Baldy's BBQ, Bend Oregon - Baby Back Ribs

Baldy's BBQ Bend Oregon

Since Jen mentioned Baldy's in a recent post on her blog, I just had to get back there. I can smell the Ribs just thinking about going there. I don't eat BBQ in town often as I consider myself to be quite the BBQ stud muffin (the wife added the muffin part). Mmmm muffins.

Man, no matter how much I love my own baby back ribs, you can not deny Baldy's. That dude makes some damn fine ribs. Jen says that her favorite is the smothered fries. I've had these and their really good if you like pulled pork, sauce, and cheese on your fries...and who doesn't?

I know that everyone in town really talks Baldy's up but if I'm going to be true to myself, I have to say that he makes great ribs, but everything else is alright. I have tried everything on the menu and I was even there the first night he opened the doors. That night we tried the sampler. It's a great way to taste everything and figure out what you like. Plus you get tons of left overs.

His pulled pork is tender but I feel it lacked the smokiness that you'd expect from pulled pork. That's another conversation for another day.

Like I said, his ribs and BBQ sauces are amazing. They are so tender the meat falls right off the bone. They're almost too good. Like you think that they aren't even real. Like it's fake meat cause you've never had ribs that good you just don't believe it. And this comes from a guy that can cook some amazing ribs. I got nothing on you Baldy.



385-Ribs...Classic

Baldy's Barbeque
235 SW Century Dr
Bend, OR 97702
(541) 385-7427

http://www.baldysbbq.com/

SOBA - Crouching Tiger Hidden Noodle

Almost the end of the month and you've helped raise almost $15 for COCAAN's Feed the Need program! That's great but next month we need to double that at least. Keep clicking on them Google Ads if you see something you like.

I have a plethora of photos from places I have visited recently but I am skipping all of them for a moment to show you the photos from today's lunch. I went back to one of my favorite spots in Bend, SOBA. As much as I praise SOBA, I have to admit, I am not affiliated with them in any way. I just really like their food. And I mean I like like their food.

Now, the wife is always saying that I should venture out of my norm and get something different. She is a big fan of trying new dishes but when I find something I like, I'll stick to it forever! That's right, she can't tell me what to do, I wear the pants in this family. (she never reads this blog) Normally I would chow down on some Chicken Phad Thai or the Spicy Shrimp Noodle Soup, especially on a cold day like today. But...something was telling me to get something different.

I took Jessica's advice (she's a great hostess/server...tip her well) and got the Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon but chose to have the glass noodles. I love glass noodles, it's like see through angel hair. My mom says that I'm an Angel.

First I had the sampling of the Firecracker Shrimp:


I had a different picture with a slightly better angle but I liked the way the sun glistened off of the sauce. It's pretty. Anyway, I like shrimp, I like firecrackers, I don't like oily. The firecracker shrimp taste great with their shrimpy goodness and the crispy wrap. But the wrap is really crispy for a reason, deep fried. Pretty oily but it's still pretty good. I'd get em again.

The Crouching Tiger Hidden Noodle has a medley of stir fried vegetables in a garlic sauce along with Chicken, Pork, AND Shrimp. HOW DID I NOT NOTICE THAT IT HAS ALL THREE!!! I always just assumed you got to pick one. Do I need to go any further? Yes, I recommend the Crouching Tiger Hidden Noodle but get glass noodles!

SOBA Asian Bistro
945 NW Bond Street
Bend, OR 97701
Ph: 541.318.1535

http://www.eatsoba.com/

Best Burrito in Bend Oregon - Round 1

I just woke up from a three day Mexicoma (the sleepy state achieved after eating Mexican Cuisine) from my week long quest for the Best Burrito in Bend Oregon. This explains why I have not been able to post in a few days. Hey, that's a better excuse than the truth.

I have said on more than one occasion that if I had to choose one type of food to eat for every meal, it would be Mexican. I love it. So for one week I did just that...for lunch. Although one night last week I made burritos at home. So last week I ate 6 burritos, two at home and 4 for lunch. Heaven, pure heaven.

So who serves up the Best Burrito in Bend Oregon you ask? No, I heard you ask. The answer is....I have no idea. I only tried four different ones and there are plenty more out there. What I do know is that in the past week I have consumed the Meat, Bean, and Cheese Burrito from Longboard Louie's, the Deluxe Burrito from El Caporal West, the Al Pastor Burrito from Super Burrito, and the Pork Carnitas Burrito from Baja Fresh.

