For 19 years, Gene Fitzsimmons has been making mole. Every Monday at the Taco Stand, he cooks up his special recipe and slings the daily special for not much more than the cost of a mass-produced failure of a foot-long Subway sandwich. A local’s favorite and still mostly cash-only (they’ll take your card if you’re […]
2014 Best of Central Oregon
Posted inBest Of Central Oregon
Best Variety Show Host
Shanan Kelley
Shanan Kelley pointed out that naming her best variety show host is like saying she’s our favorite only child. She’s the one-and-only variety show host in town, and with her team of expert humorists, musicians and film crew, she’s been putting together live episodes of The Night Light Show at Tin Pan Theater for the […]
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Best Produce
Bend Farmers’ Market
There’s nothing quite like biting into a sweet, tender peach picked at the height of ripeness. It’s a rare treat in a world where most grocery store produce ripens on a truck as it travels thousands of miles from the orchard to the chain store. At the Bend Farmers’ Market, fresh, local, and organic are […]
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Complete Winners List
2014 Best of Central Oregon
BEST OF BEND Best Chef Winner: Chef Andres Fernandez at Ariana Honorable Mention: Chef Jeff Hunt at Spork Best Fine Dining Winner: Zydeco Kitchen and Cocktails Ariana Restaurant Best Service Winner: Zydeco Kitchen and Cocktails The McKay Cottage Restaurant Best Sushi Winner: 5 Fusion & Sushi Bar Kanpai Sushi and Sake Bar Best Steak Winner: The […]
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Best Auto Repair
Happy Danes
All too often, the typical auto repair shop experience is anything but “happy.” For Bend drivers, that’s not the case at Happy Danes, a shop owned by Kaj and Michelle Larsen who are—you guessed it—a couple of happy danes. Kaj (pronounced “K-eye”) has been working on cars since he was 16 years old, when he […]
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Best Radio Personality
Kris Arnold, 92/9
Although not old enough to attend concerts during Detroit’s musical heyday—from Motown’s catchy R&B to the proto-punk of The Stooges—Kris Arnold’s hometown still has left its mark on her music sensibilities. With long, spiky blond hair, Arnold strongly resembles '70s punk diva Debbie Harry, and she admits, she likes her music “Down and dirty gritty.” […]
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Best Lunch (Sunriver)
Sunriver Brewing Company
Sunriver Brewing Company reflects the style and sensibility of the city it calls home—easygoing, approachable and fun. Serving as much of a centering point for the town as anywhere else, the brewpub has recently expanded its production facilities, a measure that says a lot about its popularity and aspirations. Its beers are fun and dedicated […]
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Best Brother/Sister Writers
Benjamin and Jennifer Percy
Growing up in Central Oregon offers plenty of material for creative writers. Just ask Benjamin Percy and his little sister Jennifer, both of whom have made names for themselves among American Literati. Ben, who describes himself as a “side-burned, growly voiced author,” has set much of his fiction in and around Bend — including his […]
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Best Fine Dining (Sisters)
Jen’s Garden
Like many businesses in Sisters, the quality and sophistication at Jen’s Garden far outpaces what is commonly expected in a small town. One of the finest and best-thought-out restaurants in Central Oregon, if not the state, Jen’s Garden nestles cozily into two rooms of a French country house—and, of course, spills over into a comfortable […]
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Best Butte
Luna Butte
If you like buttes, then you live in the right place. Bend is surrounded by hundreds of them. Between Pilot Butte and Newberry Crater 22 miles to the south, there are more than 70 cinder cones that rise 100 feet in height or more. One of my favorites is Luna Butte, located 15.5 miles south […]