$$ - average
Northwest organic vegetarian cuisine
New Eugene restaurant opening on November 1, 2007. Willamette Weekly ad says "Join us for coffee and sweets, lunch and dinner...and Saturday and Sunday brunch."
- (Mostly) Organic
- Brunch
Added by Solstice on Oct 30 07 (updated Oct 30 07)
Reviews
This restaurant fell very short of the expectations of the group of us who had dinner there tonight. While three of the four dinners were certainly tasty, one was very much not and was misleadingly described on the menu. The problem dish was the first listed under main courses, which I believe had the title of "Roasted vegetables." The first ingredient mentioned in the description on the menu is polenta, and by the wording, one is led to believe that it will be the centerpiece of the dish - the veggies will appear atop and/or around it. Distracted by our own conversation, it occurred to us late into eating the dish that the polenta had apparently not been included. We notified our server, who went to confer with the chef. We overheard their exchange, and the chef was insistent that we were wrong. When the server came back, she explained that the polenta comes in the form of porridge and that "it's hard to tell that it's polenta." As startling as that was, we supposed this would be okay, if only this were detailed on the menu. Otherwise, one is led to the very natural assumption that something solid resembling polenta will show up on one's plate. As it is, we still didn't taste anything resembling polenta, even if in liquid form. This could be because of the very strong goat-milky taste of the feta sauce used in the plate. A subtle clue as to this feature of the sauce might have been nice, too, though we understood that feta in higher end places tends to be of this quality. Still, these issues plagued that dish and we would not order it again.
Speaking of this being a higher end place, we were rather surprised by the manner in which we were spoken to, given the intended atmosphere. When informed that we were wrong about the polenta, the news was not given to us gently. We were wrong, and that was that. Even a phony "I'm sorry, but..." would have been appreciated. We are not high brow people, but we expect a little more classiness at a restaurant that purports to be a little more classy than the average dine-in establishment.
Moreover, service was somewhat slow, as we had read in other reviews (definitely set a good amount of time aside if you choose to dine here). This was especially surprising, though, considering the fact that at no time that we were there were there more than two other parties (this was a Thursday night). Good food takes time, of course - and for the most part, the food was good. Yet we waited an eternity to be asked if we would like more bread, for instance, and both servings our table had were mundane and not fresh.
Another problem is what appeared to be their lack of beer. The wine menu features several wines and a couple of cider selections, but we had no indication at all that they had beer there. As we were readying our payment, however, we saw that a patron at the table nearest us had a beer. We then scoured the place and found a tap back behind the counter where they have an espresso machine. We would have most preferred having beer this evening, so not being made aware of their actually having it, and then finding that out, was a big disappointment. The availability of beer needs to be on the alcohol menu or at least told to patrons by the server.
There are good things to be said: the environment is nice, the music was soothing, the place was quite clean, three of our four plates were delicious and the servings were plentiful. But for the money we paid ($15-22 per entree), we were extremely underwhelmed. There are plenty of other places in Eugene for fine dining, and plenty of other places in Eugene for high quality vegetarian/vegan food; go with those and skip this unsuccessful attempt at combining the two.
This is a sweet new location in Eugene with an owner and host who evokes as much charm as the food he creates. We enjoyed a superb meal at a pace that can only be found in Europe. We like to slow down and enjoy the ambiance here. In fact we are trying it for brunch tomorrow morning. Wonderful!
I really enjoyed this restaurant. The restaurant is very quaint and comfortable. I have a hard time choosing from the menu because I want to order everything! My husband was very resistant to trying a vegetarian restaurant, needless to say he licked his plate clean. I usually just have regular milk in my latte, and the chef suggested trying something different such as almond milk or oat milk. I tried almond milk and now I am hooked!
My co-workers and I had been very excited to try this new restaurant. As a vegetarian, I am always eager to support local businesses that are meat-free and use organic ingredients. My mother was visiting this past weekend, and when we saw the advertisement in the Eugene Weekly for brunch, we decided to attend.
I must say, firstly, that the girl on the phone was very nice when I called to make a reservation. She did have a table waiting for us and we were seated right away. The restaurant was clean and nicely decorated, although temperature was fairly cold.
Once we were seated, we waited for 17 minutes before anyone even offered us coffee. There were only two very young ladies working the floor, and making their own espresso drinks. When the girl came to take our order, my mother ordered a decaf cappuccino and we placed our food order. The waitress did not write it down, but that is not an uncommon practice in fine dining, so I only let the thought linger for a second.
My mother asked for Splenda or some other kind of non-sugar sweetener, and the waitress said “we only have sugar.” I questioned this, asking what they do for their diabetic patrons, and she said, “Well, we have agave syrup.” I told her to bring it.
Another 15 minutes later, the girl brought a shot of espresso. I informed her that my mother had ordered a cappuccino, not a shot of espresso, and she said something ridiculous like, “We don’t have the right roast of beans for that.”
Being a former fine-dining server and barista, I had to strongly quell the urge to offer to make it myself – or teach her how to make it. But I told her to, at the least, mix it with some steamed milk. What she finally brought was a huge cup of fully caffeinated, over-pulled espresso with a strange foam on the top and coffee grounds trailing from the inside of the cup down the side. Neither of us were ever provided with a spoon of any kind, and my mom had to stir her coffee with her fork.
I must add that this waitress had her long hair down, not pulled back, and she was constantly playing with it and pulling it out of her face while she was preparing drinks and running food. She even vigorously rubbed under her nose while taking a food order from the table next to us. At one point, the other waitress came over. She said we "looked upset" and asked if everything was OK. We told her that we were just having an intense discussion. She asked what we had ordered, and SHE wrote it down and took it to the kitchen.
Forty-five minutes after ordering, we got our food. My mother’s omelet with greens was dripping with oil, and the potatoes tasted like they were re-heated from a former day. My 10 dollar quiche consisted of a handful of greens for salad, a small portion of potatoes, and an absolutely flat, small, re-heated piece of “quiche.” I put it in quotes because it was flat as a pancake, maybe half and inch high and really small – for $10.00!!!
The neighboring table ordered the quiche as well and I heard one of the party exclaim, “This was 10 dollars?” We ended up chatting with them as they sent two items back for being cold and uncooked in the middle. We were all just shaking our heads in disbelief.
We left really disappointed and disgruntled that we had spent so much time at a place for such a disappointing meal. I had such high hopes.
I really hope that someone from the restaurant reads this and realizes that major things must change if they want the business to be a success. As of right now, I will not go back. I have told work friends about my experience, and they are appalled. There are a lot of excellent vegetarian restaurants in Eugene. If this one wants to continue, they had better call Gordon Ramsey, because this one is a nightmare.
The brunch was very good. The presentation was terrific and the price was right. They have a hot sauce that is home made that was excellent. I would have given a higher rating if the service was not so slow. We were the only people in the restaurant and it still took close to 40 min to get our food. Service was slow to check on us after the meal was finished as well.
The food at Ratatouille is outstanding! The flavors are subtle and perfectly balanced, the presentation is elegant, and the portions perfect. The sides are unusual and refreshing -- delicata "fries" and a house-made, lightly pickled purple cabbage & carrot slaw.
I brought my children and while my meal was sophisticated, their meal was perfect for preschool palates. I can't wait to return to try the rest of the menu, which has a great balance of vegan and vegetarian.
A quiant restaurant in Eugene, Oregon. This little place reminds me of a typical French brasserie. Food was delish and was overjoyed with the seleciton of vegan desserts. Enjoyed the music, service, and charm. We'll be back!