“Ode to Deep” - by MC ARL

What a great way to start the week! I was super lazy this weekend so I didn't know what to publish this week. Luckily, Arlene has wayyy too much time on her hands. After her recent trip to Deep, she felt the need to put pen to paper in Weird Al fashion. I can't wait to see the YouTube video of this bad boy. Arlene wins comment of the year which comes with the coveted half filled out punch card for Soba.

Aight, without further ado, here's the comment I received but deserved it's own post...the first ever guest post to the Bend Oregon Restaurants blog....MC Arl kicking lyrics right to your brain....

“Ode to Deep”
(sung to Kanye West’s “Gold Digger”)

Jaime Foxx’s opening:
She takes my money when I’m hungreee
Yeah she’s a sushi serving tease
Deep’s a taste deliverer
Way over town
That serves fresh susheeeee

Chorus:
(She gives me sushi)
Now I ain't sayin' Deep’s Goldfinger (When I'm in Need)
But she ain't messin' with no mountain interior
(She gives me sushi)
Now I ain't sayin' Deep’s Goldfinger (When I'm in need)
But she ain't messin' with no mountain interior
Get down girl go head get down (Deep su-she-ee)
Get down girl go head get down (Deep su-she-ee)
Get down girl go head get down (Deep su-she-ee)
Get down girl go head

Verse 1:
Jody the bomb
Saw that Kanpai wasn’t get’n it on
With a successful Merenda
Under his underarm
He said I see there’s not a lot
I can tell by downtown
Far as culture there’s not a lot
I can tell by 1 ton drive’n clowns
but I'm looking for the one
have you seen her?
My psychic told me she have sushi like Kanpai
Suji’s, Sumi’s, Soba, but fresh
An I gotta provide good service, the very best
OK get your kids but then they got their friends
But unlike Baltazar we let them in
We order fresh and then I had to pay
If you f*&%ing with this fish then you better be payed
You know why
Bend’s inland’n wealthy
From what I heard it is frozen fresh’n healthy
My best friend gets Tempura Spicy Hamachi
Don't care what Seattle, Portland serves; Deep’s oishi

Chorus:
(She gives me sushi)
Now I ain't sayin' Deep’s Goldfinger (When I'm in Need)
But she ain't messin' with no mountain interior
(She gives me sushi)
Now I ain't sayin' Deep’s Goldfinger (When I'm in need)
But she ain't messin' with no mountain interior
Get down girl go head get down (Deep su-she-ee)
Get down girl go head get down (Deep su-she-ee)
Get down girl go head get down (Deep su-she-ee)
Get down girl go head

Verse 2:
Dragon rolls, Dragon rolls
She got White, Black, Pink, Red, Fire, Golden, Green, Super Hiro
I order very seriously sweet, cured, black cod miso;
Hot laquered, pork shortribs; Try that, Rachel ray, yum oh!
Try not to order David’s Crisp and Angry Lobster
Win Oregon Lotto and order like a rockstar
She was suppose to buy you tekka maki with your money
She went to the office got orders with your money
She walking around looking like Bill Gates with your money
Should of got that insured got GEICO for your money
If you ain’t no punk holla ‘who is Kanpai?!’
Who is Kanpai?! Yeah
It's something that you need to have
'Cause when you’re hungry for tasty, with class
Dragon rolls, dragon rolls
You order a dragon roll and think it needs something more?!

Chorus:
(She gives me sushi)
Now I ain't sayin' Deep’s Goldfinger (When I'm in Need)
But she ain't messin' with no mountain interior
(She gives me sushi)
Now I ain't sayin' Deep’s Goldfinger (When I'm in need)
But she ain't messin' with no mountain interior
Get down girl go head get down (Deep su-she-ee)
Get down girl go head get down (Deep su-she-ee)
Get down girl go head get down (Deep su-she-ee)
Get down girl go head

