Food & Drink

Winding down summer in style, the family and I played tourist in Tumalo last weekend. We camped at Tumalo State Park.

A crazy concept?
Breakfast for dinner is commonplace here in the States. Popularized by 24-hour giants such as Shari’s and IHOP, and stretched to gourmet by trendsetters like Gravy in Portland, my guess is just about all of us have enjoyed eggs or pancakes way past noon.
But dinner for breakfast seemed a backward concept.
In the south, however, dinner-worthy meals in the morning are customary. In the sweltering heat of a humid Southern summer, it makes much more sense to stand behind a hot stove or smoking grill in the cooler morning hours. And, being the birthplace of barbeque, it’s no wonder that southerners regularly enjoy pulled pork, smoked brisket and even ribs as the first meal of the day.

Back in the 1960s Americans’ mainstream exposure to coconut products was limited to diabetes-inducing pina colada mix and theater popcorn drippings. Recently coconuts resurfaced with a healthier profile spurring a health-conscious coconut frenzy that’s hit the shelves of Bend grocery stores in a big way.
Newport Market grocery manager Joe Anzaldo remembers ordering a pallet of coconut water for the store a few years ago, thinking it would do well, but wound up giving cases of it away. It was just a little too soon for the Bend audience, but now he sells tons of the electrolyte-packed drinks.

It was the love of the community that brought Michel Shehadeh to Bend, but it was a passion for the food that convinced him to jettison his career in San Francisco and open a restaurant in downtown.
Recently Shehadeh’s Mazza Bistro joined a small but growing number of ethnic restaurants that are helping to diversify the food scene here and fortify the city’s reputation as a dining, as well as an outdoor recreation, destination.
With a menu based largely on traditional family recipes that were given to Shehadeh by his grandmother when he was a boy growing up in Jordan, the dishes are both authentic and eclectic. Offerings will look familiar to diners who are familiar with Kebaba, Joolz and other Middle Eastern restaurants in Bend and beyond. Lamb, chicken and beef shawarma wraps and plates make up the bulk of the menu with traditional side dishes like hummus and baba ganoush available.

“It sounds like fun, but I really can’t cook unless it involves a crockpot,” was my friend Roger’s response when I asked if he would be interested in starting a monthly foodie group with me and my fiancée.
But after a little explanation I had lured Roger and his wife, along with three other couples, into the prospect of eating great food and experimenting with different wines and other beverages.
It was a chance for each of us to channel our inner Bobby Flay, despite the fact that none of us even remotely resemble professional chefs.
My own passion for cooking started in high school out of necessity when my mother was diagnosed with cancer and the household meal prep mantra quickly became “help out or takeout.”