Administrator

My first impression upon entering the Bond Street Grill, formerly known as Decoy Bar and Grill, was that of a warm and delicious-smelling haven from downtown bustle.
The wind was blowing and the chill was sharp. But the moment we stepped into the restaurant I was reminded of other cozy club-type restaurants I've enjoyed in my life, from the classic Bull and Finch Pub in Boston (the original Cheers) to dozens of other similar places in the Bay Area.
The restaurant was about half full. There were several large groups chatting, drinking and eating, and everyone seemed comfortable and happy. Although the patrons were primarily of the AOL users crowd, younger people were filing in, perhaps anticipating the live blues and jazz music that the restaurant has on Saturday nights. The music is a new addition since father-and-son team Fran and Chris Nardella purchased the restaurant last year. In December, they changed the name to Bond Street Grill. Fran was a physician in Phoenix and Chris had managed restaurants, but this is the first restaurant they have owned.

With winter arriving this month, or maybe this week, but ski season still a few weeks away, you finally have an excuse not to do anything outside on your Sunday mornings. Rather, you have all the reason in the world to spend the day watching football. But we all know that football at home is about one-eighth as exciting as viewing games in the company of other fans, some of whom wear jerseys from far off locales and cheer loudly for teams like the Detroit Lions. Several bars and restaurants around town open up early on Sundays, offering you special menus and discounted drinks as they screen every NFL game on the schedule. Here's a sampling of some that are little off the beaten pigskin path where you can get flapjacks and bacon with your first downs.

Five years doesn't qualify a business as an “institution,” but given the recent mortality rate for Bend restaurants, we need an apt label for tenacious establishments like Bend Fish Company. “For the first 18 months… we hit a home run, but then the [stuff] hit the fan,” recalls Mike West who, along with his wife Cynthia, started the eatery in 2005. “We've survived, but lately it's been hard and we've had to find other revenue streams.”
The Wests built their reputation with moderately priced, well-prepared seafood served in a casual environment. To increase revenue, a sushi bar was added in 2007. The latest complement to their menu is “Island Grind'z Hawaiian BBQ,” inspired by their son Justin's culinary school project, completed while moonlighting at an island grill restaurant near San Francisco.