Food & Drink

The irony of two people who lived and worked for many years in the heart of California's grape-growing region deciding to start a winery only after relocating to a city nearly 4000 feet in elevation with a two-month frost-free growing season is not lost on Scott and Liz Ratcliff, owners of Bend's Volcano Vineyards. But as winemakers, not growers, Central Oregon's proximity to the Northwest's fine wine areas, along with a smart business plan, is helping turn that ironic move into a very bright idea.

When I heard that the Jackalope Grill, the well-respected fine-dining restaurant, was holding monthly “supper clubs,” I immediately thought of the evening-long affairs my grandmother attended – which, I hear, were much more about the gossip than the food itself.
The term “supper club” refers to a trend, popularized largely in the Midwest beginning in the 1930s and '40s and continuing through the 1970s. More than just restaurants, supper clubs served as destinations for patrons who would spend an entire evening socializing and dining on classic American fare, including steaks and chops. Recently, the term has taken on a more food-centric meaning, with chefs holding modern fixed-price, fixed-menu “supper clubs” in establishments across the U.S. and Europe.

When I heard that the Jackalope Grill, the well-respected fine-dining restaurant, was holding monthly “supper clubs,” I immediately thought of the evening-long affairs my grandmother attended – which, I hear, were much more about the gossip than the food itself.
The term “supper club” refers to a trend, popularized largely in the Midwest beginning in the 1930s and '40s and continuing through the 1970s. More than just restaurants, supper clubs served as destinations for patrons who would spend an entire evening socializing and dining on classic American fare, including steaks and chops. Recently, the term has taken on a more food-centric meaning, with chefs holding modern fixed-price, fixed-menu “supper clubs” in establishments across the U.S. and Europe.

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.