Little Bites

We've been writing a lot about fresh-hop beers lately, if you haven't noticed. There is good reason, though. I, along with the rest of our editorial department, love the crispy, tangy, spicy taste of a good fresh-hop beer.
And there were plenty of those to be had last Saturday at Deschutes Brewery's fresh-hop dinner at the Mountain Room. The tapas-style dinner featured an around-the-world approach with a full slate of delectable dishes, each paired with a different beer. While most of the beers were indeed made from fresh hops, there were a few exceptions, including the Abyss, which was the surprise offering of the night. I didn't hear many complaints from the sold-out room about that move, though, as it went perfectly with the caramel apple and walnut pastries that were served for dessert.

Zac is my boyfriend. I love him. And he
loves meat.
And – although I'm a committed vegetarian – I sometimes cook it for him.
I know. It makes me feel weird, too. But love makes us do crazy things.
For the seven of you who have enjoyed my column up to this point, this article probably comes as a surprise, and may even be upsetting. In fact, some of you are probably composing a strongly worded letter to the editor right now about what a terrible mistake it was to hire me. But, I think there are probably more of you out there who actually find yourself in a similar situation, and may even want to keep reading.

This summer Central Oregon welcomed a new brewery into the fold. That makes, um, let's see, if you carry the two … a lot of breweries in our region.
Located in downtown Prineville, Solstice Brewing Company opened its doors in late July and is hosting a large-scale grand opening on Oct. 1.
Owner and operator Joseph Barker is a long-time home brewer who was looking to do more than keep his friends good and drunk. When the Oregon native finished his studies in Portland he went on the hunt for a business opportunity, preferably one that would allow him to play with malts, barleys and hops.

Keeping with this page's sandwich theme, we've got some news about Letzer's Deli, the much-loved sandwich shop best known for its enormously humongous sandwiches. After a first year in business during which the family owned Jewish-style deli has gained a loyal fan base and some rave reviews, including one in this paper, Letzer's is looking to expand their presence in Central Oregon. Soon, the deli, operated by the father-and-son team of Sheridan and Gabriel Letzer, in addition to a friendly staff, is opening up a second location in a vacant space in the Remax building on Franklin Avenue in downtown Bend.

It's time to eat and you're craving some freshly beer-battered salmon and sweet potato fries from So Wild Fish and Chips, but your lady friend is insisting on rice and veggies. At best, such a situation means one of y'all is going to need to compromise on your dinner plans. At worst, you're going to need to find a new girlfriend.

They came. They drank. They agreed that the beer was delicious.
That, in short, is what happened over the weekend at the bigger, bolder Bend Brewfest, which ramped up its number of participating breweries this year, and, in turn, had a huge turnout. I made my way down to the fest for a few hours of tasting and, of course, conversation with the throngs who'd come out from in town, as well as far away, including one Midwestern couple who'd traveled to Bend for their honeymoon expressly because of the Brewfest.

If you're in Bend on a warm, sunny day, of which there have been plenty over the past few weeks and want to grab a bite to eat, you almost certainly want to sit outside. Patio dining is a popular Central Oregon pastime and one that's revered to the point that some of us would rather wait a half-hour for a sidewalk spot than settle for an air-conditioned table inside. Three new Bend spots unveiled patios in the past few weeks, and it's a safe bet that there won't be many empty seats in these outdoor dining rooms in the waning days of summer.
At GoodLife Brewing, the new pub and brewing facility showed that their big plans aren't stopping anytime soon by unveiling last week a massive (and we mean massive) “biergarten” behind the brewery's Century Center location. The spacious grass, and several thousand square feet of it, will be filled with tables and yard games for drinkers to enjoy, as well as a gas fire pit that should help the garden remain popular into the colder nights in the months ahead. One of the coolest aspects of this new spot is that it's perfectly acceptable to bring your own food… and your dog, too.

Just over a month ago Bend had zero fish and chips carts – now we have two.
So Wild Fish and Chips, a traditional pull-behind cart often found behind Chow on the corner of Newport and 11th Street, opened in the last few days of June. The Codfather, a bright red 1952 double-decker London transport bus that is currently parked beside the Horned Hand on Lava Road, opened in mid July.
Both are delicious, but serve different tastes.
So Wild is more gourmet in its approach, with homemade sauces and salad dressings like melon habanero, fresh basil and garlic vinaigrette, and chunky pesto (yes, they have fresh green salads too if “chips,” a.k.a. fries, are not your thing). General manager Justin Brown makes all these sauces himself to add to your prosciutto-wrapped salmon, which is available grilled or fried. See? Gourmet, man.

They call it the Party on the Patio, but the weekly all-you-can-eat feast at Country Catering could never be contained on a mere patio. More accurately, it's the Party on the Patio, Front Yard and Parking Lot.
That's because the eastside barbecue joint's delectable Friday evening pig out has become so popular that the scores of Bendites who come out on a weekly basis spread themselves out over most of Country Catering's property, making for a downhome neighborhood barbecue sort of feel. And to top it off, there's also live music.