Is this enough to determine who has the Best Burrito in Bend Oregon? Nope, not at all. But I can tell you who my favorite of these four burritos is and why. On Friday I tried to get a Taco Stand Burrito because I know many people say that it's their favorite but they were on vacation. So they lose by default in Round 1, maybe they'll be back in round 2.

The winner is...

The Pork Carnitas Burrito from Baja Fresh. The flavor, the quantity, the quality of the pork, as well as the price makes this burrito the winner of round 1. The ranking of this week's sampling of burritos goes as follows:

1 - Pork Carnitas Burrito from Baja Fresh
2 - Deluxe Burrito from El Caporal West
3 - MBC from Longboard Louie's
4 - My Homemade Burritos
5 - Al Pastor Burrito from Super Burrito

I have my own idea of who I'd like to review in the next round but please feel free to send in your favorites and I'll try to work it in.

Baja Fresh Bend Oregon - Pork Carnitas Burrito

Thank you to everyone providing their comments (Jen). And a extra special thank you to those of you who have clicked on the Google Ads to help raise some funds for COCAAN's Feed the Need program. Keep it up! Remember, for every $1 raised, COCAAN can distribute 8 pounds of food!

How's the saying go? A Burrito a day keeps the Doctor away? Hmmm yeah that sounds right. I could eat Mexican food (or Mexican Cuisine as I've heard some genius refer to it) every day of my life. I love it. I love hot sauces on it as well.

So to continue on my week of Burritos, I made it out to Baja Fresh. Baja Fresh boasts that they do not have any microwaves, can openers, freezers, lard, msg, or compromises. It'd be great if they used Styrofoam containers to keep with Bend Restaurant tradition! But they don't and they're food is actually quite good.

I like to get what I want. So I am one of those tough customers that always asked for stuff on the side, replacements, extra this, less that. Why not? I'm paying for it. But I always ask with a smile and always say please and thank you. Momma didn't raise no fool. I make a point to not piss off food handlers.

Anyone see "Waiting"? Yeah, if you have you know what I mean.

Pictured above started out simple with a $3.85 bean and cheese burrito. But I like black beans AND refried so I politely ask for mixed beans. Then I add Pork Carnitas to make it $5.70. But lets take it one step further and make this bad boy Enchilada Style to get the warm salsa smothering the burrito, topped with melted jack and cheddar, served with nachos, pico de gallo and sour cream. Grand total - $7.45.

The Pork Carnitas was soooo much better than the spicy pork at Super Burrito the other day. The pork was tender and juicy, full of porky goodness. Their enchilada sauce was perfect, the hot salsa even better, and the portions were generous as you can see.

Refried beans. You know how you get refried beans at any Mexican restaurant in town? Ever see any refried beans in it? Most of the time it's like a refried bean paste with the remnants of what used to be a bean sprinkled through out. This is why I normally get black beans instead. But man, the refried beans at Baja Fresh are hella good! I know it's just a little matter but a wise young lady once said "Refried beans bring the whole meal together, without good beans, what's the point?"

I believe the quality and flavor did beat out the El Caporal Deluxe Burrito from earlier this week and a little less expensive.

Baja Fresh Mexican Grill
916 Ne 3rd St
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 617-8781
http://www.bajafresh.com/

Super Burrito - Al Pastor Burrito

It's been years since I've been to Super Burrito in Downtown Bend Oregon. I was enticed by the speed and price cause I'm cheap and was in a rush. Makes sense doesn't it. Go ahead, you can say it, we know.

Ever since my encounter with the Ninja Janitor, I have been dying to get some really good Al Pastor (spicy pork). After eating the Al Pastor from Super Burrito I'm still dying for some really good Al Pastor. The pork was tough and dry. It was only $4, but I would have rather saved my four bucks and my intestinal pains for something else.

Yup, that's right, after visiting Super Burrito yesterday I ended up with the Super Squirts last night. It was like a Hispanic enema.

Ohhh man that's fowl, why would anyone write that? I just threw up a little in my mouth.

Stop! This is a family show! I apologize.

Like I've noted in my profile, I'm not reviewing restaurants as much as I am reviewing the meal's I eat at them. So if you are willing to give Super Burrito a go, I'd stay away from the Al Pastor Burrito.

