To those less observant, nothing much appears to have changed at the posh bar and restaurant space on the northwest corner of Bond and Minnesota. There’s still a gleaming bar. A mix of historic charm and updated glam still pervades the space. Bottles of backlit wine stand sentry, the prime pieces of décor.
But in this new version of the space, the wine bottles are filled with the fermented grape juice of a different Portland-area winery. Last month, Amaterra, the winery located in Portland’s west hills, opened its Bend location, Amaterra Kitchen + Social Club, in the space vacated early this year by Domaine Serene of Dayton, Oregon.
The focus of the space is, of course, on the terroir-driven wines, sold under the Amaterra and 51Weeks brands. According to Amaterra’s website, the winery utilizes a patent-pending process involving bridge cranes that “allow one elevation drop to act as a multiple-level gravity-flow winemaking facility.” When the fruit is handled more gently, it can result in a better-quality product, the company says.
I got a broad sampling of the wines on a recent visit to the Bend space, which opened June 6. Alongside a selection of rosé, chardonnay and pinot noirs came a sampling of the restaurant’s dinner menu — heavy on appetizers, salads and dishes for the table, with a handful of Chef’s selections and signature dishes to round out the meals. A tasting menu featuring smaller plates is also available. The menus are the product of the Bend location’s Executive Chef, Jeff Kelly, who moved to Bend after serving for several years as executive chef at Stella’s Southern Brasserie in Greenville, South Carolina. Kelly was assisted by Amaterra Head Chef Jami Flatt.
My dining partner and I started out with a sampling of the Sparkling Rosé of Barbera from the company’s 51Weeks imprint, a lively pink with light, bright tones that went down easy as we also sampled the grilled shrimp appetizer, featuring roasted garlic aoili, harissa and a smoky fried tomato jus over a bed of polenta. For appetizers, a colleague in attendance that night also recommended the wagyu carpaccio, flavored with a South Carolina BBQ sauce and served with cucumber, snap peas, chive, tempura and a citrus aioli.
To attack the main courses, I went for the standard tasting flight (as opposed to the pinot noir terroir flight, which highlights wines from the various vineyards in Amaterra’s profile around the Northwest). A Dundee Hills pinot gris from 51Weeks kicked off the selection, followed by a Willamette Valley chardonnay, a fruity but hearty white that served as a rich complement to our appetizer of beets served over a spread of smoked trout. The beets are billed on the Salads menu, but can definitely hold up as a smaller main course — especially for the type of appetite worked up on a hot summer day.
As we approached the pinot-noir section of the tasting, our server recommended a try of both of the chef’s “Signature” dishes: one, the scallops paired with hearty chunks of pork belly and pickled shimeji mushrooms. The scallops came perfectly seared with just the right amount of chew. Also on the Signature menu: the “Chicken-fried pork chop,” served alongside braised collards, polenta and spiced pepper jam. The Pork Chop was memorable, wrapped in a layer of chicken-fried goodness that seemed so close to actual chicken skin that I had to ask whether it really was. Nope — just a basic egg wash, the kitchen reported back.
Medium-bodied reds like pinot noir are generally an excellent pairing with pork chops, IMHO. 51Weeks’ “Eclater” made for a great case in point: a slightly spicy pinot that stood well alongside the pork, not overpowering and yet also standing up on its own.
In perhaps a nod to the focus on the wine, Amaterra’s Bend (and Portland) locations utilize a membership model. Pay a $25 one-time fee to access the space — or buy two bottles and have the fee waived. It seems like a no-brainer to walk away with some wine.
“Central Oregon is a community that values connection — to place, to flavor and to each other,” Jesse Luersen, Amaterra Bend’s general manager and regional sales director, told the Source. “The membership is about deepening relationships and creating a space where people can come together over a shared love of wine, food, and meaningful hospitality.”
Amaterra is open during lunch and dinner hours five days a week.
Amaterra Kitchen + Social Club
909 NW Bond St., Bend
Open Wed-Thu Noon-9pm, Fri-Sat Noon-10pm, Sun Noon-9pm
541-246-3266
This article appears in Source Weekly July 17, 2025.
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