Verse 3:
Now I ain't saying Deep’s Goldfinger, Deep su-she-ee
You don't want your sushi served day old like some dives
You got out to eat and you got bad food and bad vibes?!
Bend has got to learn; we move here for quality lives
But while you all missing culture
Jody made it possible get good food no culture lacking
He got that ambition baby look in his eyes
This week Merenda, Deep; next week it's the Thai’s?!
So, stick by his side
I know Bend’s small but growing up fast
And they gonna keep going to Portland
But you have a choice
Go to Deep and give your local businesses a voice

Get down girl go head get down
Get down girl go head get down
Get down girl go head get down
get down girl go head

[“Ode to Deep” original lines written by Arlene Spencer]

Kanpai - Bend Oregon

Kanpai

I know that Kanpai has taken a back seat to deep in the minds of many Bendites and I can totally understand why. In my opinion, there is not a great Japanese restaurant in Bend yet and we're still not there. In the past, Kanpai had horrible customer service and I was one of those that received horrid service on my first visit.

But since we love Japanese food we find ourselves going back from time to time....mainly for happy hour. It has been a long time since we received sub par service. In fact, we've really enjoyed the service, portions, and quality at Kanpai in the last year.

We still order off the specials menu and try to stick to happy hour since it's still rather spendy. I doubt you're going to ever find a Sushiland in Bend with how much seafood costs to ship in. I would rent out space above a Sushiland if they ever came to Bend. Mmmm I think I'll drive to Ptown this weekend.



Kanpai
990 NW Newport Ave.
Bend, OR 97701541-388-4636
http://www.kanpai-bend.com/

Blacksmith Restaurant is Closing until Dec

BEND, OR (October 23, 2007) - The Blacksmith Restaurant will be closed for renovations Sunday, October 28th through December 1st.

“We’ve been listening to our customers, and we’ve been hearing three things consistently,” said Gavin McMichael, Chef and co-owner of The Blacksmith Restaurant. “One, the bar isn’t big enough, two, the space for private dining and special events is limited, and finally, there needs to be a broader selection of lower price-point items on the menu to meet demand for casual dining options.”

During our month long closing, we will be making the following changes:

• New Private Dining and Event Room that will accommodate up to 50 people. The room will include a large flat panel for presentations and other events, as well as wireless internet.

• A dramatic new bar will be located in the main entry area with adjacent lounge. Features include cush bar stools, flat panel TVs to keep your eye on the game, and twelve new beers on tap.

• New menu options, including more small plates and taster plates, will make the menu more accessible to casual diners.

• New hours. The Blacksmith will be open for early and late-night happy hours and dining.

• Enhancements to the restaurant’s overall atmosphere and seating options.

“We are bringing something unique to Bend and I couldn’t be more excited,” said McMichael, adding, “We love it that many think of us for fine dining and special occasions, but obviously we’d like to have a broader appeal and see our guests more often, and we’re trying to make that happen.”

The Blacksmith is targeting December 1st for its re-opening. Please visit www.bendblacksmith.com for updates.

About The Blacksmith
Serving New Ranch Cuisine in the corner building on Greenwood Ave., The Blacksmith Restaurant upgrades American comfort food to sophisticated status. Now in its fourth year, the Bend favorite resides in an historic Blacksmith building restored to its original 1923 mystique. The restaurant's rustic elegance fuses old and new, perfectly complementing Texan Chef Gavin McMichael's cowboy-inspired cuisine.

Hong Kong Restaurant - Bend Oregon

Hong Kong Restaurant

A friend and I made it out to the Hong Kong Restaurant last week for lunch. It was my first ever visit to the HKR and I was looking forward to it. When we looked over the menu and then surveyed the buffet we opted for the all you can eat lunch buffet. I dared my friend to get the mashed potatoes. I'm still baffled as to why they have mashed potatoes sandwiched between the hot and sour soup and the crab puffs.

We both started with some hot and sour soup which was pretty good. Then we hit the buffet line twice.

For around $8 we were able to stuff ourselves with all sorts of Asian goodies from spring rolls to Mandarin chicken. I'd gladly go back to Hong Kong Restaurant again.

Hong Kong Restaurant
530 Se 3rd St
Bend, OR 97702
(541) 389-8880

Village Grill - Bend Oregon

Village Grill

I was actually on my way to Bistro POW (stupid name anyhow) when I found out that they are not open for lunch so I walked over to the Village Grill. I'm glad I did.

