Food & Drink
Posted inFood & Drink

From a Strip Mall, a Craft Revolution

Mekong Restaurant the unlikely standard-bearer of beer in the South
Kevin Gifford

One of the neatest things about craft beer is the way it forms spontaneous new communities wherever it goes, often in completely unexpected places. Case in point: In Richmond, the capital of Virginia, Ground Zero for the entire region’s beer scene is…a strip-mall Vietnamese restaurant. Mekong Restaurant was founded in the ’90s by a family […]

Posted inFood & Drink

A Missing Food Cart

Unique to Bend, Korean food is a great addition
Avatar photo Phil Busse

Three bites into the Bibimbap from Num-Nums Food Cart, and I had already declared it one of the best food carts in town. Relatively new, Num-Nums opened two months ago, on Armistice Day, November 11—and adds an important, previously missing piece to the food scene in Bend: Korean food. As we pulled into the small […]

Posted inFood & Drink

Resurrection of Ancient Beer Ghosts

Rhinegeist in Cincinnati sets up shop in a 19th-century brew factory
Kevin Gifford

When the taxi drops you off at the Rhinegeist Brewery, in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, you’re greeted by an unadorned doorway and a fairly nondescript sign. Walk in and climb the three flights of stairs to the entrance, though, and you’re rewarded with an awe-inspiring sight—a massive, high-ceilinged, wide open space, easily the […]

Posted inFood & Drink

Gotta Try ‘Em All

Don’t leave Bend’s food carts out in the cold
Avatar photo Brianna Brey

Bend’s food cart scene was on the rise in 2014. Case in point: Former food cart turned brick-and-motor restaurant Spork and Bend’s first food cart pod, The Lot, were both positively reviewed in a little newspaper known as The New York Times. Throughout the city, dozens of carts scattered around town (granted mostly on the […]

Posted inFood & Drink

My, What Big Buns You Have!

Bad Wolf Bakery is all the better for eating and drinking downtown with you
Allison Miles

From the giant, hand-painted map of Bend covering the far wall, to locally-sourced coffee, ginger beer, bread, and booze, Bad Wolf Bakery and Bistro is a collection of what is most loved about Bend, as if the green “I Love Bend” bumper stickers had curated the newly opened downtown cafe. That’s not to say Bad […]

Posted inFood & Drink

God’s Own 4.0 Percent Beer

Great beer thrives in Salt Lake City, despite it all
Kevin Gifford

To start the New Year, our beer reviewer is filing reviews from his road trip. This stop: Salt Lake City, Utah. In 1823, Joseph Smith was visited by the angel Moroni, who led him to ancient writings that would eventually form the content of the Book of Mormon. “Come unto Christ,” Moroni says in the book, […]

Posted inFood & Drink

Five Best New Bend Beers of 2014

Kevin Gifford

10 Barrel Jamaican Me Pumpkin Worthy of note both for symbolism (it was 10 Barrel’s last seasonal release before the AB-Inbev buyout) and for its irresistible mix of pumpkin spice and rum flavors. A masterpiece of barrel aging. Bend Brewing Co. Salmonberry Sour It’s a tight contest these days, but this flavorful yet approachable beer […]

Posted inFood & Drink

The Nest Grows Larger

Sparrow Bakery adds a new location—and more!
Allison Miles

Sparrow Bakery Northwest is so much more than just another place to purchase Bend’s favorite pastry, the Ocean Roll. Recently opened in Northwest Crossing, it’s a large, open space with ample natural lighting, high ceilings, plenty of tables and a fresh, urban decor that’s sophisticated yet inviting. It’s the kind of place where you could […]

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