Food & Drink

Good sourdough only requires three things, says Liz McCarthy. Flour, water, and salt. Oh, and attention. “You have to take care of your starter. If you don’t, it will not make good bread,” says McCarthy, 55, a longtime resident of Deschutes River Woods, where she has her small home-based Rooted Bakery at 19126 Kiowa Road. […]

Central Oregon (and Bend in particular) has such an embarrassment of riches when it comes to the restaurant scene that it’s easy to take for granted the places that have been around for what feels like forever. So many new concepts and spaces open up every month that it feels like we’re always looking ahead […]

Sparrow Bakery is opening a second Bend location called Sparrow Mercado. Located in the newly developed Discovery Corner Plaza on the westside of Bend, Mercado, which is the Spanish word for market, is just that. It’s an upscale bodega with grab-and-go lunches, after-school snacks, dinner components, picnic items, Sparrow pastries, breads, cookies, crackers, pizza dough […]

We’re always looking out for the locals,” said Lisa Nguyen, co-owner of Pho Viet & Café, along with her husband, Son. Since buying the restaurant in December 2022, the Nguyens have not regretted the nearly half million-dollar investment. “It’s been a very fortunate decision, no regrets. It’s a nice community, the locals are so nice, […]

To those less observant, nothing much appears to have changed at the posh bar and restaurant space on the northwest corner of Bond and Minnesota. There’s still a gleaming bar. A mix of historic charm and updated glam still pervades the space. Bottles of backlit wine stand sentry, the prime pieces of décor. But in […]

You’ll catch the smell of brisket in the air before you even step out. That’s the smoker—tucked off the lot like a wood-fired sidecar to the kitchen inside Cross-Eyed Cricket. Formerly known as Mavericks, the space was purchased by owners Mike Moor and Luke Mason in 2020. They preserved the dance floor, ditched the shortcuts […]

You heard it right: Longboard Louie’s is shutting its doors for good. It’s been a Mexi-food staple with a Mayan Hawaiian twist since opening on the westside in 1996. That location closed some time ago and the eastside location off Greenwood Avenue opened in 2007. Menu favorites include tacos, burritos, and enchiladas with proteins like […]

Let’s talk about the real reason anyone tolerates sleeping in a nylon bag on the ground — the food. Not granola bars and foil pouches of mystery mush. We’re talking honest-to-goodness meals you actually want to eat. Just because you’re heading into the woods doesn’t mean you have to resign yourself to beef jerky and […]

The Blacksteer Steakhouse & Saloon at the north end of Bend is undergoing a makeover. It’ll close on July 4th for nearly a month as the new owner, Susan Anderson-Korinzer, remodels, rebrands and relaunches with an entirely new menu in August. To kick off the reopening, Anderson-Korinzer is offering a special themed Nashville night on […]