According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in half the years between 1971 and 2000 Bend has hit below-freezing temperatures between July 3 and Aug. 31—the prime of an already short local growing season. That’s a major problem for the hordes of amateur and professional farmers in Central Oregon who are growing their own backyard […]
Chow
Posted inFood & Drink
Location, Location, Location
Same delicious Versante Pizza, but in a desirable new spot
In 2009 William Safire, the late, revered New York Times political columnist and etymologist, wrote a whole column on the origins of the ubiquitous real estate utterance “location, location, location.” Safire’s research determined that the familiar phrase was not coined by British real estate tycoon Lord Harold Samuel, as is often thought, but appeared much […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Brewery Food, But Better
Where to find the best eats among Bend’s many brewpubs
Apps The folks at Crux Fermentation Project sure are smart. They know that patrons will stick around longer if tasty snacks are the norm, rather than overpriced chips and salsa and Costco-quality buffalo wings. Real food also pairs better with all those heavenly high-alcohol beers Crux specializes in. If enjoying a Doublecross (Strong Dark Belgian […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Corn, Four Ways
Few foods say summer like corn
Grilled Sweet Corn Corn is one of the cheapest and easiest vegetables to prepare, which is why it makes an appearance at darn near every summer barbecue. The problem is, most backyard chefs botch it by under or overcooking, neglecting to use salt and butter, or grilling after shucking; no, no and NO! The ancient […]
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Welcome to the Hood
Why Spork is the new Cheers
Remember when Brother Jon’s first opened on Galveston Avenue? It was awesome (and remains so). Nearby residents finally had a comfortable neighborhood spot that serves everything from mac and cheese, to RPM IPA, Rainier and Bulleit Rye on the rocks. Now, Newport Avenue neighbors have something similar in what is the second food cart-turned-brick-and-mortar success […]
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Smells Like Southern Spirit
Dixie dishes in the Great Northwest
Catfish and crawdads may not dominate every menu around town, but peppered throughout Bend are a representative number of Southern food dishes—certainly enough to make us as happy as pigs in slop! (In a good way. Seriously! That was meant as a compliment.) Fried Chicken Even that guy who orders the veggie quinoa bowl, deep […]
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Little Bites: Pack It In
A kitchen check list for rentals and road trips
Summertime means road trips. And with Airbnb and Craigslist opening up more informal rental options, the quality of kitchen is far from regulated. Yes, let’s face it: Vacation rentals have worse utensils than your first college apartment. Packing these 11 items—all which (more or less) fit in your glove compartment—will ensure culinary happiness while on […]
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Little Bites: Psst! Spare a Cup of Organic Honey?
Finding Local in The Back Alley
One of this year’s new offerings to hosts this weekend’s 11th Annual Bite of Bend is Locavore Alley. No, this isn’t the place to buy black market morels. Located on Minnesota Avenue between Bond Street and the alley near Dudley’s, the Alley will feature 22 vendors of locally-produced food, including goat meat, jellies, oatcakes, allergen-free […]
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Little Bites: No Fear
Fearless Baking bravely goes to the delicious zone
These days, to be competitive, eateries west of the Rocky Mountains need to appear sensitive to the yawning litany of emerging food allergies and diet preferences. Made-from-scratch foods using local ingredients doesn’t cut it anymore—for the hyper-demanding, über-conscious customers of the American West, a bakery must cater to the picky/sickly/dieting/impossibly fit patrons who require gluten-free, […]
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Chefs on Parade
Bite of Bend’s Top Chef competitors dish out cooking advice
Oddly, with no culinary background and only enough cooking expertise to make an over-easy egg (on a good day), I’ve become a nerd for cooking shows. My Netflix and Hulu suggestions are starting to look like the Saturday afternoon scheduling lineup for the Food Network. My accounts are constantly pointing me in the direction of […]
