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Grizzlies drop-kick Eagles Grizzlies row to raise money for regatta Grizzlies run out of magic in loss to No. 3 Springfield Ashland hopes soft shells can reduce head injuries Southern Oregon University No. 11 SOU volleyball team returns home for two key matches Ashland mourns death of former coach Stan Gida SOU football team falls to No. 7 in NAIA rankings No. 4 SOU, No. 3 Carroll to square off in Frontier Conference showdown Third-ranked Concordia strikes quick, topples SOU Opinion Latest Stories Amy Gehrt: Your vote counts this Election Day Our View: Cheering Ashland's own Letters to the Editor, Oct. 24 Suzette Martinez Standring: Dogs help us break the ice Granlund cartoon: Canadian terrorist attack Editorial Our View: Cheering Ashland's own Kitzhaber is the better choice Our View: Merkley, with a nudge Our view: Positive about Bates Our View: Fostering e-success Letters Letters to the Editor, Oct. 24 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 23 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 21 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 21 Letters to the editor Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Media are part of the pot prohibition problem Wilderness successes could be lost if funding not restored Religion and politics in America City should revise its rules for murals Into the heart of darkness Revels Latest Stories Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Repertory singers prepare 'powerful' opening concert Griffin heads to Historic Ashland Armory Best Bets Oct. 23-30 'Fury' shows the grim toll of war Theater New plays debut at ANPF Camelot Theatre presents 'Spotlight on Johnny Mercer' Music Repertory singers prepare 'powerful' opening concert Q&A: Broken Down Guitars The Farr Side: Bryan Adams releases album of influential hits Tutunov Piano Series begins at SOU Q&A: Becky Alter Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk Movies Movie review: ‘Whiplash’ hits high notes Movie review: ‘Birdman,’ Keaton soar Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas 'Fury' shows the grim toll of war Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Food and Drink Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Community Blog: Predicting Peace - Part 6 of 7 Dr. Jeff Hersh: Controversy over breast cancer screening Dr. Murray Feingold: Choose a diet best for you Looking Up: The North Star — for now Ashlander recalls, regrets presence at nuclear bomb test Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs NEWS NOW 10 things to know for Friday ... Our View: Cheering Ashland's own ... Calendar: Friday, Oct. 24 ... 10 things to know for Friday ... Our View: Cheering Ashland's own ... Calendar: Friday, Oct. 24 ... INDONESIAN FOOD Blue Toba erupts onto dining scene On Ashland Street in remodeled space formerly occupied by Hungry Falafel By John Darling For the Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Daily Tidings Posted Oct. 21, 2014 @ 6:35 pm Updated Oct 22, 2014 at 12:07 PM By John Darling For the Daily Tidings Posted Oct. 21, 2014 @ 6:35 pm Updated Oct 22, 2014 at 12:07 PM » Social News A small but tasty Indonesian restaurant — Blue Toba — opened Oct. 1 in the Ashland Shopping Center, featuring lots of local, organic ingredients and spices personally brought here from chef-owner Birong Hutabarat’s home in that land. Indonesia may be near to Thailand and China, but this tastes nothing like their food, says Hutabarat, mainly because of long cooking time and spices such as turmeric, coconut, candlenut and lime leaf. These are found in most of their dishes and infuse their rice. The crown jewel on the menu — and in Indonesia — is the hearty Rendang, a spicy (not hot spicy, but taste spicy) piece of grass-fed beef that’s stewed for hours in coconut milk, galangal (blue ginger), lemon grass and a secret mixture of Indonesian spices. “You get this infusion from it. People comment on its after-effects,” said Leslie Caplan, Hutabarat's wife and business partner. “It’s amazingly tasty,” said customer Trish Broersma, who has been to Indonesia. “It takes you there, the spices and rich flavors. There’s nothing like it in any Oriental food.” Finishing her Ayam Pedis Manis, a grilled chicken with a sweet and spicy sauce, Crystal Jones observed, “It was excellent, the rice so aromatic and fluffy. It’s wonderful to have quality ethnic food like this in town, all organic and fresh. I can tell by the crunchiness of the broccoli — really yummy.” The couple last year launched their restaurant on wheels, serving growers markets and wineries, but were severely limited by the cold of winter and the heat and smoke of summer, says Caplan, so they decided to make the jump to a permanent spot — the completely remodeled and modernized building once occupied by Hungry Falafel, next to Printfast on Highway 66. “So far, so good,” said Hutabarat on the restaurant’s third day. In his native land, food is an experience of culture — and of ceremony, something he learned from the “mamas” of the villages where he grew up, in Utara province.  Other items are Gulai, a spicy curry with cinnamon, clove, lemon grass and asam kandis, a dried fruit — and Opor, a mild candlenut curry with shallots, garlic and spice. The name Toba comes from a lake and super-volcano near his home, which erupted 75,000 years ago, was the largest volcano on record and nearly made humanity extinct.  The narrow restaurant seats 14 with a dozen seats outside. Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays, with a day to be added after the opening month. Blue Toba is at 1690 Ashland St.; the phone number is 541-708-6214. John Darling is a freelance writer living in Ashland. Email him at [email protected]. By John Darling For the Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Daily Tidings Posted Oct. 21, 2014 @ 6:35 pm Updated Oct 22, 2014 at 12:07 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. 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