Food & Drink

When I was a young lad growing up in Redmond I never paid much attention to food - partly because I didn't care, and partly because I was too broke to walk in the door.
Returning again as an adult and a professional cook, however, I was constantly reminded that I didn't miss much. Redmond feels like a culinary wasteland, filled to the brim with mediocre restaurants squeaking by on barely passable food. In every wasteland however, there are always oases. I found one in the Cross Creek Cafe. Nestled behind Redmond City Hall on 8th Street, this gem has become one of the shining lights. Hell, they even serve real pastrami - something I'd completely given up on finding anywhere in Central Oregon.

When I was a young lad growing up in Redmond I never paid much attention to food – partly because I didn’t care, and partly because I was too broke to walk in the door.
Returning again as an adult and a professional cook, however, I was constantly reminded that I didn’t miss much. Redmond feels like a culinary wasteland, filled to the brim with mediocre restaurants squeaking by on barely passable food. In every wasteland however, there are always oases. I found one in the Cross Creek Cafe. Nestled behind Redmond City Hall on 8th Street, this gem has become one of the shining lights. Hell, they even serve real pastrami – something I’d completely given up on finding anywhere in Central Oregon.

The best bangers and mash in town at the Summit.Local legend has it that downtown Bend's O'Kane Building is haunted by
the voices of long departed souls. But it's a different kind curse that
has vexed many of the recent tenants who have struggled and ultimately
failed to gain a foothold in what should be a prime location.
Stuft
Pizza had a good, long run in the huge restaurant space facing Oregon
Avenue. But when rents went north they hightailed it to Highway 97 and
died a slow death. Legends, while always packed on weekends, seemed to
struggle with consistency and imaging problems. Then came the
short-lived catastrophes of On the Rocks and Bend City Grill.

The best bangers and mash in town at the Summit.Local legend has it that downtown Bend’s O’Kane Building is haunted by
the voices of long departed souls. But it’s a different kind curse that
has vexed many of the recent tenants who have struggled and ultimately
failed to gain a foothold in what should be a prime location.
Stuft
Pizza had a good, long run in the huge restaurant space facing Oregon
Avenue. But when rents went north they hightailed it to Highway 97 and
died a slow death. Legends, while always packed on weekends, seemed to
struggle with consistency and imaging problems. Then came the
short-lived catastrophes of On the Rocks and Bend City Grill.

The upper Old Mill district will soon get a new "American tapas lounge" called Fireside Red. (803 SW Industrial Way, Suite 202, 306-3121, www.

The upper Old Mill district will soon get a new “American tapas lounge” called Fireside Red. (803 SW Industrial Way, Suite 202, 306-3121, www.

We Americans love our breakfast food. Being that we are in some part culturally descended from the Brits, in many ways our traditional breakfast foods mirror theirs. Take for example the scone. Commonly taken with tea in England, the scone has become a favorite American bakery food packed with different fruits, nuts and flavors. With the help of a very astute native Brit, I began a two-month long scone research project to identify if there are any truly "English" scones in Bend and of all the scones there are, which were the best.
To start with the first question, the answer is "no": There are no true English scones in Bend, unless you are lucky enough to be invited to tea at Anita Walker's house. Anita makes the scones she grew up with – round and flaky, bread like and comparable to our buttermilk biscuits. She bakes them fresh, slices them down the middle and slathers them with butter. Served with a pot of tea, these are nothing like the drier American version I'm familiar with.

We Americans love our breakfast food. Being that we are in some part culturally descended from the Brits, in many ways our traditional breakfast foods mirror theirs. Take for example the scone. Commonly taken with tea in England, the scone has become a favorite American bakery food packed with different fruits, nuts and flavors. With the help of a very astute native Brit, I began a two-month long scone research project to identify if there are any truly “English” scones in Bend and of all the scones there are, which were the best.
To start with the first question, the answer is “no”: There are no true English scones in Bend, unless you are lucky enough to be invited to tea at Anita Walker’s house. Anita makes the scones she grew up with – round and flaky, bread like and comparable to our buttermilk biscuits. She bakes them fresh, slices them down the middle and slathers them with butter. Served with a pot of tea, these are nothing like the drier American version I’m familiar with.

I've recently spent some time watching Mary Poppins with my 2-year-old
daughter, which got me thinking about sherry. Mr. Banks, as you might
recall, has a penchant for the sweet libation and I thought I'd give it
a try. I've drawn on such inspirations before, sipping rum during a
read of Treasure Island and curling up with a bottle of Jameson to
Angela's Ashes. As a sherry novice, I was initially unsure if the drink
was an appropriate subject for a wine column.
This isn't grocery
store cooking wine, or as a local bartender fondly recalled, the cheap
butane-like fino stolen from his parent's liquor cabinet.

I’ve recently spent some time watching Mary Poppins with my 2-year-old
daughter, which got me thinking about sherry. Mr. Banks, as you might
recall, has a penchant for the sweet libation and I thought I’d give it
a try. I’ve drawn on such inspirations before, sipping rum during a
read of Treasure Island and curling up with a bottle of Jameson to
Angela’s Ashes. As a sherry novice, I was initially unsure if the drink
was an appropriate subject for a wine column.
This isn’t grocery
store cooking wine, or as a local bartender fondly recalled, the cheap
butane-like fino stolen from his parent’s liquor cabinet.