If you’ve ever thought to yourself: “If only there was a secret garden here in Bend that serves organic, local dishes curated with the utmost attention to detail….” I’ve got great news. The Jackalope Grill is exactly what you’re looking for, and it’s right in the center of downtown Bend. When you arrive, you’ll walk through an arched nest of branches and twinkling lights to find yourself in a lounge and bar area with floating candles above your head and branches covered in moss hanging from the ceiling. Pass through this enchanting space to the patio, an enclosed courtyard exploding with herbs, vegetables and flowers when the season’s right. And while I wasn’t able to witness this in its full glory on my January visit, owner Laura Bliss gave me a tour and the rundown. During the spring and summer months, you can dine in the warm sun or under the moonlight surrounded by the thyme, mint and oregano plants that add to the delicious flavors on your plate. You’ll find tomatoes, beets and gorgeous flowers thriving, amplifying the sensory experience.
Bliss purchased The Jackalope Grill, formerly Tim Garling’s Jackalope Grill, in 2022. Since then, the restaurant has slowly been taking a new shape, but this past December undoubtedly marked an intentional pivot with chef Josh Podwils joining the Jackalope family. It was important to Bliss that the person she brought in was not only a skilled chef but also motivated by collaboration rather than ego. Their collective passion for organic, local food as well as an appreciation for family and community laid a great foundation for this new partnership and cohesion between the front of the house and the kitchen. Bliss says that “2025 marks a year of significant growth and transformation for us. Bringing Chef Podwils on board and granting him creative freedom has been a game-changer — our culinary vision has never been stronger.”
What does that vision look like? Podwils refined the menu to ensure that there’s a dish on there for everyone’s particular tastes, without flooding the page with options. In his words, “I’m not a fan of larger menus. I like to have smaller menus so it can change throughout the year, but you also get to focus on what you’re serving.” Each dish comes out of the kitchen with every detail dialed in, down to the temperature of the plate. My first course was the brussels sprout salad, charmingly named Jack Brussel. It arrived on a chilled plate and mastered the art of texture accompanied by a harmony of flavors. The sprouts were chopped finely, almost like angel hair pasta; the kale added volume to each bite; and the bacon and blue cheese — from Rogue Creamery in Southern Oregon — added an impactful, but not overpowering, savory counter to the craisins, apples and sweet apple vinaigrette.
The blue cheese is not the only item that’s locally sourced. Salmon, a staple of the menu and one of the few dishes you can find year-round, is sourced from Creative Salmon in British Columbia. It’s the first salmon farming company in North America to achieve Canadian organic certification. The mushrooms in the wild mushroom pasta are organic and wildcrafted in Oregon by MycoLogical, outside of Eugene. Which, by the way, is a dish you don’t want to miss. The handmade black pepper pappardelle noodles are soft and absorb the flavor of the oregano-thyme sauce; each bite is so rich and creamy. Even the bread that came before the meal (which is a dying luxury that I was particularly appreciative to see) was local. The French loaf from Bend’s own Big Ed’s was served with a fresh orange butter that was a refreshing delight not only before the meal but between courses as a palate cleanser. And here’s a little pro tip that our server shared with us: Order the scallops and save a slice of bread to soak up the pancetta sauce when you’re done. The scallops themselves are cooked to perfection, with a crisp, salty outer layer surrounding a rich, creamy center, but the sauce is really where the dish shines and you won’t want to leave any of it on the plate.
If it’s not sourced locally, it’s sourced mindfully. Chef Podwils sources duck from Culver Duck Farms in Indiana because they have high standards and practice the “Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare.” Perhaps that’s part of what made the duck special I had so flavorful — a harmony of sweet and savory, akin to ham, with a texture similar to a rare steak. It was served with sweet potato gnocchi, made in-house and generously sized (almost like a dumpling), with a crispy outside and soft, dense core.
The best part of a properly portioned, three-course meal made with organic vegetables, sustainably sourced meats and handmade pastas? You can feel great about ordering dessert! The gluten-free pavlova was a special treat for the senses. The meringue made a crunchy, thick snap when I drove my fork into it, but my expectations were quickly deceived as it dissolved quickly in my mouth once the sweetness hit my tongue. It was served with fresh berries, which added a gentle tartness and continued the party in my mouth long after the meringue melted. The flourless bourbon chocolate cake also caught me by surprise — where most flourless cakes are dense and offer more of a fudge-like experience, this cake was incredibly light and fluffy, making it far too easy to eat the whole piece without the richness being too extreme. Both desserts offer an energetic exclamation mark to cap a beautifully prepared meal and can be paired with a digestif from the extensive cocktail menu.
To experience this magical ambiance and specialized menu yourself, reservations are recommended. Your partner or best friend would be delighted to go here on Valentine’s Day, but if you missed the boat on making a reservation, have no fear. You can make up for it with a reservation to the wine pairing dinner with wines from Northern Spain’s La Rioja Alta on Feb. 27.
This article appears in The Source Weekly February 13, 2025.
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