ROCKIN' HOT FOOD Fifth Street Market just got a little bit cooler. That's because a couple of months ago, El Vaquero got itself a new rock star chef. Not only has Eugene newcomer Gabriel Gil worked for some of the best restaurants in the West (including Castagna in Portland and Santa Fe's Coyote Café), he also spent years working as a punk rock singer, touring the world and opening for the likes of No Doubt. Photo: Todd Cooper A Southern California native, Gil knew he loved the kitchen from the second he hit the line at a SoCal fast food joint as a teenager. "I loved the whole fast pace. It's always different," the boyish thirtysomething explains excitedly. Although he toured with his band for five or so years in his twenties, he'd always pick up a line cook gig during breaks from the road. Once living in a tour van grew old, Gil started working his way up through better and better restaurants. When his wife decided to enter a doctorate program at UO last year, Gil was happy to move back to the Pacific Northwest. He's passionate about integrating Oregon's incredible bounty into modern, creatively flavored seasonal dishes. "I want to bring a new feel to the food here," he says. "Because there are some really good places [in Eugene], but I think that the food that we're starting to do here is different." "I think that all food should be a balance of different flavors," he adds. "To me that's what cooking is all about. It's about melding everything." The menu will continue to feature tapas as well as entrées, but will have a more Spanish vibe as opposed to just Latin American. As one might expect from a rocker, Gil also wants his food to be fun. He has fun with flavors and hopes his customers in turn have fun talking about them as they experience the dishes. Current owners Sara Willis and Katie Marcus-Brown, who announced Jan. 28 that they're putting all their area restaurants up for sale, are in sync with Gil. "The premise of Vaquero was and still is we want people to have a fun time," says Marcus-Brown. "I want to stress how happy we are to have him here." (Fifth Street Market, 296 E. 5th St.; 434-8272) — Kristin Bartus     Oui! C'est Biologique! | An Inconvenient Fruit | Rockin' Hot Food | Holy Cow-Tastrophe! | Break Out of the Same Old, Same Old | Ukrainian Rhapsody | Welcome to Whiteaker | West Side Slice | Go Ga Ga Over Ga Ya | La Vida Local |Food, Not Fads |