Food & Drink

BungatimeTheme is king at the Bungalow Tropical Bar and Grille, a new no-holds-barred tropical fusion restaurant in north Bend, where cabana boys greet outside the front door. "Aloha," they crooned to our group, while shivering in Hawaiian shirts, and directing us to the stairs that led up to the expansive second-floor.
Once inside, we were greeted with more "Alohas!" this time by young women in print sundresses who asked us if we want "formal" or "casual." Peering around a wall of water, we saw half of the restaurant outfitted with high-backed chairs and white linens with rain forest sounds piped in for that extra tropical boost.
The other side is split between the "Sand Bar," which is covered with the requisite grass shack roof, headquarters for "Bungatime" (otherwise known as happy hour) and a dining area with booths decorated in mini surfboards. At the Bungalow there's no skimping on atmosphere-enhancing props. A soundtrack marked by Jimmy Buffet's "Margaritaville" resonated from overhead in the Sand Bar as surf films played on the big screen TV. There's also a large tropical fish tank to help set the ocean tone.

BungatimeTheme is king at the Bungalow Tropical Bar and Grille, a new no-holds-barred tropical fusion restaurant in north Bend, where cabana boys greet outside the front door. “Aloha,” they crooned to our group, while shivering in Hawaiian shirts, and directing us to the stairs that led up to the expansive second-floor.
Once inside, we were greeted with more “Alohas!” this time by young women in print sundresses who asked us if we want “formal” or “casual.” Peering around a wall of water, we saw half of the restaurant outfitted with high-backed chairs and white linens with rain forest sounds piped in for that extra tropical boost.
The other side is split between the “Sand Bar,” which is covered with the requisite grass shack roof, headquarters for “Bungatime” (otherwise known as happy hour) and a dining area with booths decorated in mini surfboards. At the Bungalow there’s no skimping on atmosphere-enhancing props. A soundtrack marked by Jimmy Buffet’s “Margaritaville” resonated from overhead in the Sand Bar as surf films played on the big screen TV. There’s also a large tropical fish tank to help set the ocean tone.

Although our unsteady spring weather may have kept most of us inside, it hasn't put a damper on the happenings in the ever-changing food industry.
 
Volo is officially open downtown, serving a plethora of upscale comfort food in the sleek new 919 Bond Street Building. View the menu at www.volobend.com. Cork now has a full bar with mixed drinks as well as their innovative wine list. Blacksmith will offer beer tastings every Wednesday in June to be overseen by their in-house intoxicologist, John Hansen. Try a different beer genre each week. The $25 price includes appetizers. Get the details at www.bendblacksmith.com. On Tuesday, June 24 there is a rare opportunity to taste two 1988 vintage Bordeaux's at Bistro Corlise's Wine dinner lead by sommelier/chef Jason Logan. Find out more about the dinner at www.bistrocorlise.com.

Although our unsteady spring weather may have kept most of us inside, it hasn’t put a damper on the happenings in the ever-changing food industry.

Volo is officially open downtown, serving a plethora of upscale comfort food in the sleek new 919 Bond Street Building. View the menu at www.volobend.com. Cork now has a full bar with mixed drinks as well as their innovative wine list. Blacksmith will offer beer tastings every Wednesday in June to be overseen by their in-house intoxicologist, John Hansen. Try a different beer genre each week. The $25 price includes appetizers. Get the details at www.bendblacksmith.com. On Tuesday, June 24 there is a rare opportunity to taste two 1988 vintage Bordeaux’s at Bistro Corlise’s Wine dinner lead by sommelier/chef Jason Logan. Find out more about the dinner at www.bistrocorlise.com.