The place seems to always have people in it and it's been around a long time so I bet there are good things there. I'd love for someone to recommend something else if they have tried and enjoyed a particular dish. But it's still going to be a while before I get Super Burrito back into the rotation.

Super Burrito
118 NW Minnesota Ave
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 317-1384

El Caporal West - Deluxe Burrito

El Caporal West

Hi,

How ya doing? I'm great, family's good.

I'm curious to find out what I'll review next, last week seemed to have a Thai Theme. This week seems to be Mexican or at least Burritos. So the other day I was a bit hung over and needed some serious food to help get me back on track. The Deluxe Burrito at El Caporal West had my name all over it, along with guac and sour cream. Get it?

Has anyone ever had a poor service experience at El Caporal West? No one reads this, why do I bother. I did one time but I've been there a billion times so one out of a billion ain't that bad. Seriously, a billion.

Yeah this one time we get seated and the waitress had this attitude like she was better than us. Like we should be honored that she was our waitress? She ignored us and it took forever just to order our food and drinks. The next time we visited El Caporal the hostess went to sit us and I had to ask to sit anywhere other than her section and pointed her out.

The hostess smiled like she totally understood what I was talking about. Anyway, we have not had any issues at all since then, plus that waitress doesn't work there anymore. Not only have we not had any complaints but we have had nothing but praise. Jimmy or Corona are amazing waiters and their army of bus boys are quick on the draw to hook you up with more water, chips, or either of the two salsa's they place on the table.

The other day on my quest to cure my hangover, I had a basket of chips and some fresh salsa in front of me before I even got settled in my seat.

Hot chips and fresh salsa makes BOR a happy boy. I LOVE their salsa. I always have to get a second helping so I can cover whatever main dish I get with it. So I get to munch on some chips and salsa while I waited (very short wait) for my Deluxe Burrito with Picadillo (shredded beef).

The Deluxe Burrito runs a whopping $9.25 but look at all you get. Picadillo, huge helpings of sour cream and guac, baked cheese, beans, rice, chips, salsa, and when you're thinking about the fact that you just dropped $9.25 at lunch (not including drink which I normally would get a Perfect Margarita or a Dos XX but I had to try and work later so I got water) you get to nibble on an simple version of an empanada (it's a chip sprinkled with sugar and drizzled with strawberry reduction and whipped cream - unlike a traditional empanada).

I am a huge fan of El Caporal West because of their quality of service, huge portions, tasty food, and price. Definitely try their Perfect Margarita. Go there, tell em I sent you.

El Caporal West
744 NW Bond Street
Downtown Bend, Oregon
541-322-8916

Another review on El Caporal West

Longboard Louie's - Meat, Bean, Cheese Burrito

For $4.95 I am not sure it gets much better than the Meat, Bean, and Cheese Burrito at Longboard Louie's. I placed a salad fork next to it so you can see the mammoth portion they serve up.

I'm not a huge fan of the hot sauce (gives me a case of the quick step to be brutally honest) so I use my own. But other than that, I am a big fan of the MBC Burrito. I recommend Chicken with Black Beans. This thing was so big that I couldn't finish it. I gave up around here:

Nice photo eh? Hungry? Anyway, it's Meat, Beans, Cheese (obviously) but they also throw some rice in to mix it up.

Alright look, it's not the prettiest thing in the world but it tastes great. I recommend that you give Longboard Louie's a try if you find yourself on the West Side. If nothing else it's worth visiting cause the girls who work there are hot. Doesn't that count for something? And they HAVE to talk to you even if all you're saying is "Meat, Bean, and Cheese, please". You're sad. Turn of the playstation, get out of your mom's basement, and do something!

Oh, sorry.

Longboard Louie's
1254 NW Galveston Ave
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 383-2449

Best Phad Thai in Bend Oregon

I started the week off with getting some Toomies to-go and made some negative comments about their Phad Thai. Then the wife picked up some Taste of Thai so I got the chance to try their Phad Thai out. After having both of those, my pallet needed to get back to square one so I went back to SOBA to get some of the good stuff.

It is my opinion that SOBA has the Best Phad Thai in Bend.

Yes, that is a recycled photo from my last SOBA review. I recycled because their Phad Thai is so consistent that another picture would have just looked the same...plus I'm lazy.

