BBrooks Alley got an upgrade when Dear Irene opened its doors last July. Before you can get your hands on any of the establishment’s sumptuous drinks or appetizers, you’ll be presented with a stunning array of colors and textures inside the elaborately revamped space. Owners Jonny and Irene Becklund didn’t forget the importance of interior aesthetic when they built out the space, named after Irene herself. It’s awash in bold colors, unique tile and memorable wallpaper. But if interior accoutrements are a gimmick designed to help diners gloss over poor service or a bad meal at some places, you’ll find none of that here. Dear Irene’s staff is attentive and knowledgeable, and all the while approachable, and the food, which rotates according to seasonable availability, is top notch.
The appetizer and main course menus are heavy on seafood, largely because that’s what chef Jonny Becklund likes, he said. And while the menu does change frequently, some items have become staples, such as the Oregon dungeness crab arancini, the scallops and the Taleggio grilled cheese with duck egg and black truffle honey. The drinks menu also changes with the seasons, and Jonny Becklund is proud to say he stocks one of the broadest bourbon selections in town.
“I think what’s interesting about us, as a premise and a mission, we want our menu to not stay the same. So it’s always going to be rotating menu options that are changing with seasons, and I think that is unique,” Irene Becklund said. “Even if the base ingredient is the same, the entire accompanying experience is going to be a little different.”
Trained in San Francisco as a chef, Jonny Becklund owned a 12-seat tasting menu restaurant in the Mission District, called Mr. Pollo, prior to moving to Bend. That gave him plenty of experience in switching up menus based on what’s locally available.
“I went to the farmers market every morning — we had one every day there, and I based the menu on what I found in the market,” he said.
This summer will be Dear Irene’s first full summer in business, and with the Bend Farmers Market literally right outside its door, the Becklunds look forward to that old practice of browsing the farmers markets for new items to add to the menu.
Summertime is also a choice time for customers to visit Dear Irene, with its cozy patio overlooking Brooks Alley and Mirror Pond, which adds about 25% more seating to the restaurant’s capacity. With warmer weather approaching, it’s going to be fun to see what shapes up this summer at Dear Irene.
This article appears in Restaurant Guide 2024.
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