This unseasonably chilly weather is good for a couple of things. Mt. Bachelor is seeing a flurry of snow and suddenly, a glass of red wine sounds really good. While our river-floating days are dwindling, our wine-o afternoons are just beginning. If you're not sure if you're a pinot noir person or prefer a more robust cabernet, you're in luck. Bend has quite a few wine-tasting possibilities and educated folk who can help you hone your palate.
Sara Roth
Chowhounds: Thirty dogs walk into a restaurant…
The menu this past Sunday at the Cascade Lakes Brewing Company Lodge was chicken and rice kibble and a canned chicken mixture, topped with a sprig of parsley. Desert was a bone-shaped biscuit dipped in a carob coating. Some diners ate from the table, while others were content to eat from the floor. Most everyone was done within a matter of seconds, returning to their previous socialization practice of sniffing their neighbors' butts.
This was all part of Bend Spay and Neuter Project's first Dine with Your Dog event, inspired by a popular fundraising effort by the same name in Seattle. Tickets were $10 per dog and included the aforementioned two-course meal while human companions ordered from Cascade Lakes' regular menu. More than 30 tickets were sold, raising $500 for Bend Spay and Neuter Project.
In the Mix: Solid Hawaiian Fare comes to the Old Mill
Bend seems to have a connection with Hawaii. More than a few people I know have traded their surfboards and suntans for snowboards and four seasons (theoretically).
Chowhounds: Thirty dogs walk into a restaurant…
The menu this past Sunday at the Cascade Lakes Brewing Company Lodge was chicken and rice kibble and a canned chicken mixture, topped with a sprig of parsley. Desert was a bone-shaped biscuit dipped in a carob coating. Some diners ate from the table, while others were content to eat from the floor. Most everyone was done within a matter of seconds, returning to their previous socialization practice of sniffing their neighbors' butts.
We are All Common: A non-profit restaurant wants the haves and have-nots to eat together
Zach Hancock has been a carpenter and a schoolteacher. He is an ordained Presbyterian minister and has his Masters in divinity. At 36, he's thin, energetic and tends to wax philosophical. With disheveled brown hair, thick-rimmed glasses and wearing a worn Phillies T-shirt (though he says he's not really a fan), Hancock looks and acts like a young professor – one who you could have a beer with. And he's been hired by Bob Pearson to coordinate the opening of a new restaurant whose mission goes beyond food and profits. Common Table, as the restaurant is known, opens mid-September in the old Cork space on Oregon Avenue, ushering in what could be a new era of food and philanthropy in Bend.
In the Mix: Solid Hawaiian Fare comes to the Old Mill
Bend seems to have a connection with Hawaii. More than a few people I know have traded their surfboards and suntans for snowboards and four seasons (theoretically). But one thing islanders refuse to give up is Hawaiian cuisine and for that we can all be thankful. Hawaiian fare is no-fuss goodness – slow-roasted meats and fish prepared in Asian and Pacific Island styles, melding the Hawaiian population's various cultures. And Bendites are lucky enough to have not one, but two, authentic Hawaiian joints, Aloha Café and Big Island Kona Mix Plate, the latter of which recently relocated from a less than convenient 3rd Street location to a prime spot next to the Regal Cinema in the Old Mill, formerly occupied by Quiznos subs.
The new Kona Mix Plate is about half the size of the old store, but the location makes up for the lack of space. I recently visited Kona Mix Plate for lunch and the place was bustling with moviegoers and shoppers hankering for some island fare.
Little Bites: Rumor Has It: New brewery and bar, fewer doughnuts and less froyo
The restaurant industry never stays the same, as evidenced by this week's rumor mill. First up is the Old Mill Martini Bar space above Saxons Fine Jewelers, which has been empty since the Martini Bar vacated it two years ago. We've been waiting patiently for another Old Mill bar that's open past 10p.m., and if rumors are correct, our patience will pay off in the next couple of weeks. We hear that a new bar called Level 2 will be opening another chic bar/lounge and will appease cocktail lovers who don't want to trek downtown as well as those seeking a nightcap after dining by the river. Aida Long, who is involved in 5 Fusion, will likely head the venture. We also hear that there may be another brewery arriving on the already competitive brewing scene. Take this with a grain of salt as it's a third-hand rumor, but an out-of-town established brewery is looking to open a brewpub outpost on the westside, possibly in Century Center. As Bend doesn't have any brewpubs that aren't local, it should be interesting to see the reaction to a newcomer. But if it's one of the quality Eugene or Portland breweries like Ninkasi or BridgePort, we wouldn't mind the addition – Central Oregon has plenty of beer connoisseurs to go around.
Meeting of Foodie Minds
I just met with Sydney Leonard, the Community Food Systems Coordinator for Wy'East Resource, Conservation and Development. Leonard is spearheading the September 10th Central Oregon Food Summit and had some very interesting insights into the event.
Goats Do Roam: Goat meat and cheeses gathers a following
Goats have a long and storied history in farming cultures. One of the first domesticated animals, goats are still vital to many cultures and cuisines around the world – except for the United States.
The Play “Art” and Bonnie & Clyde on stage, Evil Dead: The Musical returns
Bend's been a surprise hub for theater as of late. Currently, two shows are having successful runs and another favorite is on the books for October.
Having found success on Broadway, the Tony-award-winning play Art has stormed the Greenwood Playhouse for a run that goes through next week. Originally a French-language play by Parisian Yasmina Reza, The Play “Art” asks the age-old question, is art more important than friendship? The answer may surprise you, as a piece of modern art tears apart three men's seemingly tight bond. Originally written in 1994 as an allegory about the politics and aesthetics of France, the themes hold up on this side of the pond – especially if you've had your eye on some of the Sotheby's treasures that have recently been on the auction block.

