It’s about time Bend got a Laughing Planet. The Portland-based healthful food chain, beloved by Portlanders and Eugenians (is that right? Eugeners, Ducks?), for its long list of nutritious nourishing options, affordable price point and goofy vibe. All those merits seem like perfect additions to our active, creative, food-loving culture. For the uninitiated, Laughing Planet […]
Chow
Posted inFood & Drink
Beyond the Garden
Taking plant-based burgers to the next level
Vegetarian burgers, while still deemed oxymoronic by the meat-loving masses, have come a long way since the patties first found their way to commercial markets about two decades ago, when what had previously been “hippie food” sidestepped into the mainstream. And yet, most sit-down burger joints have just one version (if any) available, and only […]
Posted inFood & Drink
The restaurant formerly known as Angel Thai
Meet the new Thai place, Orchid Thai, pretty much the same as the old Thai place
The name change for Orchid Thai along the outer reaches of downtown Bend does not seem to mean a décor change—it is still paper umbrellas, fake flowers, and delicate Asian artwork. Nor has the menu seemed to change much—which isn’t really good or bad; just something in-between. The menu seems to be essentially the same […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Parked Between Rich and Spicy
There’s a new barbecue sheriff in town
Broken Top BBQ has ruined my summer. Or, more precisely: The addition of the food cart, Broken Top BBQ along NW Colorado, threatens to ruin my perfect bikini body. I mean, true story, eating a strawberry and spinach salad for a lunch simply is not as satisfying when I know that mounds of brisket and […]
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The Charge of the Bite Brigade
A Bite of Bend postmortem
What is wonderful about Bite of Bend, which came and went like a circus train this past weekend, is that it is a preview to an entire summer worth of eating. This is not some strange festival that pops up, teases you with an idea that life could be all about Ferris wheels and whirly-jigs, […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Cabin Fever
Dogwood Cocktail Cabin elevates downtown drinking
Bend is a beer town through and through (see this week’s feature). The downtown drinking and dining scene is awash in tap handles and IBU scales. So when Dogwood Cocktail Cabin hit the scene last month with a distinct lack of beer selection and an emphasis on craft cocktail creation, we had a moment of […]
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22 Bottles of Beer on the Wall
Cabin 22 reopens a familiar space
In three years, as many restaurants have occupied the familiar space along the back stretch of SW Century. Two years, Players, a longtime dark and dingy bar, closed its doors. A year, Blue Pine cleaned the space up, let some sunlight in and optimistically opened a gastropub, with an impressive menu and specials like a […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Not the Same as Mexican
Sol Verde serves up deliciously spicy New Mexican lunches
Frida Kahlo is not the same as Georgia O’Keeffe. Oh sure, their paintings may have the same vibrant colors contrasting with some of the same stark, blocky images, but the artists are clearly separated by cultural differences and influences as defined as the border between the United States and Mexico. Likewise, it is important to […]
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Shhhhhh! A Tasty Bit of History
Palmer’s Cafe is still Bend’s best kept secret
It is understood that all opinions are basically relative. I mean, for example, I am not a huge fan of eggplant, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that a dish with eggplant in it is atrocious. (But, let’s say it together: Yuck!) That said, all opinions aside, there are two absolutes when it comes to the […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Understanding the Sex Appeal of Tubby Jugs
Five reasons to love growler stations, and three reasons you shouldn’t
No longer reserved solely for jug bands and moonshine, growlers are all the rage. But why? Sixty-four ounces of beer jug doesn’t sound chic—or really all that slimming or easy to transport; yet it is. In fact, bulk-section beer popularity has skyrocketed in recent years, leaving cider and kombucha rushing to open their own taps. […]