Baba brings familiar favorites to redmond. The Long family has built themselves an Asian food empire in Central Oregon. With their flagship "Szechuan" restaurant on Third Street, they own a total of seven spots, including their newest addition Baba Chinese in Redmond.
Located in a historic Sixth Street building downtown, Baba bucks the trend of traditional, ornate décor for a clean and modern look.
The remodel includes sleek black tile flooring, built-in and lit alcoves showcasing teapots, and a peak-through shelving with vases sporting post-modern design. A bamboo forest decorates one wall and the rest of the surfaces are either shiny black, bright red, or a soothing tea green.
The menu is daunting; four pages of dishes ranging from noodles to meat to seafood. The recommended dishes are listed on the nightly insert, a formidable list and the one we chose to order from.
To start, the server brought over a dish of fried wonton skins and a brilliantly red-orange sweet-and-sour dipping sauce that was more sweet than sour. As addicting as potato chips at a picnic, or tortilla chips at a Mexican restaurant, these will fill you up if you're not careful. A pot of steaming tea accompanies the wonton skins to sip while perusing the expansive menu.

Baba brings familiar favorites to redmond. The Long family has built themselves an Asian food empire in Central Oregon. With their flagship “Szechuan” restaurant on Third Street, they own a total of seven spots, including their newest addition Baba Chinese in Redmond.
Located in a historic Sixth Street building downtown, Baba bucks the trend of traditional, ornate décor for a clean and modern look.
The remodel includes sleek black tile flooring, built-in and lit alcoves showcasing teapots, and a peak-through shelving with vases sporting post-modern design. A bamboo forest decorates one wall and the rest of the surfaces are either shiny black, bright red, or a soothing tea green.
The menu is daunting; four pages of dishes ranging from noodles to meat to seafood. The recommended dishes are listed on the nightly insert, a formidable list and the one we chose to order from.
To start, the server brought over a dish of fried wonton skins and a brilliantly red-orange sweet-and-sour dipping sauce that was more sweet than sour. As addicting as potato chips at a picnic, or tortilla chips at a Mexican restaurant, these will fill you up if you’re not careful. A pot of steaming tea accompanies the wonton skins to sip while perusing the expansive menu.

Wine making is a tricky business. I recently visited my friend Mark Huff, owner of Stag Hollow Vineyard, who along with his wife Jill Zarnowitz, generates about 1800 cases of classic Oregon pinot noir, dolcetto, and dry-style muscat each year.

Wine making is a tricky business. I recently visited my friend Mark Huff, owner of Stag Hollow Vineyard, who along with his wife Jill Zarnowitz, generates about 1800 cases of classic Oregon pinot noir, dolcetto, and dry-style muscat each year.

at $3 a pound, you can’t go wrong with pork. Summer means barbeque. To some people, barbeque includes anything cooked on a grill. To me, barbeque means pulled pork. Blame it on my Southern upbringing. I was raised in a state with more pigs than people. My first job was in a barbeque restaurant that smoked pork shoulders by the dozen. A pig-pickin' was an acceptable meal at a high-end wedding.
My preference is for Lexington-style barbeque, which is slathered in a vinegar-based "dip" and piled high on a Wonder-style bun, or in a tray, with a roughly equal amount of cole slaw, and some hush puppies on the side. If authentic, it will be washed down with a tall glass of sweet iced tea.
Procuring my particular brand of barbeque has proven challenging in Bend (no offense to Baldy's, whose food I love). So my husband bought a smoker a few years ago, and we started making our own.

at $3 a pound, you can’t go wrong with pork. Summer means barbeque. To some people, barbeque includes anything cooked on a grill. To me, barbeque means pulled pork. Blame it on my Southern upbringing. I was raised in a state with more pigs than people. My first job was in a barbeque restaurant that smoked pork shoulders by the dozen. A pig-pickin’ was an acceptable meal at a high-end wedding.
My preference is for Lexington-style barbeque, which is slathered in a vinegar-based “dip” and piled high on a Wonder-style bun, or in a tray, with a roughly equal amount of cole slaw, and some hush puppies on the side. If authentic, it will be washed down with a tall glass of sweet iced tea.
Procuring my particular brand of barbeque has proven challenging in Bend (no offense to Baldy’s, whose food I love). So my husband bought a smoker a few years ago, and we started making our own.