Food & Drink

This is the first installment of the Source Weekly's new “Lounge Lizard” column in which our intrepid writers set out in search of a nearly lost art form: The Classic Cocktail Lounge. Trust us, they are here among the microbreweries, sports bars and dance clubs. You just have to look to find them. Know a place that serves a good drink to customers seated in upholstered leather with candles on the tables? Drop us a line and we'll check it out. Cheers.

Gone are the days of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin swilling whiskey at a bar from noon until closing time and puffing on cigars around a game of five-card draw. But walk into the Marilyn Room in Kayo's Dinner House and it's pretty hard not to feel transported back to the days of the Rat Pack. Leather chairs and black linened tables pepper the room and even at 4 p.m., the lighting barely illuminates the lengthy bar. Blown-up photographs of Marilyn Monroe line the walls, paying tribute to the bar's namesake. Cocktails come three ways: Stems, Classics & Concoctions, and Warm & Wonderful, with old classics such as a whiskey sour holding their own next to new creations like the Canditini, made with candy corn infused vodka. During happy hour, well drinks are just $3.75. And having multiple drinks can pay off – every 13th drink is free.

A new amigo on the block, Los Agaves Mexican Grill in downtown Sisters has ignited the area's restaurant scene with an inventive take on familiar, south-of-the-border fare. Sporting the flowering green agave plant on their signs and menus, the famous herb from which tequila is derived, owner and head chef Jimmy Fernandez welcomes old friends and customers with his trademark grin and hospitality.
“This is the cuisine cooked and eaten in Central Mexico, near Mexico City, with more masa corn, dried chiles, shrimp, pork carnitas, carne asada and mole sauce,” explained Fernandez, “It’s what I ate growing up, watching my grandmother and mother cook in the kitchen. These are some of our oldest family recipes and I think people are going to be very surprised. I started making up my own spicy soups when I was around ten years old, experimenting with meat and vegetables.It’s a good skill to have when you’re hungry.”

A few weeks ago, a new bakery opened on the corner of Hill and Florida streets in the former Pure Skate Shop location that serves only gluten-free products. Called Gotta B Gluten Free, it's the latest bakery in Central Oregon to service the gluten-free sector.

A few weeks ago, a new bakery called Gotta B Gluten Free that serves only gluten-free products opened on the corner of Hill and Florida streets in the former Pure Skate Shop location. Gotta B is the latest bakery in Central Oregon to service the gluten-free sector. Call it a fad or trend, but one thing's for certain: the gluten-free foods' sktock is on the rise locally.