Food & Drink

The Bend restaurant merry-go-round has continued to spin over the past
few weeks. The most recent casualty (again) was Fireside Red, the
departure of which officially confirms that the area around Industrial
Way is suitable for kayak shacks and law firms but cursed for
restaurants. R.I.P. Honkers.

In more positive developments, the
eagerly anticipated Joolz opened Friday to strong weekend crowds who
mostly heard by word of mouth that the eclectic restaurant with a
Middle Eastern-inspired menu was serving dinner. Owner Julie Hamden
said customers responded well to their concept that fuses dishes
evoking her Lebanese husband's upbringing (Mixed Nut Dukkah and Lamb
Flatbread Pitadilla) with the Northwest influenced fare (Simspon Ranch
Elkburger). Look for the restaurant whose appropriate tagline is "where
the mezze meets the mesa" to add lunch sometime in the next three
weeks.

Baked halibut at the south Bend bistro.I read an interview in the New York Times last week with celebrity chef
Tom Colicchio of the Craft restaurant family and most recently of Top
Chef fame. When asked about his cooking philosophy, he said, “Buy the
best you can find or afford and don’t overmanipulate it. If I cook a
scallop, the best praise you can give me is that it tastes like a
scallop.” Chef Lars Johnson of the South Bend Bistro in Sunriver seems
to subscribe to a similar doctrine, serving the freshest ingredients
with bright flavors and clean, considered preparations that maximize
what is inherent in the food.

The kitchen isn’t the only area where
this sophisticated simplicity and adaptability shines. The cozy dining
room situated in a little house adjacent to the Sunriver Village Mall,
plays on the residential architectural elements. Tables peer out framed
windows with parted curtains at the beautiful outdoor deck overlooking
the woods. A terra cotta tile floor is scattered with mismatched area
rugs adding warmth to the space. Lighting is intimate, and wall
treatments are alternately wood, straw weave, and textured plaster
dotted with framed photographs of nature scenes. A single purple tulip,
appropriately in season for May, adorns each table, and tablecloths are
beige, a nice departure from the usual white, indicating a slightly
different, homier take on high-end.

Baked halibut at the south Bend bistro.I read an interview in the New York Times last week with celebrity chef
Tom Colicchio of the Craft restaurant family and most recently of Top
Chef fame. When asked about his cooking philosophy, he said, "Buy the
best you can find or afford and don't overmanipulate it. If I cook a
scallop, the best praise you can give me is that it tastes like a
scallop." Chef Lars Johnson of the South Bend Bistro in Sunriver seems
to subscribe to a similar doctrine, serving the freshest ingredients
with bright flavors and clean, considered preparations that maximize
what is inherent in the food.

The kitchen isn't the only area where
this sophisticated simplicity and adaptability shines. The cozy dining
room situated in a little house adjacent to the Sunriver Village Mall,
plays on the residential architectural elements. Tables peer out framed
windows with parted curtains at the beautiful outdoor deck overlooking
the woods. A terra cotta tile floor is scattered with mismatched area
rugs adding warmth to the space. Lighting is intimate, and wall
treatments are alternately wood, straw weave, and textured plaster
dotted with framed photographs of nature scenes. A single purple tulip,
appropriately in season for May, adorns each table, and tablecloths are
beige, a nice departure from the usual white, indicating a slightly
different, homier take on high-end.

The sauteed fish tacos with camerones at Jalapenos. Tucked away on a stretch of Greenwood Avenue a few blocks west of Pilot
Butte, Los Jalapeños is the kind of place that people like to think
they “discovered.” This tiny taqueria housed in a small stucco yellow
building with a shingled roof, red chimney, green doors and a couple of
purple picnic tables on the side patio has that air of a hidden gem.
The narrow interior with salmon-pink plastered walls, a tropical-themed
fresco and a neon Budweiser sign with palm trees has fewer than 10
tables, which line one side of the room. On the other side, fake brick
wainscoting, a register window, drink machines and a large menu board
serve as a curtain behind which the kitchen hums with activity.

In
reality, Los Jalapeños is far from the buried treasure it is perceived
to be. It certainly has that charmingly scruffy appeal topped with an
ample helping of kitsch, and there is no doubt that you can get quality
fare for near hole-in-the-wall prices, but this taqueria is much more
of a mainstay than its loyal patrons would like to think. In fact,
established in 1996, it’s practically old guard. A steady flow of
customers visit throughout the day for a line-up of traditional a la
carte taqueria offerings, including burritos ($3.50-$7.50), tacos
($2.95-$3.25), enchiladas ($5.50 for two), tostadas ($3.95) and the
like, as well as a selection of platters ranging from combo plates to
house specialties like Carne Asada ($10.95) and Chile Verde ($9.95),
pork in a green sauce with mushrooms, onions, cilantro and zucchini.

