle is worthy of the same attention as its European cousins!" Proving something to the whole world is a grand and worthy goal indeed. I'm just one person, but I can say with certainty that the weekend of events organizers have planned for Jan. 27-29 has me convinced that I'd like to be more familiar with the Oregon truffle. Outdoor events include black and white truffle hunts, a winter chanterelle hunt, a truffle dog demonstration and training workshop, a regional vineyard tour and a truffle farm tour. Indoors, you can attend cooking demonstrations and a lecture series, shop at a winter market and sample truffles and local wines. And, of course, you can eat, and eat well. Local restaurants, including Marché, Adam's Place, El Vaquero, Café Zenon and Chef's Kitchen, have mouthwatering truffle-themed menus planned throughout the festival. The highlight, though, is the Grand Truffle Dinner on Saturday night. Presented by five celebrated chefs from the region, the dinner will include truffles served in each chef's style, paired with appropriate regional wines. Phillipe Boulot of the Heathman Hotel in Portland, Jack Czarnecki of Joel Palmer House Restaurant in Dundee, Gavin McMichael of Blacksmith Restaurant in Bend, Jamie North of Ashland's Amuse Restaurant and Eugene's own Rocky Maselli of Marché will doubtless be pulling out all the stops for this one. You've never tasted a truffle either? Here's your chance. Alas, truffles don't come cheap; prices for events range from $15 to enter the marketplace to $395 and up for package deals. The Oregon Truffle Festival takes place Jan. 27-29 at various locations in and around Eugene. For further information call (503) 296-5929 or go to www.oregontrufflefestival.com       From Hippie to Hip Young entrepreneurs offer a different flavor. STORY BY KRISTIN BARTUS • PHOTOS BY TODD COOPER A stunning Jenna Bush doppelgänger gives her husband a firm look that says, "We're staying." The 20-something blonde's long, silky hair is gleaming, as is the substantial rock on her left hand. She's decked out in sleek jeans, pointy-toed heels and a soft, cream-colored cardigan — most likely angora — that ties with a satin bow. Her handsome young husband, clad in jeans and a fleece-lined brown suede jacket, doesn't say a word. On this Friday evening, his wife is dressed to dine and she will not be deterred. As the couple waits in silence in the restaurant's warmly lit lobby, several other diners approach the hostess stand. Katie Marcus-Brown The recently opened Eugene restaurant is called El Vaquero. Located in a large corner of the Fifth Street Public Market building, El Vaquero sports a cozy cowboy chic. Alternating walls are painted sophisticated shades of cream and red while the floors are a simple, glazed particle board. The many chatting diners create a loud buzz in the air and in the packed bar area, the energy is even more palpable. Upbeat Latin tunes serve as a background to rollicking conversations. Bar stools are covered in variety of cowhides, and a silver sculpture of a cow's skull shines from its mounting in the middle of a single turquoise wall. Up front, El Vaquero owners Katie Marcus-Brown and Sara Willis are behind the hostess station patiently attempting to seat all their eager customers. "We do take reservations," says Marcus-Brown somewhat imploringly as a 40-ish blonde in a caramel suede coat heads toward the door, unwilling to wait it out with several other groups for a table. "Any night of the week we take reservations." Anyone who's been to San Francisco or Portland lately has come to expect this type of scene on a Friday night, but in Eugene? Over the past few years, the sight of crowded restaurant waiting areas has become the weekend norm in this part of town. The row of trendy new 5th Avenue boutiques complement the restaurants' aura of hip. This doesn't look like the Eugene Marcus-Brown and Willis remember from their youth, but they think their hot 5th Avenue restaurants, El Vaquero and 3-year-old Red Agave, are what an increasing number of Eugeneans want. Marcus-Brown and Willis, both 35, first met as teenagers at South Eugene High School. At that time, the restaurant scene wasn't very exciting. There was the top-notch Excelsior Café, opened by Stephanie Pearl Kimmel, the nationally acclaimed chef who has been credited with bringing the first baguette and espresso machine to Eugene. And a few years later, a couple of Kimmel's employees from Excelsior opened culinary destination Café Zenon. "That was it," says Marcus-Brown. As the friends interact in their new restaurant, they laugh together a lot. Willis radiates mellowness. She has funky, short blonde hair, a glowing tanned face and kind blue eyes. Marcus-Brown, a petite brunette with intense brown eyes, is direct and attentive. After high school, they became roommates in Eugene. Although the friends weren't planning any serious food-related ventures together at that time, they say they sort of fantasized about the idea. Marcus-Brown had been working as a waitress since she was 15 and Willis had a reputation among her friends for being able to whip up an incredible meal out of whatever she found in the cupboard. "It was actually the time that the movie Tequila Sunrise came out," says Willis as she and Marcus-Brown burst into laughter. "And we thought it looked very glamorous and cool to be part of that type of a restaurant scene." Steve Eproson and Steve Hendrix in the kitchen at El Vaquero Shortly thereafter, Willis and Marcus-Brown headed off on mostly separate adventures. Marcus-Brown left for big city life in New York, San Francisco and Portland, where she worked at a variety of restaurants. Willis worked in the restaurant industry in the Bay Area and later moved to San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, where she started a restaurant and catering business. While working at Portland's trendy Mint restaurant in 2002, Marcus-Brown heard that Café Navarro, the restaurant at 5th and Willamette