Restaurant of the Year: Sen Thai Noodles & Hot Pot
Several things make Sen a remarkable dining experience, but it’s the combination of all of them that solidifies it as the Source’s restaurant of the year. First among everything, as delicious and groundbreaking as the food is, the hospitality is what is immediately apparent. There is a genuine warmth to the staff that makes Sen not just a destination location in Bend, but reminds…
Rookie Food Cart of the Year: The Dominican
Robert De Los Santos’ love language is serving someone up a delicious plate of food. He’s been that way since his days growing up in the countryside of the Dominican Republic, where it’s customary for people to have a meal ready for anyone who might happen to walk in the door. The love behind the…
Rookie Restaurant of the Year: Ken’s Artisan Pizza
I’ve been dreaming about the next time I can go to Ken’s Artisan Pizza for at least the last 15 years, so it feels odd now to be naming it the Rookie of the Year. But many will already know that those two things can co-exist, because Ken’s has been a world-renowned pizzeria in east…
What It Takes to Run a Restaurant Right Now in Central Oregon
Running a restaurant in Central Oregon in 2026 is not for the faint of heart; by nearly every account, it’s harder than it has ever been. But the ones who make it work are rewriting the rules in real time. “Hands down the most difficult challenge in operating restaurants right now is trying to make…
Food Cart of the Year: NorthFresh Sushi
You’d be forgiven for assuming that local sushi chef Jeff Berneski has it all figured out. Source readers, after all, voting in the 2021 Best Of Central Oregon contest, elected Berneski’s NorthFresh Sushi Best Rookie Food Cart. And Berneski had only just relocated to Central Oregon the year before. And this year, NorthFresh is also…
