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Battledish Eugene: Photo Essay
Aside from writing about my wine related experiences and travels here on WineJulia.com, I’m also the Food and Wine Editor of Eugene Daily News where I write two columns: Wine Down Eugene and Local Lunch Gals. Wine Down Eugene is a list of wine events in and around Eugene highlighted by a story of what I’ve been drinking or attending in the world of wine. Local Lunch Gals is a food review group made up of my two best friends and I – the three of us get together as much as possible, visit local restaurants for a day of food, wine and good times, and then write about our experiences.
Our group of gals have been getting some media attention lately; we made a cameo appearance on the Rick Dancer TV show, and I was recently selected to be a judge for Eugene’s first Battledish event – an international competition between six chefs who whip up their best dishes for a food extravaganza like none other. In all, six restaurants were featured, but because I was off to an amazing Fall Harvest Dinner at Red Ridge Farms in Dayton, Oregon (I’ll be writing about this heavenly food and wine experience next), I had to skip out on the last two restaurants.
I wrote about the event in its entirety in a Local Lunch Gals article (Local Lunch Gals: Battledish), but there wasn’t enough room for all the great photos I took at the event. Photos of delicious foods and drinks should never go unseen, so get ready to wipe your lips – some of these tend to have a mouthwatering effect:
Battledish took place October 5 on a beautiful, sunny Willamette Valley fall day. Tokyo Tonkatsu was the first restaurant of six restaurants total
Panko Fried Pork Tonkatsu served over cabbage and drizzled with Katsu Sauce along with two spicy tuna rolls – Tokyo Tonkatsu
Downtown Eugene’s First National Taphouse was the second stop
Taphouse Manahattan made with Ransom Whippersnapper Whiskey, Carpano Vermouth, Fee Bros. orange bitters and finished with a orange peel zest. Loved the citrusy goodness.
Taphouse Manhattan
Amber Marinated Brisket and Pear Cider Marinated Pulled Pork Tacos with a side of house made hot sauce. Fresh and delicious.
Mmmmm
Belly was the third restaurant we visited on the Battledish event
Winner of the Best Cocktail: Apple of My Rye. Made by mixologist Mel Mikell of Belly.
Apple of My Rye: Warm spiced apple cider, rye whiskey, fall spices and hazelnut milk. I’ll be going back to Belly for this, for sure.
Winner of the Most Creative dish: Basque Piperade – house Andouille sausage and fresh red and green peppers served over polenta and topped with a fried Quail egg
The bar at Belly
The Cannery was the fourth stop, and the chef was crowned King of Battledish for his stellar Parmesan Crusted Reuben
First of two delectable cocktails at The Cannery: Basil Julep – Kentucky bourbon, muddled basil, fresh squeezed house sour and egg white
The second cocktail at The Cannery: Bucha-cha – vodka, Ginger-Cardamom simple syrup and fresh lemon juice were shaken and served in a martini glass and topped with Brew Dr. Lemon, ginger and Cayenne Kombucha with candied ginger garnish. Outstanding.
The dish that was the talk of the event: Parmesan Crusted Reuben. So good it was what won The Cannery chef Michael Wares the “King of Battledish.” Best Reuben I’ve ever had, hands down.
* Thanks to Rosalie Ruff, Ambassador of Dishcrawl Eugene, for inviting me to be a judge for this delicious event, cheers!