in Eugene, had closed down. She decided to check out the place and called Willis, who immediately flew up from Mexico. "I just felt like on a gut level instinct, something that we would create together would be fun and high quality and something that was lacking in Eugene," Marcus-Brown explains. "There wasn't anything in Eugene like what we wanted to create." They wanted to open a restaurant that would offer an upbeat atmosphere, excellent service and exceptional food, based on the zesty cuisine that Willis had been producing down in Mexico. "We definitely felt like there was a huge niche to be filled in Eugene," Marcus-Brown continues. "Eugene had been growing fast. Money was coming into Eugene — from California primarily — and there weren't restaurants to support that." After establishing a shoestring budget that required them to do much of the renovation grunt work themselves, the friends opened Red Agave in July of 2002. The small restaurant exuded a comfortable, hip vibe with its terra cotta-colored walls, black ceiling with exposed pipes, muted lighting and Latin jazz. Willis and Marcus-Brown designed a menu that consisted of original Latin-style dishes, such as chicken enchiladas smothered in a creamy green salsa and crab-stuffed anaheim chiles. Bartenders whipped up inventive drinks like tamarind margaritas and served a selection of fine tequilas. After Red Agave opened, Willis and Marcus-Brown were quickly greeted by customers thanking them for opening such a unique restaurant. They eventually began taking reservations, which eased the two-hour wait times diners had faced. It was clear that the restaurant was a hit. And even though Red Agave had a stylish, upscale ambiance, it attracted a diverse crowd, which was the ladies' goal. Born to "hippie dads," they wanted all Eugeneans to feel comfortable, whether they were wearing dirty jeans or cashmere. Three years later, customers continue to flock to Red Agave. The restaurant's consistent popularity inspired Marcus-Brown and Willis to start thinking about opening another high quality, contemporary eatery. "Once again we felt like there was a niche," Marcus-Brown says. "Restaurants that were respected were overflowing. There were a lot of people who couldn't find a restaurant to go to on a busy night because there wasn't enough seating." Brendan Mahaney, Stephen Eproson, Steve Hendrix and Peter Webb With El Vaquero, Willis and Marcus-Brown aimed to create an elegant, south-of-the-border hacienda mood. They wanted the atmosphere to be high energy, but fun for any age group. In an effort to appeal to a variety of customers, the duo decided El Vaquero's menu should feature both Latin-influenced tapas (because, while popular elsewhere, tapas weren't really being represented in Eugene) as well as more classically American large plates. Large-plate options include a variety of steaks, like the six-ounce petit filet with bleu cheese and the 16-ounce top sirloin with smoky chimichurri sauce. Some highlights of the tapas menu are the "roll your own" skirt steak served with tortillas and guacamole, rich macaroni and cheese with either ham or morel mushrooms, spicy green beans with chile, and coconut prawns. House made (a big priority at El Vaquero) bread is a must-have dish as well. The menu is rounded out by desserts such as deliriously creamy cheesecake (the macadamia nut crust is to die for!) and the trés leches cupcake "dessert tapas" plate. Also adding to the lively dining experience are the well-chosen house cocktails — the passion fruit-based planter's punch is a sweet sensation — and the focused wine list, which complements the menu with a large range of pours from Spain, South America and the Northwest. Willis and Chef de Cuisine Steven Eproson (formerly chef at Zalaya) and Pastry Chef Ariel King collaborated on the menu. Executive Chef Brendan Mahaney, who has been chef at Red Agave for several years, oversees both restaurants. Stephanie Pearl Kimmel, who owns the fine dining hot spot Marché, is happy to have El Vaquero as a neighbor in the Fifth Street Market. "We love having that energy here," says Kimmel. When Kimmel founded the Excelsior Café in the '70s, she says, Eugene's restaurant scene essentially consisted of fast food, pancake houses and steak houses — nothing that focused on quality, innovation or Oregon's unique bounty. In the past five years, however, she has seen a burst of young restaurant owners with an independent and quality-minded spirit, similar to hers, opening restaurants in Eugene — and she loves it. She thinks Eugeneans — especially the folks who are moving here from places like California with a little money to spend — love stellar, creative cuisine, too. Back at El Vaquero on Friday night, the crowds are still letting the good times roll. A gorgeous young woman in black gaucho pants and a ballet sweater passes through on high heels. Another group of long-haired beauties in their late 20s linger in their booth with signature cocktails, explaining to the hostess that they can't move to the bar because the bar stools present "a low-rise jean issue." A casually dressed young couple enjoys steak dinners with their cherubic baby and the baby's grandma. Relaxed couples in their 60s share laughs and plates of tapas with friends. In the bar, a number of men in their 40s and 50s are sporting University of Oregon baseball caps while their female counterparts favor jeans and pretty tops. At one point a low-key guy in his 40s, wearing a plaid flannel shirt tucked into jeans, passes by a chic gal in hot pumps. The diversity of clientele makes Willis and Marcus-Brown happy and proud. If this were a San Francisco hotspot, you would never see babies or families or baseball caps or flannel shirts out on Friday night. It would be all hipster, all the time. Vaquero's Friday night crowd reflects a cool new "scene" around these parts, but one that remains uniquely Eugene. El Vaquero, 296 E. 5th Ave. 434-8272. Red Agave, 454 Willamette St. 683-2206.