Chow

The upper Old Mill district will soon get a new "American tapas lounge" called Fireside Red. (803 SW Industrial Way, Suite 202, 306-3121, www.

The upper Old Mill district will soon get a new “American tapas lounge” called Fireside Red. (803 SW Industrial Way, Suite 202, 306-3121, www.

We Americans love our breakfast food. Being that we are in some part culturally descended from the Brits, in many ways our traditional breakfast foods mirror theirs. Take for example the scone. Commonly taken with tea in England, the scone has become a favorite American bakery food packed with different fruits, nuts and flavors. With the help of a very astute native Brit, I began a two-month long scone research project to identify if there are any truly "English" scones in Bend and of all the scones there are, which were the best.
To start with the first question, the answer is "no": There are no true English scones in Bend, unless you are lucky enough to be invited to tea at Anita Walker's house. Anita makes the scones she grew up with – round and flaky, bread like and comparable to our buttermilk biscuits. She bakes them fresh, slices them down the middle and slathers them with butter. Served with a pot of tea, these are nothing like the drier American version I'm familiar with.

We Americans love our breakfast food. Being that we are in some part culturally descended from the Brits, in many ways our traditional breakfast foods mirror theirs. Take for example the scone. Commonly taken with tea in England, the scone has become a favorite American bakery food packed with different fruits, nuts and flavors. With the help of a very astute native Brit, I began a two-month long scone research project to identify if there are any truly “English” scones in Bend and of all the scones there are, which were the best.
To start with the first question, the answer is “no”: There are no true English scones in Bend, unless you are lucky enough to be invited to tea at Anita Walker’s house. Anita makes the scones she grew up with – round and flaky, bread like and comparable to our buttermilk biscuits. She bakes them fresh, slices them down the middle and slathers them with butter. Served with a pot of tea, these are nothing like the drier American version I’m familiar with.

I’ve recently spent some time watching Mary Poppins with my 2-year-old
daughter, which got me thinking about sherry. Mr. Banks, as you might
recall, has a penchant for the sweet libation and I thought I’d give it
a try. I’ve drawn on such inspirations before, sipping rum during a
read of Treasure Island and curling up with a bottle of Jameson to
Angela’s Ashes. As a sherry novice, I was initially unsure if the drink
was an appropriate subject for a wine column.
This isn’t grocery
store cooking wine, or as a local bartender fondly recalled, the cheap
butane-like fino stolen from his parent’s liquor cabinet.

I've recently spent some time watching Mary Poppins with my 2-year-old
daughter, which got me thinking about sherry. Mr. Banks, as you might
recall, has a penchant for the sweet libation and I thought I'd give it
a try. I've drawn on such inspirations before, sipping rum during a
read of Treasure Island and curling up with a bottle of Jameson to
Angela's Ashes. As a sherry novice, I was initially unsure if the drink
was an appropriate subject for a wine column.
This isn't grocery
store cooking wine, or as a local bartender fondly recalled, the cheap
butane-like fino stolen from his parent's liquor cabinet.

A glimpse of the New Look Blacksmith.After a total remodel in which a new illuminated alabaster bar greets
diners, Executive Chef and co-owner Gavin McMichael has updated the
Blacksmith's menu, honed the service and revamped the interior to bring
a fresh mix of modern and rustic touches to the Blacksmith's solid "new
ranch comfort food" foundation.

The menu is a bevy of seemingly
lowbrow dishes like cheese steak, pot pie, corn dogs and meatloaf. Once
the dishes arrive it is evident that the play on words is the only
lowbrow thing about this meal. The Blacksmith Cheese Steak is a
melt-in-your-mouth combination of beef tenderloin strips on a crispy
crostini, caramelized pearl onions, wild mushrooms, leeks and a creamy
potato sauce infused with truffle essence all topped with shaved Tumalo
Farms Pond Hopper cheese - not exactly the greasy deli sandwich popular
on the other coast.

A glimpse of the New Look Blacksmith.After a total remodel in which a new illuminated alabaster bar greets
diners, Executive Chef and co-owner Gavin McMichael has updated the
Blacksmith’s menu, honed the service and revamped the interior to bring
a fresh mix of modern and rustic touches to the Blacksmith’s solid “new
ranch comfort food” foundation.

The menu is a bevy of seemingly
lowbrow dishes like cheese steak, pot pie, corn dogs and meatloaf. Once
the dishes arrive it is evident that the play on words is the only
lowbrow thing about this meal. The Blacksmith Cheese Steak is a
melt-in-your-mouth combination of beef tenderloin strips on a crispy
crostini, caramelized pearl onions, wild mushrooms, leeks and a creamy
potato sauce infused with truffle essence all topped with shaved Tumalo
Farms Pond Hopper cheese – not exactly the greasy deli sandwich popular
on the other coast.

A Clif Bar and a Camelbak might be all you need to survive a Nordic ski trip to a local shelter, but why stop there? As long as you’re carrying a pack, you might as well fill it with something delicious to beat the bonk. Since local ski shelters have woodstoves, creating a gourmet feast in the forest is actually quite simple.
Start a fire: The ski shelters are stocked with split firewood, but you still need kindling. Before you leave the house, wrap a small bundle of sticks in a section of newspaper. (I’d be honored if you used this page, in fact.)
Take along a thermos: Or two, if you’ve got ’em. Fill the first Thermos with homemade hot cocoa, or pick up a chocolate & peanut butter latte (my favorite) on the way up the hill.

A Clif Bar and a Camelbak might be all you need to survive a Nordic ski trip to a local shelter, but why stop there? As long as you're carrying a pack, you might as well fill it with something delicious to beat the bonk. Since local ski shelters have woodstoves, creating a gourmet feast in the forest is actually quite simple.
Start a fire: The ski shelters are stocked with split firewood, but you still need kindling. Before you leave the house, wrap a small bundle of sticks in a section of newspaper. (I'd be honored if you used this page, in fact.)
Take along a thermos: Or two, if you've got 'em. Fill the first Thermos with homemade hot cocoa, or pick up a chocolate & peanut butter latte (my favorite) on the way up the hill.