The Eugene location is one large rectangular room, dimly lit, with booths on the border and tables packed in to the center. Despite the close proximity of the tables, my table for two was comfortably spacious and had more elbow room than one would expect. I peeked in the bar, it was trendy and florescent, with mirrors behind the booze. The drink list is filled with gimmicky names such as the "Asian Persuasion," a green tea infused vodka cocktail.I opted instead for an Inversion, Deschutes Brewery's year-round IPA. I have found on more than one occasion the origin of the IPA style pops up in bar-talk, so here's the story in a nutshell. An IPA, or India Pale Ale, is an extra hoppy style of ale. The bitterness is the main attraction and the maltiness varies, flavors can range from caramel sweetness to grapefruit citrus. The story is that British brewers started adding large amounts of hops as a preservative to keep their ale fresh on the long trip to India and voilà, the IPA was born.
I think IPA's pair well with spicy food, my theory being that the heat can stand up to the bitterness and both flavors can be enjoyed. In other words, the beer doesn't dominate the food and vice-versa. The spicy food on this occasion was the Dali chicken, which happened to be my favorite item out of the plethora dishes that I ordered. It was indeed a gluttonous meal. The chicken had great flavor, notes of garlic and of course a huge chili pepper kick. Inversion is a fairly malty IPA in my opinion, but with a big enough hop profile to balance and satisfy even the biggest hop heads (people who love bitter beers). All-in-all, I had a good time. The pan-fried chow mein seemed a little over-sauced and I've had better orange chicken, but there are many dishes to choose from. Next time I will probably sit in the bar and see if the full food menu is available. If you have the opportunity to pair spicy food and an IPA, here are some of my favorites: 90 Minute IPA by Dogfish Head, Total Domination IPA by Ninkasi, Hop Wallop by Victory and India Pelican Ale by Pelican.
3 comments:
how much was the chicken entree?
$10 or $12
FYI Paul Fleming has a great steakhouse concept called Fleming's Prime Steak House and Wine Bar which by the way is my favorite steak.He has developed several concepts and tends to sell them off,He is teaming up with Outback to develop another chinese concept called Paul Lee's kitchen,a more family oriented restaurant.P.F Changs is working on a Japanese concept called Taneko based on a Japanese Tavern feel, I can't wait! First one will be in Scottsdale AZ I think.
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