So I started wondering why I liked their Phad Thai so much and also if it's really what traditional Phad Thai is supposed to be. I mean, look at Toomies:

And take a look at Taste of Thai's:

If both of these are redish orange, how come SOBA's is more of a light brown? I have a myspace page just for Bend Oregon Restaurants as well as a myspace group where users can discuss Bend Oregon Restaurants. So far, the only restaurant owner I have been able to find on there has been the owner of SOBA. I was able to email him through myspace and asked him if he can explain the difference. Here's what he had to say:

"...Phad Thai is not RED in Thailand...what happened?? ...most restaurants like to buy already made Phad Thai sauces that have coloring in it so to make it more appealing for people to buy it....and the people that do make them in the USA like to put ketchup in to get that tangy yet sweet taste."

He also directed me to the Kung Fu Chef who says:

"If you order phad thai and it's bright red, send it back. It's made with ketchup; red pad thai is an abomination against nature. Ketchup has no place in phad thai. What's going on there is a great story and has to do with westernizing an ingredient: Kecap originated someplace in southeast Asia. Apparently when the Europeans took kecap back to Europe, they introduced tomatoes into it and renamed it "ketchup". So when the first phad thai was being made here, it's easy to imagine someone thinking "Kecap, ketchup, whatever. It's gotta be the same thing!" Ironically, yes the name is the same, but the ingredients are way off! So in a sense, true phad thai probably was made with kecap, just not the red Italian version."

SOBA also let me know that they make all of their sauces from scratch, everything from Teriyaki to Phad Thai and all made by the same chef which makes their meals so consistent.

So, I have tried the three places I know of in Bend where you can get some Phad Thai and until someone tells me of a different option that I have not tried, I will stand by my statement that SOBA has the best Phad Thai in Bend, Oregon.

Review of SOBA's Phad Thai and Tonkatsu

SOBA Asian Bistro
945 NW Bond Street
Bend, OR 97701
Ph: 541.318.1535

http://www.eatsoba.com/

Taste of Thai - Green Curry and Phad Thai

Earlier I made a comment that there is not any good Thai food in Bend. That wasn't the right comment to make. I should have said that there are not any good Thai restaurants in Bend. I mean straight up Thai restaurant. Maybe it's us. Maybe Bend isn't the right market for a solid Thai restaurant. Well, we have Toomies but they've been here forever and they don't have any competition. We need another one in order to put them in check and force them to step it up.

So the wife swung by the Taste of Thai on Greenwood to pick up some lunch the other day. She bought enough food to feed us for lunch and dinner. When I asked her why she brought so much food just for lunch, she said that the mother/daughter team that runs the place has an uncanny ability to talk you into over buying with their free samples and friendly smiles and their "Oh you're going to buy my chicken Ooooooh. Oh I hate the Colonel with his wee beedy eyes and that smug look on his face." Sorry, where was I? Oh right.

"Oh, you'll have enough for dinner and it's only $6 more" They'll chirp. Bring your appetites cause their going to get you.

I'll start with the spring rolls:


The summer spring rolls are huge and well worth the small price. A nice large prawn inside each was great but there was sooo much lettuce and mint. It was still good but a bit much on the lettuce for my liking. I would still get them again but mainly for the peanut sauce.

The Phad Thai was better than the oily mess at Toomies. But, it's really not the best I've had.

I have no idea what the dish on the left is called. It's beef and it's delicious.

"What is this"? I ask the wife.

"I don't know, they handed me a sample of it, I ate it and order some cause it's good." She replies.

Agreed, it was very good and we warmed it up and had it for dinner cause my mind was set on destroying that cup of Green Curry on the right. It was as good as the Red Curry from Toomies but lacked the heat. But the flavor was there and I would get it again.

If you're in need of a quick lunch to bring back to the house of office, I do recommend that you swing by the Taste of Thai and get whatever. Their menu changes very often but they're willing to give you plenty of samples while you wait so you can decide on what you'd like. There's going to be something you'll enjoy for sure.

Taste of Thai (or Thai on the Fly as I've heard them called)
696 NE Greenwood Ave
Bend, OR 97701
541-815-0180

La Victoria San Jose - Ninja Janitor

The story of the Ninja Janitor is one that I think I will be telling my great grandkids. Actually, anyone that's willing to listen.

