Little Bites: Two new restaurants to open in downtown Bend: Jewish style-deli back on Franklin and Jackalope makes the big move

You’ve probably heard that Letzer’s, the Jewish-style deli known for its sandwiches with a baseball-sized serving of meat in the middle, closed doors awhile back.

But, a new pastrami hook-up has stepped up to the plate and we’re psyched to try Pastrami Old World Deli when it opens downtown for First Friday.

“The food that Letzer had was fantastic,” said Kryste Adams, owner, manager and operator of the new deli, which is located in the former Letzer’s location downtown behind the Re/Max Key Properties office at 431 Franklin Ave.

When Sheridan Letzer decided to retire and closed both his downtown and Division Street locations, Adams and her two partners moved fast to fill the niche.

“There really is nothing else like this in Bend,” she said.

Pastrami will offer half pound pastrami, corned beef, roast beef and turkey sandwiches. Expect prices to be just shy of $10 for those. They’ll also offer a smaller sandwich for those who cannot stomach the massive knot of meat synonymous with the Letzer’s locales.

Soups and salads round out the relatively small menu, in addition to wine and local beers on draft. Boneyard RPM and GoodLife are some of the first taps up, said Adams.

If you check them out this Friday during art walk, be prepared for limited offerings. The full menu should be available starting next week. (EFM)

Jackalope to open by July

It’s been awhile—longer than owner/chef Tim Garling would have liked.

But after the usual number of setbacks and delays associated with new construction, the Jackalope Grill is nearly set to open its doors downtown.

Garling expects his Pacific Northwest haute cuisine restaurant to be open for business by the last week of June.

Situated on Lava Road, next door to Visit Bend, Tim and Kathy Garling’s new spot should attract more foot traffic than longtime and current location on S.E. Third Street, just north of Fred Meyers.

Garling said that business has been slow and he assumes it’s because most folks are under the impression that Jackalope is closed. Not true. The restaurant, which for years has sourced seasonal, local and organic ingredients, will continue to operate from its eastside location through June 15.

Once out, the actual move shouldn’t take more than a week or two, he said.

Garling, for one, is excited about the new spot. Among the highlights at the new downtown location is a full bar with seating and an outdoor patio that accommodates 40. While more verstatile, the downtown location is very close in size to the existing restaurant and will retain Jackalope’s emphasis on intimacy.

Garling also plans to have a bar menu with small plate items priced at $10 and under.

The mom and pop fine dining spot should prove a worthy companion to The Blacksmith, Zydeco and other such downtown establishments. Welcome to the neighborhood. (JW)

This article appears in May 31 – Jun 6, 2012.