Food & Drink

It's not always glamorous being a food writer. Dining out on a stipend and describing the food, ambience, a restaurant's pedigree, has its challenges. But one of the hardest parts about food writing is relativity. If you're trying to fill a Mexican fast-casual niche, you can't be compared to El Bulli, the best restaurant in the world. If you're a corporate giant set to take over the North end of Bend, you won't be compared to a locally owned restaurant in Sisters, one of the finest in Oregon, Jen's Garden.
Jennifer and T.R. McCrystal, recently anointed citizens of the year in Sisters, have been sculpting the art of fine dining in Central Oregon. Upon entering Jen's Garden, a charming house turned restaurant with low ceilings, intimate tables and a local feel, my date and I took a seat in the small room just off the main dining room.

The “food dude,” the brains behind Portland’s www.portlandfoodanddrink.

The “food dude,” the brains behind Portland’s www.portlandfoodanddrink.

Owners Ron and Diane Burns opened El Pollo Gordo in 2008 with a mission to provide, “fresh and healthy food at a reasonable price.” I admit when I first visited the restaurant, located across from the Wagner Mall, I anticipated fast food of dubious quality. Drawn in by “dollar taco” sandwich boards dotting the front lawn like maps to an unexpected culinary treat, I was met with a pleasant scene of golden rotisserie chicken, a brilliant salsa bar and endless combinations of chicken meals, salads, burritos and tacos. Ahh, the tacos…
Silver dollar pancake-sized white corn tortillas hugged carne asada and succulent chopped chicken topped with cilantro-spiked salsa. The taste and presentation reminded me of a Southern California or Baja Mexican delight. Satisfying but not greasy and with just enough piquant heat.

Owners Ron and Diane Burns opened El Pollo Gordo in 2008 with a mission to provide, “fresh and healthy food at a reasonable price.” I admit when I first visited the restaurant, located across from the Wagner Mall, I anticipated fast food of dubious quality. Drawn in by “dollar taco” sandwich boards dotting the front lawn like maps to an unexpected culinary treat, I was met with a pleasant scene of golden rotisserie chicken, a brilliant salsa bar and endless combinations of chicken meals, salads, burritos and tacos. Ahh, the tacos…
Silver dollar pancake-sized white corn tortillas hugged carne asada and succulent chopped chicken topped with cilantro-spiked salsa. The taste and presentation reminded me of a Southern California or Baja Mexican delight. Satisfying but not greasy and with just enough piquant heat.

Reaching for the dark shaded polish at my pedicure, I knew I had eaten enough chocolate. I've spent the last two weeks tasting chocolates and sweets: expensive, inexpensive, milk, dark, French, Belgian and locally made. Valentine's Day is rich in confusion with gods, folklore and Spanish conquest and sexual imagery. For Valentine's Day, confectionery gifts were codified when Cadbury invented the heart-shaped box in the 1860s. Here, we're all about the sweet stuff. Lovers beware. Too much chocolate and you'll paint your toes a shade of 70% dark cocoa. Which could be a good thing – your lover might think those toes are edible.