Quick Bites

On the heels of Spork's pop-up restaurant at Café Sintra comes spin on sit-down dining, this time from 5 Fusion and Sushi Bar. On Thursday, Feb. 3, 5 Fusion will kick off its monthly supper club with a Chinese New Year celebration. This particular dinner will be a little spendy – $100 – but it's fully inclusive and the proceeds go to charity, in this case the Kid's Center. Judging from the success of Spork's pop-up, 5 Fusion shouldn't have a hard time filling the place. Diners will be treated to a traditional eight-course Chinese New Year dinner, including cocktail pairings from Oregon Spirit Distillers spirits. According to owner Lilian Chu, eight is a universally lucky number in Chinese culture, hence the eight courses. We're pretty sure we'll be feeling lucky too after putting down eight courses and cocktail pairings. Seating is limited to 30 people and tickets can be bought through the Kid's Center by calling Joni at 541-383-5958.

Chili is a simple dish combining beans, meat and spices. Yet it seems that everyone from most grandmothers to every man who's ever watched a football game has the ultimate chili recipe. This, in my humble opinion, is why a chili cook-off is the world's great equalizer. No matter your reputation as a chef, no one can deny the secret spice mix you've got up your sleeves.

Common Table
If you've heard about Common Table, you know that it's much more than a restaurant. Run by Zack Hancock, a young, charismatic former schoolteacher and ordained Presbyterian minister and Bob Pearson, a member of the First Presbyterian Church, CT is structured slightly differently than your run-of-the-mill café. Proceeds benefit those who can't afford to eat at Common Table by funding $10 coupons that are donated to folks in need throughout the community. In addition, Mondays are pay-as-you-go, with a selection of soups available for a suggested donation.

Wednesday, Sept. 29
Yappy Hour
One thing we like almost as much as drinking and eating is our canine friends. Luckily, Allyson's Kitchen has us in mind. For $10, dog-loving wine-os will enjoy wine from Mutt Lynch winery paired with small plates. Dogs get free biscuits. 5 p.m., Allyson's Kitchen.

The Central Oregon restaurant industry has been experiencing a pretty big overhaul lately, with the opening of three new eateries and big changes and additions to four more. Level 2, the new lounge above Saxons in the Old Mill District (formerly the home of the Old Mill Martini Bar), opened its doors over Labor Day weekend. The Aida Chow-run restaurant (the woman behind Szechuan) features “globally inspired cuisine” with prices ranging from $4 – $18. We hear Level 2 is hoping to appeal to the pre- and post-movie and concert crowd with small plates and pastries, as well as cocktails. Finally, a late-night destination in the Old Mill.

This unseasonably chilly weather is good for a couple of things. Mt. Bachelor is seeing a flurry of snow and suddenly, a glass of red wine sounds really good. While our river-floating days are dwindling, our wine-o afternoons are just beginning. If you're not sure if you're a pinot noir person or prefer a more robust cabernet, you're in luck. Bend has quite a few wine-tasting possibilities and educated folk who can help you hone your palate.

It started with Spork… or was it Sancho and Soupcon? We're not sure whom to credit for the local gourmet-ification of food carts, but whoever it was, they started a revolution. Lately, downtown (and some eastside spots) have seen gourmet food carts popping up like weeds. While they may not be open all the time (and some are often closed during stated hours), the quality and prices can't be beat. Here's a roundup of the most recent additions to Bend's stand-and-eatery scene.

The restaurant industry never stays the same, as evidenced by this week's rumor mill. First up is the Old Mill Martini Bar space above Saxons Fine Jewelers, which has been empty since the Martini Bar vacated it two years ago. We've been waiting patiently for another Old Mill bar that's open past 10p.m., and if rumors are correct, our patience will pay off in the next couple of weeks. We hear that a new bar called Level 2 will be opening another chic bar/lounge and will appease cocktail lovers who don't want to trek downtown as well as those seeking a nightcap after dining by the river. Aida Long, who is involved in 5 Fusion, will likely head the venture. We also hear that there may be another brewery arriving on the already competitive brewing scene. Take this with a grain of salt as it's a third-hand rumor, but an out-of-town established brewery is looking to open a brewpub outpost on the westside, possibly in Century Center. As Bend doesn't have any brewpubs that aren't local, it should be interesting to see the reaction to a newcomer. But if it's one of the quality Eugene or Portland breweries like Ninkasi or BridgePort, we wouldn't mind the addition – Central Oregon has plenty of beer connoisseurs to go around.

If you picked up a copy of last week's Thirsty: The Happy Hour Guide, you know that Central Oregon has more than its share of cheap food and drink specials. In making the guide, we tried some of the best happy hours we didn't know existed. If you haven't picked up a copy of the Source Weekly's new happy hour guide, grab one before they're all snapped up or head over to www.tsweeklychow.com for a full listing of Central Oregon's Happy Hours.
5 Fusion and Sushi Bar
Daily 4:00pm-6:00pm, Fri. and Sat. 9pm-midnight Drinks: $3 beers, $5 cocktails, $5 wine Food: $5 assorted appetizers and sushi rolls. Lilian Chu of Hong Kong Restaurant fame and Soba founder Di Long opened their joint venture in Deep's former Wall Street location last year. Though named for the core seasonings in Chinese cooking, you won't find any chow mein on the menu here.

Central Oregon has a blink-and-you-missed-it growing season. Luckily, we're smack dab in the middle of the 90-day window that farms have before the frost returns. Local farms are finally picking their bounty and are sourcing out their produce to lucky restaurants across the area. The high desert is a tough growing environment, but it produces some unique and hearty vegetables – and nothing tastes as good as when it's grown in our neighbor's backyard. Here's where to go to taste veggies that haven't been trucked across a border.