Last Thursday was a very sentimental day for me. My friend Christopher Lee Hanson went to be with the Lord eight years ago by the hand of my ex-boyfriend on that day. While the tragedy of it all has shaped who I am, I felt like celebrating his life on that day. He dreamed of receiving a bass guitar made of pure light when he got to heaven, and wanted to protect me from the damage my ex had been causing in my life. It's funny, because it's taken me all this time to really start letting go of him, the past, and some bad mindsets that have been destructive to me. But, I digress. Chris was from Eugene and a street kid. So, as fate, coincidence, or God would have it, eight years to the day, I found myself conversing with a street kid in Eugene. And then my friends and I went to eat at Belly, a restaurant in Eugene.
Belly is well known in Eugene. It has won best restaurant twice. I ate way too much food with way too many calories for my small body, but I enjoyed the wait staff, the food, and the atmosphere in general. It was a charming place, and my one unfulfilled desire from the experience was simply that I wanted to see the back of the house. But then again, I am obsessed with kitchens!
So, to start out my meal, I ordered a beautiful Oakshire Espresso Stout. I have one rule on beer and only one: go dark or go home! Being a coffee lover as well, this stout won me over at first sip. Cool, refreshing, dark, mysterious, and coffee? Yes, please! I was thrilled with the quality of this particular drink. I highly recommend it if you enjoy your beer with a bit more intrigue than most.
Next, I went with bacon. (This was probably a HUGE mistake as far as my body was concerned. I have to be careful about how much fat I consume or my body pretty much takes me down for a day or two. But I threw caution to the wind and just went for it. It was worth it.) But not just any bacon. This beauty is bacon wrapped manchego stuffed dates with hazelnuts and apple cider gastrique. OMG! Sweet, salty, creamy, sour, crunchy: this is the place to be. As far as I'm concerned, this is a culinary masterpiece not to be missed. SO GOOD! Perfect little bites of culinary perfection like this don't come around often. I tip my hat to whomever dreamed this bacon love child up. Thank you!
To keep with the dark, warm, pub food theme of my night, I chose the shepherd's pie made with lamb, peas, carrots, and mashed potatoes. When it got to the table, it was steaming hot. Wow! I really liked it. There were huge chunks of lamb under wonderfully creamy mashed potatoes. This is not a saucy dish, but it is wonderfully filling, and incredibly comforting. A great take on the traditional shepherd's pie. I liked it so much, I ate the whole thing!
Finally, dessert time came. And I was intrigued that the only selection on the menu with chocolate was a lavender cake with pistachios and salt sprinkled over it. The balance of flavors tickled my palet and delighted me in general. But I had stuffed myself so completely that I could not finish it. The wait staff graciously accommodated me by adding more chocolate sauce than I needed, and I was stuffed before I realized that I had forgotten to take a picture of this delicate little dessert. It was that good.
So, if you are in Eugene and looking for a place to dine, I highly recommend that you try Belly. They have lighter dishes too, but I was just in the mood for comfort food. As I ate, I thought of Chris and his bass of pure light, of the table of love that is my portion every day of my life, and of the joy that is ahead of me. There is so much to be thankful for in this life. Eat it up, and be grateful.
Until next time, happy eating!
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