So the first – and probably last – televised debate between John Kitzhaber and Chris Dudley is over. Who won? As usual, that depends on who you talk to.
Assessing the Not-So-Great Debate
Posted inNews
Art Hop Takes Over Downtown Bend
Not only is it First Friday today, but it’s the bi-annual Art Hop — which is essentially a super-sized First Friday.
According to the website for the Downtown Bend Business Association, the organization that’s orchestrating, there are more than 30 downtown businesses opening their doors to show the art hanging from their walls, and to serve up some free wine, of course.
Posted inNews
Surprise! “Video Activist” Is a Tea Partier
The “video activist” who got into a fracas with John Kitzhaber supporters at a Portland Urban League event last week has been identified, and – brace yourself for a shock! – he’s linked with the Tea Party movement.
Oregonian political reporter Jeff Mapes writes that police are looking into a complaint by Daniel Sandini, 48, of Southwest Portland that he was assaulted while attempting to film the Democratic governor candidate’s speech.
Posted inNews
Uh, Wow. Blind Pilot and Sara Jackson-Holman Pack the Tower (video)
If Blind Pilot, the folky indie rock band out of Portland, were bummed by the fact that their blue, full-size, old-school tour bus was broken down in front of the Tower Theatre, they sure didn’t show it. The sextet, which had been off the road for almost ten months, delivered a vibrant and full-sounding set to an almost sold-out Tower for this PDXchange Program show.
Posted inFood & Drink
Thinking Small and Going Big: Marz vets have Old Mill's Level 2 off to a strong start
One of my biggest culinary regrets is not having patronized Marz Bistro, the Source Weekly's 2008 Restaurant of the Year, before its longtime chef, Rich Hall, left the kitchen. If you're in the same boat as I am or are a dedicated fan (and there are quite a few), you're in luck. Hall recently opened the kitchen at the Old Mill's newest eatery, Level 2 Global Food & Lounge, and he's putting out some of the most exciting food in Bend.
Level 2 opened just three weeks ago, but when I visited this past weekend, the restaurant was running like a well-oiled machine. Headed by former Marz manager Jason Twillman and Szechuan's Aida Chow, the former Old Mill Martini Bar space has been fully transformed from a notoriously rowdy party spot to a classed-up cocktail lounge and fine dining dinner destination with local art on display, fresh paint, new furniture and a handmade wall crafted entirely from slices of tree trunks.
Posted inSpecial Issues & Guides
Thirsty
Enlarge this document in a new windowSelf Publishing with YUDU
Posted inFood & Drink
NW Urban Grill Closes
One of Bend's recently opened restaurants, the NW Urban Grill, has closed. We've received confirmation from a reliable source that after just five months of service, the restaurant has sold to the owner of the Brickhouse in Redmond, which will open a steak and seafood joint in the location.
Posted inCulture
Naked and Ripped Off in Bend: Is seeing a naked man in the woods a good sign?
After two years of trying, I finally saw a naked man in Bend. Not that I was trying very hard, or that I really even cared, but still, he was naked and I saw him.
I hadn't actually been in search of a naked man for 24 months. It was six months to be exact, spread over a span of two years. I discovered it was hard to find a naked man in Bend January through March. Perhaps it was too cold and dark.
Posted inFood & Drink
Thinking Small and Going Big: Marz vets have Old Mill's Level 2 off to a strong start
One of my biggest culinary regrets is not having patronized Marz Bistro, the Source Weekly's 2008 Restaurant of the Year, before its longtime chef, Rich Hall, left the kitchen. If you're in the same boat as I am or are a dedicated fan (and there are quite a few), you're in luck.