16 May 2008
Please please please let me get what I want; lord knows, it would be the first time.
The Register-Guard reports that the owners of the Red Barn Natural Grocery have opened a casual Italian restaurant, Pasta Ravello, next to the grocery, at 345 Van Buren St. It’s open for dinner, 5-10 pm, seven nights a week. I’m too jaded and bitter to be hopeful, but could this be the one restaurant in Eugene that gets it right? The owners say it is “very simple, but very warm,” and that they’re trying to do Oregon ingredients with an Italian theme. The opening was reported in the Business section, not the really awful Entree section, which features no restaurants at all (???????????), so it doesn’t provide dishes to exemplify exactly what they mean by “Italian theme,” and it spells the name of the restaurant wrong. So yes, it could go horribly, horribly wrong. But the Red Barn (not to be confused with the Red Apple Market, a different animal altogether) is actually not a bad place, so I will go take a looksee. Plus, the Eugene Weekly had a positive review before the place really got going, so keep yer fingers crossed.
And, if you are strong enough for potential heartbreak, Eugenia Bob sez check it out.
21 May 2008 at 1:00 pm
Have you gone yet? I’m sort of excited, in spite of all your warnings.
23 May 2008 at 12:59 pm
I reviewed it on my MySpace blog…
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=24118120&blogID=380953534
Not so much Italian as much as catering to the vegan/gluten-free/dairy-free special eating needs crowd…
23 May 2008 at 2:22 pm
Thanks for the review, orsunshine. I’m not sure I understand your comment here, though. It looks pretty Italian to me from what you wrote.
Annie, no, we haven’t gone yet! Please let me know what you think. I’d love to hear more opinions. :)
1 June 2008 at 9:07 am
Well they serve gluten-free and vegan vegetarian options in addition to standard fare. It seems as if that’s their “specialty” focus rather than just good homemade Italian.
1 June 2008 at 9:17 am
I don’t fault them for that. They are serving their demographic, after all. But the question is whether or not they do it well. I have yet to go and will report back once I do!