Friday Favorites – Travel to Adam’s Sustainable Table in Oregon
Posted in Food, Restaurant, Travel | By Shelley Gillespie | Tags: Eugene, Food, Oregon, Restaurant, Sustainable
We all have to eat. That’s a basic need, but we don’t always eat the best food. In Eugene, Oregon, anyone who eats at Adam’s Sustainable Table in the downtown area can truly say they have had a choice of some of the best food available.
Cozy, inviting Adam's Sustainable Table
Adam Bernstein, the owner and chef, sat down to speak with us about his food and approach to provisioning his restaurant. We had already been served a phenomenal Gouda fondue with mushrooms that I had to resist pigging out on. The cheese was a liquid delight with a flavor that was rich, nutty and begged you to lick each drop from the small crock. The crusty bread that was served with the fondue had a very distinctive flavor – so fresh that you just wanted to eat it without the melted cheese.
Adam Bernstein, owner and chef of Adam's Sustainable Table
The food speaks for itself, but Adam pointed to the posted blackboard list of the 24 “partners” who provide the cheese, the mushrooms, the wheat and all of the other fresh, delectable ingredients of the menu. They are all local, regional suppliers. Bernstein has committed to fresh food and doesn’t even have a freezer in the restaurant, so everything must be fresh. To keep that commitment, for instance, Adam’s Sustainable Table buys fish three times a week. They cook what is in season – and do they ever cook well!
For our main courses, we both ordered fish – albacore tuna and halibut. The halibut was grilled, a simple preparation that presented a flavorful, moist, generous serving. A sesame ginger sauce lightly complemented the albacore tuna.
Locally, sustainably raised beef, pork, lamb, chicken and vegetable entrees were also on the menu. To get my vegetables in, I ordered a side dish of Swiss chard and carrots. They arrived, colorful and fresh, not overcooked and as flavorful as could be imagined. The baby carrots still had their greens attached. I have really learned to love my vegetables and everyone else would, too, if they could eat these great greens!
On to dessert
Judith, our server, let us know that if we wanted to order their famous “volcano” chocolate soufflé, we should let her know since it took some time to prepare. Loving chocolate, I ordered it.
When it arrived, the small, round chocolate mound was adorned with a thick, real pastry serving of whipped cream. Expecting a sugary, cavity-inducing dessert, I was pleased to find the sugary taste subdued with a rich, dark chocolate taste and a molten center that just melted in my mouth. Even the whipped cream had a subdued taste. It all made me want to lick the plate, but I restrained myself.
Aahh!! I left the restaurant full, reliving the flavors. Adam deserves a Noble prize for peace. If everyone could eat this food, no doubt there would be “peas” on earth, good well toward men and women.
Adam’s Place Restaurant is now called Adam’s Sustainable Table – try this URL –
http://www.adamsplacerestaurant.com/
Tags: Eugene, Food, Oregon, Restaurant, Sustainable