It was just three short years ago, in February 2021, that Feast Food Company started serving locally sourced food from its food truck. Chris and Emma Leyden opened that first version of Feast Food with the dream of one day owning their own restaurant. It didn't take long for that dream to come true.
By November of 2022, Feast Food Company moved into its own place on SW Seventh Street in downtown Redmond. From popular food truck to bona fide brick and mortar restaurant, the Feast Food mission has stayed the same: To provide an ingredient-driven menu featuring what's available seasonally and locally and to bridge the gap between those who grow food and those who eat food.
The Leydens work with local farms and ranches, sourcing the freshest PNW ingredients possible to create a variety of dishes reflecting the seasons year-round. Seasonal menus with a Southern twist means there are always new dishes to try at Feast Food Co., along with staples that are always on the menu, such as fried mushrooms with Alabama white sauce and the cheeseburger with house pickles.
At my recent weekend lunch, there were several apps for sharing, showcasing ingredients such as potatoes, carrots, chicken and kale and robust salads including spinach, roasted hazelnuts, bacon, apples, fennel, beets and biscuit crumble. Sandwiches ranged from a beef sando with chow chow relish and charred jalapeño aioli to The Cuban with grilled pork, ham and Swiss cheese with a garlic-mustard sauce.
I opted for the muffaletta with a side salad. I didn't even realize until afterward that it was gluten-free but the sesame focaccia bread was excellent. It was soft and flavorful and perfect for holding the salami, mortadella, Swiss, olive tapenade and whole grain mustard-mayo. While it wasn't exactly like other classic muffaletta sandwiches I've had (also known as muffuletta), it was very good. The mortadella was sliced thickly, which seemed unusual and there wasn't as much olive tapenade as I might have preferred, but it was a delicious sandwich. The side salad was a nice mix of fresh green lettuces tossed with a yummy house-made vinaigrette.
My lunch date went for the cheeseburger with Alabama white sauce, house pickles, white cheddar and crispy onions. He added bacon and again, the bread was superb. It was a very soft bun, easy to bite into and a great blanket around the burger and its accoutrements. The fries on the side were hot and crispy but a tad salty for my taste.
I was impressed with the nice variety of beverages: Creative cocktails made with fresh juices and homemade purées and syrups, a nice selection of Oregon and Washington wines, a handful of choice beers and a half dozen mocktails. I opted for one of those, the Shrub City, made with a pomegranate-blood orange shrub and soda. It was exactly what I hoped for and very refreshing.
The Southern twist really comes into play in Feast Food's Sunday brunch menu. We're talking the OG featuring biscuits, sausage gravy and fried eggs as well as chicken & waffles with fried chicken, pickled jalapeños and candied bacons and grits with brown butter radishes, pickled onions, hot sauce, arugula and poached egg. My mouth is watering just writing these words.
The dinner menu features supper items including Braised Beef Pappardelle with house-made pasta, brussels, shallot-beef jus, roasted onions, pea shoots and mushrooms, and a Spätzle with a lamb-beef merguez sausage and bok choy. There's also a Teres Major steak and a grits & greens offering with cheddar grits, braised collards and hot sauce. Fresh oysters, beef tartare and beet carpaccio are included in the expanded app sharing options at dinnertime.
The sweets at Feast are definitely not an afterthought. The brunch menu features its famous giant pop tarts with current flavors being citrus curd with citrus glaze and all the sprinkles and caramel-apple with cinnamon glaze. Apple Pie Zeppole, a sweet ricotta doughnut hole, and the gluten-free, dairy-free almond cake with apple butter and candied hazelnuts are both currently on the sweets menu.
The gluten-free and vegan choices are impressive, more than your typical menu and there's a happy hour menu which begins at 2pm daily, with a variety of beverages and a great selection of lower-priced bites and snacks.
The restaurant is housed in what was once an older home in central Redmond, former home of several other restaurants or brew houses. It's not cramped like some restaurants in older houses are, but feels spacious and airy with live plants throughout and plenty of light plus a couple of vintage fireplaces. It's modern yet cozy and the open kitchen resides comfortably on the north side. The hardwood floors and black tablecloths make it warm and welcoming. By supporting Feast Food Company, you're also supporting small farms and ranches in Central Oregon, and that's always a good feeling.