It was a hot and muggy night in San Jose, CA. The wife and I are having a good time at a bar watching idiots be idiots. As I'm accustomed to eating every two hours, I was ready to feast. About five or six blocks away from where we were was La Victoria. I'm a huge fan of the bottled salsa and I highly recommend picking some up where ever you can find it. Unrelated to the salsa line which I drink a pint of fort nightly, La Victoria Taqueria is one of the best Mexican restaurants I have ever visited.

This place has always delivered great quality, fast service, amazing price.

On this night I had a small group of the wife, another couple, and a fifth wheeled bachelor hanging out with me and the other couple was starving. It was already 10:30pm on a Wednesday evening. Where in SJ would you go? Most people I hang out with would not walk the streets in this section of SJ at this time of night.

But when my belly is growling, no ghetto can stop me from my burrito. So onward to La Victoria. It was uneventful on our route to our tacos. But when we arrived we met .... the Ninja Janitor. The wife later described him as handsome as Mr. Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos. I have no idea what he looks like (seriously, I don't, why don't you believe me?) but this guy was a damn good looking man. Unbeknownst to me at the moment of our impasse that I was face to face with the Ninja Janitor. He kindly greeted my party and I and then quickly handed us menus.

Menus? At La Victoria, you place your order and pay at the register, get a number, find a spot, gorge, leave. This was the first time anyone has ever handed me a menu and honestly, spoke perfect English while doing so. Normally I am that dork that tries to speak extra gooder English when in a Mexican restaurant...cause I'm an idiot that's why. Back to the menus, I mean, while we walked up a gentleman that worked there (or at least I hoped he worked there) literally walked out the front door and dropped two bags of garbage over the side porch into the neighboring parking lot. Not quite the candle lit, menu having type of a joint.

Anywhoo, I was taken by surprise by the attention and politeness of Ninja Janitor and asked him what he recommended.

"I have this delicious Al Pastor that I recommend" Ninja Janitor replied.

"Are you the owner"? Fifth wheel asked.

"I am only the Janitor" NJ joked.

"Really" Fifth wheel replied annoyingly.

Ok, why would this small dining area even need a janitor? I've worked in food service and I don't remember having "only a janitor" on anyone's name tag. Everyone's a janitor in food service.

NJ never responded to fifth wheel but out came a small cup of Al Pastor (marinated pork) and another cup of three tortilla chips. Ok, when you eat something that's so damn good you cuss something fierce, yeah insert your best phrase here ... "that is so $^#*@ damn good!!!".

Instantly Fifth Wheel and I were ordering our tacos Al Pastor. The other couple followed suit with burritos and tacos and the wife...being the lady she is...got some fruity beverage and said she wasn't hungry. Sigh.

Anyway, while we waited for our orders I had to step outside since it was hot as balls inside. At least it was hot for me living here in Bend where when the sun goes down, the temp drops. There, not so much. So the wife and I waited out on the front porch.

Inside there was a table of four highschool gangster wannabees. I say wanna bees cause I'm at my house right now, but I wouldn't have messed with these kids, and I can fight. Seriously, I'll mess you up.

While the wife and I were hanging out on the porch, the hoodlettes were making their exit. Now La Victoria normally has a couple cop cars out front, an ambulance, inside would be some cops, EMTs, gang bangers, some frat boys, and of course the wife an I standing there thinking that La Victoria is like a ghetto UN. But if you ever see cops and EMTs eating somewhere, it's probably good food and fast.

As the Lil' Hoods made their way to the street, the Ninja Janitor walked smoothly out from behind the counter. Now NJ was dressed pretty sharp even if he was really the owner of this little Taqueria. He looked like the Hispanic James Bond...seriously.

He chased down the Hoods just in front of the shop and calmly got the attention of the mini ring leader who was at least two feet taller than NJ. NJ walked passed the other three chumps and extended a friendly hand to his target. As their hands clasp, NJ pulled the tall hood in close and spoke softly.

The wife and I watched as NJ said his peace and then slowly walked back up the stairs. Li'l Hood tries to save face with a little "That's effed up"!!

NJ wasn't going to let this go any further. "It WASN'T the first TIME! I will NOT be taken advantage of!" NJ firmly stats without shouting. The hoods walk away quietly.

Ninja Janitor walks past us and flashes a sly smile in our direction. We sat at the big round table for five where the mini gang sat previously and enjoyed our eats. I got my Al Pastor taco supreme and although it was spicy as hell, I had to add the Orange Sauce. La Victoria is home of the Orange Sauce. If they bottled this stuff in something suitable for traveling with, I would buy all they have. ALL!

