Food & Drink

Apricots. They are so heavenly that just the mention of them sends a shiver up my spine. They remind me of when I used to sit in the apricot trees at my mom’s house, and just eat and eat until my stomach ached, smiling all the while. Offering a flavor that is a little bit sweet and a little bit tart, apricots are kind of like peach’s sexy cousin, who only comes to visit for a few weeks at the beginning of each summer.
Many connect apricot’s origins to Armenia, possibly because of the fact that they have been deeply entwined within that culture for so long; but historians point to China as the most likely birthplace of this delightful little member of the plum family.

Bend winos take note: there is now one more place to swirl, sip and savor in the heart of downtown Bend.
On the east side of Wall Street right next door to Joolz, newly opened Bend D’Vine offers tasty tapas, classic wine-inspired small plates, and over 28 wines by the glass. It’s one of the few places of its kind downtown that’s open between lunch and dinner, making it a great place to pre-funk before heading out on the town or the perfect place to meet a friend for an afternoon glass of wine.

It was a sunny Friday afternoon when we rolled into Camp Sherman for what we hoped would be a 24-hour escape centered around a leisurely dinner at the Kokanee Café and a quiet night in a cabin next to the Metolius River.
We didn’t have time to make a full weekend of the trip but we wanted to make more than just a meal of it, partly because it’s a 45-minute drive from our house and Kokanee’s wine list tempts with a great varieties of Oregon and Washington varietals available by the glass or bottle.

Elevation at Cascade Culinary Institute (COCC)
In addition to regular culinary courses, the curriculum at the culinary institute includes hands-on front-and back-of-the-house training for students at Elevation. It’s a chance for students to experience firsthand what it’s like to work every position within a full-service restaurant. Profits from the restaurant cover the food and administration costs, but the gratuities from Elevation—which seats more than 75 people—go entirely into a scholarship fund for students. Virtually every ingredient on the menu is locally sourced, from the meat, cheese and produce, all the way to the beverage menu, which includes a nice variety of Oregon wines, Sierra Nevada Elevation Ale and Portland-produced sodas. Highlights include Draper Valley chicken with apple fennel farce and the Lacino kale appetizer. 2555 NW Campus Village Way, 1-877-541-2433

If you have an appetite for all things culinary, then this weekend is sure to satisfy. The Bite of Bend is Central Oregon’s food lovers’ festival and it is celebrating its tenth anniversary on June 23-24. Offering a veritable plethora of gastronomic delights, this year’s event will focus on the bounty we have around us like never before.
Among the activities included in this year’s festival are the Top Chef competition, the third annual 5K Beer Run, the Bartenders’ Brawl, food and wine booths, a beer garden, live music on the performance stage, a children’s play area and more.

With its broad expanse of sagebrush and Alfalfa farms, the Terrebonne area may not scream wine country, but with a burgeoning group of wineries, it is quickly becoming a winemaking hotspot.
What began with Maragas Winery in the late ‘90s now includes Monkey Face Vineyards, Deschutes River Vineyards, and the latest addition to the family—Faith, Hope, and Charity Vineyard, which opened last year. All of wineries offer exciting alternatives to the fruit-forward pinots cranked out by the wineries in the Willamette Valley and offer a chance for Central Oregon to make its mark on the state’s robust wine making industry.

Whenever the time seems right to bust out the BBQ, and do some grilling, my wife always insists I make chimichurri. With the toasty weather, it’s just about that time, so I thought I’d share this much loved recipe.
Chimichurri is an Argentinean sauce that is typically made with parsley and other herbs, oil, vinegar, onion, garlic, and other goodies, and is used for grilled meat. The fresh herbs, mixed with the onion and garlic, combined with the vinegar create a tangy sauce with kick that helps to bring out the sabroso, or the delightfulness, in everything. It can be used as a marinade, as well as a finishing sauce, and its typically bright green color just adds to the appeal.

Many Bend beer lovers have yet to discover a recent addition to Bend’s Ale Trail. Tucked above the Old Mill on Upper Terrace Drive, Old Mill Brew Werks offers twelve microbrews on tap—including six of its own—and a “pub-fusion” menu to make you thirst for another pint.
The restaurant opened 18 months ago, but changed hands in January, freeing up former owner Dave Love to launch a new brewing endeavor simply called Brew Werks. Love and the new owners of Old Mill Brew Werks pub are working together on that beer venture.