Modern Frozen Yogurt Eugene-Style: Sweet Summer Start

If there was any food category that needed a modern facelift - it was Frozen Yogurt, you know, FroYo, that delectable sometimes healthy, sometimes not desert. It's highest peak in fame came in the late 80's. Being a SoCal girl by birth I can claim to be made of FroYo just as much as corn or my paternal and maternal genetic material for that matter. Needless to say I hold a special place in my heart from FroYo, despite the fact that there are many examples of bad, bad FroYo out there. Because friends don't let friends have bad FroYo and good friends guide you directly to good FroYo, we ended up at Vanilla Jill's on a Sunday night (that's the link to their facebook page). Here's a link to reviews on Yelp of Vanilla Jill's. More onthe Fro Yo in a minute but you have to admire the design of the wee yogurt shop too. Great colors, pained concrete floors, nice graphics all together this makes for a great yogurt eating experience.

I know New Orleans has beignets, Boston has Boston Cremes, and now Eugene has frozen yogurt made from locally made organic KEIFER!!!! Yup, that's right you aren't dreaming, I know it sounds weird but it is so tasty and well I don't want to talk it up too much but it's made with Nancy's Yogurt. In Oregon Nancy's Yogurt is pretty darn famous with a long hippie past. What's great about Vanilla Jill's is that they are taking 2 already good things, frozen yogurt and keifer and making them both so much better with the addition of syrups like basil and green tea. Did I mention I had blueberry yogurt with lavender syrup and fresh raspberries on top? D-lish!!!

With Vanilla Jill's, Ninkasi and Oakshire Breweries, local wineries with in-town tasting rooms, plus the many farmer's markets, CSA's, and our growing restaurant scene (Belly being my current fave) Eugene is a wonderfully modern place to live. You can live, ride your bike, walk, or take to bus to all of these places in a matter of minutes. And if you're downtown at Skinner's Butte you might catch a glimpse of the Bald Eagle couple raising their eaglets. Good food, booze, nature, and people - sounds like the makings of an excellent summer to me. I'm so glad Vanilla Jill's is now a part of the equation. I know they've only been open about 3 months but I'm ready for the satellite shop so that I can truly ride my bike and be there in 15 minutes flat. Stay tuned . . .

Making Wine Tasting Modern

This summer we went on a tour of a few vineyards in southern Oregon in the Applegate Valley. They say to not judge wine by it's bottle but I did in fact judge a Vineyard by its building. Case in point Fiasco Vineyards also known as Jacksonville Vineyards (2 smaller pix above are from their website). We visited this vineyard in particular because I really liked their use of corrugated metal. This building is very modern looking. Many of the tasting rooms in our lovely state try to mimic an Italian or European retreat. While this is lovely it's not really authentic to the region, community, or our times. Fiasco was nice because while they did grow some "Old world" grapes while their building design sense is very modern. I didn't take pictures of the inside but it was very informal with concrete floors with a mix of rough river rock in the center of the floor where they had wine barrel tables for more wine sipping. The wine was not my favorite but I admired their use of passive solar, big glass doors on the south side, and materials. Wine tasting doesn't have to be stuffy - it should be comfortable. Another vineyard that is drop dead gorgeous and has amazing wine and views is Wooldridge Creek Winery. I can't say enough good things about their wine and the people that run the winery and make the wine. I haven't tried a wine I didn't like! Their building is also a great use of space. They have an amazing large outdoor patio with huge ceilings but furniture and tables to make it feel as though you're sitting in an outdoor living room. This picture is from their website. Man I love this place. I know vineyards are popping up all over the country. I've even visited a vineyard in Missouri! They are a great place to check out different design features that you might want to bring into your own home on a smaller scale. I know for sure our Thanksgiving weekend will take us back to Wooldridge Creek Winery. I seriously cannot stay away. I'll take some more pics of my fave features from their tasting area. Goodness all this vineyard talk is making me thirsty! Cheers!