After we finished up with our tacos and burritos that come in plastic baskets with the little sheet of wax paper or whatever, I brought them up to the front. NJ wasn't having it. He quickly comes out to take the rest of our empty baskets and makes sure we had a good experience. As we sat there drinking our fruity beverages, a sharply dressed couple shows up and greets NJ. He says his goodbye to the crew and follows the couple out, making sure to thank us for stopping by all with an award winning smile on his face.

Keep doing whatever it is that you do Ninja Janitor. Why would a small taqueria need a janitor, I have no idea. But whatever it is you do, you do it well. The Al Pastor was amazing good and I highly recommend that anyone visiting the SJ area, visit NJ and give it a go.

La Victoria Taqueria
140 E. San Carlos Street
San Jose, CA 95112
408-298-5335

Toomies - Chicken Red Curry and Phad Thai

Bend does not seem to have any really good Thai food restaurants. There is that stand by the Jiffy Lube on Greenwood but that's hardly a restaurant. I haven't been there in a long time and probably should swing back by before I say that Bend doesn't have any good Thai food.

So like I was saying, Bend doesn't have any really good Thai food. Today I went to Toomies for lunch. I haven't been to Toomies in a long time and actually have sort of dogged on them in previous posts like this one or that one.

Since I want you to like me, I'll give you one of my tips on how to order. First off call ahead and get it to-go. Toomies has not been known for their speedy service so eating there isn't a great benefit. Secondly, ask for the salad on the side.


The Chicken Red Curry was not the special so pictured above is what I got for $5.95. I say get the salad on the side because you get more Phad Thai and rice. Otherwise they put your salad in the Styrofoam (still cracks me up that Deschutes County allows Styrofoam) container along side your hot phad Thai and hot rice. Hot + Hot + Styrofoam + Salad = sad wilted warm salad. Get it on the side and it's still cold and crisp. Plus they usually will give you more Phad Thai and rice cause there's all that left over room.

I'm a genius.



Chicken Red Curry at Toomies is pretty good. I recommend that you request it with 3 stars instead of the normal 2. It makes the chicken spicy, which is how I likes it. I dumped my curry over the white rice. It's good. Do it. Do it.

Even though I showed you how to get more Phad Thai and rice, it's not always the smartest move. I personally do not like the Phad Thai at Toomies nearly as much as I do at SOBA. A friend of mine referred to this Phad Thai as spaghetti with peanut sauce ... but not as good.

If you're going to go to Toomies for the first time and have not tried their spring rolls, get them. Do it...Do it.

Toomies Thai Restaurant
119 NW Minnesota
Bend, OR 97701
541-388-5590

http://www.empirenet.net/toomies/

Downtowner - Bend Oregon

Downtowner

I've visited The Downtowner a few times and have enjoyed it every time. I'll recommend NOT wearing your yankees gear if you do visit. I made the mistake of wearing a yankees hat one time last year....they didn't like it.

After reviewing the menu options and having previously read the review from the Source Weekly, I had made up my mind. Although I really wanted to try the same pulled pork sandwich, I wanted to offer a different item up for review and what's better than a sandwich with bacon? I want to marry bacon. I think it might be legal in Texas.

For $7.95 you get Turkey, Swiss, avocado spread, and of course Bacon on a Kaiser roll. Genius! The quality and the size was well worth the price. Also served with house chips and a pickle. I couldn't finish this sandwich it was so big. Or it could have been my love of bacon and the fact that they had a Potato Bacon Soup:


Bacon + Potatoes = Crazy Delicious.

I highly recommend both of these dishes but bring your appetite and some caffeine, after a large cup of creamy soup and a huge turkey sandwich I wanted to pass out at my desk. When I go back I might just have to try The Parcells. Can you guess what type of sandwich that would be?

If you guessed Tuna, lets hang out and watch a game. If you still have no idea what I'm talking about, I have an empty spot in my Fantasy Football league, please join it.

The Downtowner
852 Brooks Street
On the breezeway in downtown Bend
Free downtown delivery!
(541) 388-2467

SOBA Asian Bistro

As I have mentioned before, I am a fan of SOBA Asian Bistro. This time it was the Spicy Shrimp Noodle Soup. Soba's Noodle soup is MMM MMM good. I just made that up. Catchy. I can see the commercial now. In the middle of a big winter storm, a short snowman walks up the path to his house and enters into the mud room. Then his mom hands him a cup of Spicy Shrimp Noodle soup. He takes a sip and all the snow melts off and you see the little boy under the snow.

