Food & Drink

One of my biggest culinary regrets is not having patronized Marz Bistro, the Source Weekly's 2008 Restaurant of the Year, before its longtime chef, Rich Hall, left the kitchen. If you're in the same boat as I am or are a dedicated fan (and there are quite a few), you're in luck. Hall recently opened the kitchen at the Old Mill's newest eatery, Level 2 Global Food & Lounge, and he's putting out some of the most exciting food in Bend.

Level 2 opened just three weeks ago, but when I visited this past weekend, the restaurant was running like a well-oiled machine. Headed by former Marz manager Jason Twillman and Szechuan's Aida Chow, the former Old Mill Martini Bar space has been fully transformed from a notoriously rowdy party spot to a classed-up cocktail lounge and fine dining dinner destination with local art on display, fresh paint, new furniture and a handmade wall crafted entirely from slices of tree trunks.

One of my biggest culinary regrets is not having patronized Marz Bistro, the Source Weekly's 2008 Restaurant of the Year, before its longtime chef, Rich Hall, left the kitchen. If you're in the same boat as I am or are a dedicated fan (and there are quite a few), you're in luck.

First, a disclaimer: I have never been to New Orleans. But this hasn't stopped me from developing a far-away love for the food, culture and history of this unique American city. So I was thrilled when Bourbon Street Bend, the New Orleans-style eatery, opened this summer in the old Staccato location on Minnesota Ave.

I wasn't the only one. Bourbon Street Bend has been packed since day one. The popularity can be attributed not just to Bendites' unbridled love of all new restaurants – good or not – but also to the hearty dishes, which feature seafood and Southern-style cooking, as well as a family-friendly price point.

Neighborhoods are defined not just by their residents, but the shops, cafes and markets that hold them together. Neighborhood businesses are a reflection of the hood's personality – they employ neighbors, act as meeting places, organize get-togethers and events.

Such is the case with Riverside Market, the casual café and corner store between NW Congress Street and NW McCann Avenue in the historic mill-era neighborhood south of Drake Park. In the past, it's seen good times and bad times. At its best, it's been a meeting spot for bridge players and floaters stopping in for a beer after a day on the river. At its seediest, it's been a hangout spot for early-morning drunks and transients, with bathrooms used as
makeshift bathhouses. But with its recent purchase by John and Melanie Gaipo, Riverside might have become the friendliest neighborhood market in Bend.

First, a disclaimer: I have never been to New Orleans. But this hasn't stopped me from developing a far-away love for the food, culture and history of this unique American city. So I was thrilled when Bourbon Street Bend, the New Orleans-style eatery, opened this summer in the old Staccato location on Minnesota Ave.