The sauteed fish tacos with camerones at Jalapenos. Tucked away on a stretch of Greenwood Avenue a few blocks west of Pilot
Butte, Los Jalapeños is the kind of place that people like to think
they "discovered." This tiny taqueria housed in a small stucco yellow
building with a shingled roof, red chimney, green doors and a couple of
purple picnic tables on the side patio has that air of a hidden gem.
The narrow interior with salmon-pink plastered walls, a tropical-themed
fresco and a neon Budweiser sign with palm trees has fewer than 10
tables, which line one side of the room. On the other side, fake brick
wainscoting, a register window, drink machines and a large menu board
serve as a curtain behind which the kitchen hums with activity.

In
reality, Los Jalapeños is far from the buried treasure it is perceived
to be. It certainly has that charmingly scruffy appeal topped with an
ample helping of kitsch, and there is no doubt that you can get quality
fare for near hole-in-the-wall prices, but this taqueria is much more
of a mainstay than its loyal patrons would like to think. In fact,
established in 1996, it's practically old guard. A steady flow of
customers visit throughout the day for a line-up of traditional a la
carte taqueria offerings, including burritos ($3.50-$7.50), tacos
($2.95-$3.25), enchiladas ($5.50 for two), tostadas ($3.95) and the
like, as well as a selection of platters ranging from combo plates to
house specialties like Carne Asada ($10.95) and Chile Verde ($9.95),
pork in a green sauce with mushrooms, onions, cilantro and zucchini.

PB: Still the Burger KingPilot Butte Drive-In
916 NE Greenwood Ave. Come for the food, stay for the unintentionally Rockford Files cool retro décor.

PB: Still the Burger KingPilot Butte Drive-In
916 NE Greenwood Ave. Come for the food, stay for the unintentionally Rockford Files cool retro décor.

I'm always looking to try new places, so I asked a chef friend where he likes to eat locally. He's a total food snob with limited leisure time, so I figured whatever he deigned to eat outside of his own kitchen was bound to be impressive. Without pause he threw out Sparrow Bakery as his favorite spot in Bend. Not much for baked-goods myself (I will pretty much always abandon the biscuit or forgo dessert to make room for another pork chop), I was dubious of the suggestion. Knowing the source, I shouldn't have hesitated. Sparrow is far beyond your average purveyor of bread and pastries, though they have a beautiful selection of both. The strongly French-influenced menu of breakfast and lunch items, all under $10, is worthy of the highest praise, even from those of us with an abnormally strong predilection towards the savory.

Open in its current incarnation since 2006, Sparrow has quietly built a passionate following. The tiny, square, brick building covered with vines and buried among warehouses for lease and parking lots near a railroad crossing boasts a scenic view of the Highway 97 overpass just off Colorado Avenue. But instead of languishing in the location, this diamond in the rough has used it and successfully cultivated that cool, industrial air that is a fixture in most urban areas but scarce in these parts. At once prolific bakery, local café with wi-fi and gallery featuring rotating exhibits, Sparrow is one of a couple of hipster pioneers populating the block, along with its neighbor Bend Experimental Art Theater. With ample commercial space available, I wouldn't be surprised if the area becomes a draw for local arts groups and other bohemian types.

I’m always looking to try new places, so I asked a chef friend where he likes to eat locally. He’s a total food snob with limited leisure time, so I figured whatever he deigned to eat outside of his own kitchen was bound to be impressive. Without pause he threw out Sparrow Bakery as his favorite spot in Bend. Not much for baked-goods myself (I will pretty much always abandon the biscuit or forgo dessert to make room for another pork chop), I was dubious of the suggestion. Knowing the source, I shouldn’t have hesitated. Sparrow is far beyond your average purveyor of bread and pastries, though they have a beautiful selection of both. The strongly French-influenced menu of breakfast and lunch items, all under $10, is worthy of the highest praise, even from those of us with an abnormally strong predilection towards the savory.

Open in its current incarnation since 2006, Sparrow has quietly built a passionate following. The tiny, square, brick building covered with vines and buried among warehouses for lease and parking lots near a railroad crossing boasts a scenic view of the Highway 97 overpass just off Colorado Avenue. But instead of languishing in the location, this diamond in the rough has used it and successfully cultivated that cool, industrial air that is a fixture in most urban areas but scarce in these parts. At once prolific bakery, local café with wi-fi and gallery featuring rotating exhibits, Sparrow is one of a couple of hipster pioneers populating the block, along with its neighbor Bend Experimental Art Theater. With ample commercial space available, I wouldn’t be surprised if the area becomes a draw for local arts groups and other bohemian types.