What makes for a good dive bar? A pool table helps, as well as a lack of light. The more graffiti in the bathroom stall the better. And the floor also has to be sticky and grimy, but not too sticky or grimy, or else it’ll ruin the buzz generated by the “Tuesday night shot […]
Food
Best of Both Worlds
You’re in a foreign country, immersed by the sights, sounds and tastes of the nation you’re visiting. While you’re loving the experience and the many foods that the adventure brings, after a little while a small part of you starts to wish that for just a few minutes you could transport yourself into your mama’s […]
A New Barrel-Aged Collage
Four years ago—longer than many people reading this have even lived in Bend—Deschutes Brewery launched a beer called Collage, a collaboration between the Bend-based giant and Portland’s Hair of the Dog Brewing. The beer actually had its genesis earlier than that, in 2010, when HotD owner/brewmaster Alan Sprints stopped by Deschutes’ production facility to brew […]
Little Bites: Need a Great Beercation?
I know what you’re going to say once you read paragraph #2 of this report: We already know we rule in the craft beer world. Still, it’s fun to remind ourselves how awesome we are. Last week, travel booking site Travelocity released its new “beer tourism” index, which ranks cities on the strength of their […]
Barbecue Dreams Come True
Ever since I moved to this city in 1999 I have been on the hunt for good barbecue. Each barbecue place usually has a few great dishes, but there’s never a sense of consistency. Sometimes the burnt ends are rock hard or the pulled pork is cold, but mostly the rubs and sauces are never […]
From Boneyard to Bellevue
As the last of the fresh hop releases come dripping out and the beer fans of Central Oregon prepare for a genteel end-of-year segue into stout season, a couple exciting things are hitting the scene at the same time: the commemorative IPA from Boneyard, and a new name visiting from the suburbs of Seattle. By […]
Steak Me Home Tonight
Okawa Steak House and Sushi doesn’t just sling good food; they give you a show on top of it. The restaurant on Third Street is modeled after the Benihana-style restaurants, which are in turn based on the Teppenyaki style of Japanese cuisine involving fireballs exploding, onion volcanoes, food flying toward your mouth and the chef […]
Smith Rock Cuisine
There’s been quite a bit written lately about Smith Rock. Most of that writing has been about the overcrowding and the long wait—so it’s easy to forget why the site is so popular in the first place. As Central Oregonians, we know how beautiful and downright majestic Smith Rock is, so obviously people from all […]
Little Bites: Local Breweries Take Gold at the Great American Beer Festival
When it comes to bastions of beer culture, Oregon definitely represents. We already know it to be true, but some validation from the outside world never hurts. This past weekend, 21 medals went to Oregon breweries during the Great American Beer Festival in Denver. Here’s a brief recap of some of the local winners. Local […]
A Goblin in Your Goblet
When Steve Anderson retired from his career with the Federal Aviation Administration, he knew what he was looking to do next. “I worked for 26 years in air traffic,” he said, “looking at a radar scope. When I left, I figured I’d run my own business of some sort. I wanted to follow a passion, […]