I just made that up too.

Getting a dish with shrimp in it ends up in a seafood edition of where's Waldo...the shrimp being Waldo. I can't wait to see Snakes on a Plane so I can get some more material like that. C'mon! Waldo? Where's the creativity is more like it? But seriously, look at the amount of shrimp. I think there was like 7 or 8 shrimps in there. I love the glass noodles and the broth is pretty spicy. Does it get better for $6.95?

Oh I almost forgot, for $1.75 you can get a Summer Spring Roll. Check it out:

It's like a Noodle Burrito. The mint is nice and refreshing and that peanut sauce is chuck full of peanuts and sauce...which is what I like in a peanut sauce.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, SOBA is SoBa-F*$#ing-gooood. Yeah, I'm going to hear about that one from my parents. I think it's a good slogan though. I'll take my t-shirt in an XXL (told you I'm a fatty).

Anyway, I highly recommend the Spicy Shrimp Noodle Soup and the Summer Spring Roll from SOBA.

Review of SOBA's Phad Thai and Tonkatsu

SOBA Asian Bistro
945 NW Bond Street
Bend, OR 97701
Ph: 541.318.1535

http://www.eatsoba.com/

Double Happiness - Broccoli Chicken

I'm sort of an idiot. I don't want to struggle trying to figure out or even read the description of what the Tequila Tacos consist of. I would hope it had something to do with Tequila but nothing to do with the worm (boooo). So when I ordered the Broccoli Chicken at Double Happiness in Downtown Bend, guess what I got?


Yup, Hot and Sour Soup. Hehe, the Broccoli Chicken is coming up next don't worry. With a meal from this section of the menu you get your choice of Egg Flower or Hot and Sour Soup. I have yet to meet someone who orders the Egg Flower, if you're out there, let me know how it is. You also get to choose between a crab puff or egg roll.

Anyway the Hot and Sour soup is just that, Hot and Sour. Hot n' Sour was my nickname in college, just FYI. I love this soup but I don't want to know what's in it. It's a tangy, spicy, Chinese Jambalaya. At least that's what I'm going with.

Not very long after I devoured the soup, out came my Broccoli Chicken. Service here is hella fast but don't dive in, it's also hella hot.


How can you not like Broccoli Chicken...it's Chicken...it's Broccoli...it's delicious!

And of course I got mine with a little Hot Mustard on the side. Do I have to say how much I like my Chicken Hot? Well, I do.

So for $5.95 (assuming your meal is not on special that day) you get all this, AND A FORTUNE COOKIE!!! Unfortunately mine read "That wasn't chicken" DOH!! HAHA just kidding.

Double Happiness is one of the best deals for a quick, hot, inexpensive meal downtown.

Tell em I sent you.

909 NW Bond Street
Bend Oregon 97701
541-389-5154

Olde Towne Pizza Co - Calzone

If you enjoy a good Calzone, you have to try the Calzone's at Olde Towne Pizza Company. An Olde Towne calzone starts with a hand thrown crust, then they pile on the cheese, add sauce, and your favorite toppings, wrap, bake. They'll usually ask you if you want garlic and herbs. Just say "yes please". This is a regular:

Yeah, that's a 12" pizza pan. You can get your specialty ones or make your own. I make my own cause you can't tell me what to do. Starting at $3.95 with just cheese I add some meat and a couple "vegetables" and I'm sitting pretty at $5.95 with what you see above.

The other size is "Huge". No really, that's the name of the other size. It's 96 oz and if you eat all of it in one sitting, everyone at your table eats for free. Don't forget the grizzle.

After a couple of bites I realized I was in over my head. I ended up cutting off most of the crust and just eating all the goods. Their Calzone's are freakin delicious.

If you're in a rush, make sure you call ahead cause a calzone can take about 20 minutes. So for less than the price of a Red Cactus you can have a calzone bigger than your mom's face. Oh SNAP no he DI INT!

Yeah he did.

Olde Towne Pizza Company
118 NW Greenwood Ave
Bend Oregon 97701
541-318-9018

(Note: There is not a 96 oz calzone that if eaten every one eats for free deal ... but there should be)