The word on the street is that the Village Grill has some hot ass wings. So I tried some of their honey BBQ as well as some of the hottest wings they have to offer.

Both were delicious but the hot wings were not as hot as I had heard. My companion (who can barely handle the spiciness of catsup) said that these wings were not as hot as the first time he tried them. The honey BBQ was like a meaty lollipop ... it was like candy is what I'm trying to say.

For lunch I was torn between the Village Burger and the Crispy Chicken Wrap. I settled for the burger and again, I think I chose correctly.

The Village Burger was awesome! Two quarter pounder patty's, bacon, thousand island dressing, and two types of cheese! Oh and the fries were great! They reminded me of the Ore-Ida Crispers. Dee-lish!

All this and a pint of Dead Guy Ale and I was ready for some serious nap time. I was also able to play some bar trivia on their new televised trivia system thingys. I won the first round and finished middle of the road on my second attempt. I like the little trivia games where you get to compete against others in the bar answering random questions as they come across the screen in between a ton of ads.

I just wish that they gave you an alcohol swab or something to wipe down those keypads. I don't like the idea of touching those things in between stuffing fries in my mouth.

Village Grill
1033 NW Bond
Bend, OR 97701
541-318-8578

Hottest Dog - Bend Oregon

The Hottest Dog

Oh mamma, hot dogs have to be one of my favorites other than Mexican Cuisine. My jobless friend joined me for some afternoon hot dogs at the aptly named The Hottest Dog before going to see a movie in the old mill.

After briefly looking over the menu on the wall we both went for the Coney - all beef hot dog topped with Coney Sauce (to me its chili but some think chili needs beans, so coney sauce is bean less chili if that makes sense to you), cheese and onions. Since I'm a ladies man, I opt out on the onions but my jobless friend does not...hmmm coincidence?

The Hottest Dog is awesome! I love the place thus far. I returned just the other day and ended up with the foot long Coney. I will be trying out the other dogs on the menu fo sho playah. And their fries are amazing. Crispy and thin, with enough salt to keep a junky like me happy.

My girl Laurie Rice (who doesn't know me) wrote a review on The Hottest Dog for the Source which I enjoyed. I'd recommend waiting until after you eat to read the review since she uses lines like "...membrane-encased meat wrapped in a squishy white bun..." and "Maybe Bendites are craving a messy tube of beef housed in a carb-laden bun."

Yeah, that's sexy. Can I get some extra membrane with mine?

The Hottest Dog
680 SW Powerhouse Dr. #1002
Bend OR 97701

Pumpkins from DD Ranch - Terrebonne Oregon

DD Ranch

If you haven't gone out to get your pumpkins yet, please allow me to recommend the DD Ranch. It has been a tradition of ours to head out to the DD Ranch to get our pumpkins for five years now. We love to go there mainly to buy some beef and pork chops and if we get there before the crowds do, it is very fun. We get to do some great people watching while we browse for the perfect pumpkin to carve up.

The prices are great and normally it is not overly crowded. Sure there is not a gigantic maze to navigate but there is still fun for the whole family. They have an area for the kids to play that only costs $3.50 per child with slides and zip lines galore. They have a petting zoo, hay rides, dig your own potatoes, and more.

Like I said, the main reason we go is for the burgers and hot dogs both of which are made from their naturally raised beef and pork. We had both:



Amazingly good. If the DD Ranch was within Bend city limits, I'd chalk these guys up for a nomination for the best burger. Without even trying any other burger in Terrebonne, I'd give the trophy to the DD Ranch.

The only thing I don't like about the DD Ranch is how the visitors hog all the damn wagons. At the ranch you can snag an old school wagon to pull in your pumpkins from the field. But many people grab their wagons but then take their kids into the kid zone or shop in the barn for wild flowers or whatnot.

Or there are the people that take a wagon, go get their pumpkins and then get some burgers or dogs while their wagon stays parked next to their table. Go pay for the pumpkins, put them in the car, then bring the wagon back for someone else.

I laughed when the wife and I were settling down at one of the picnic tables to eat our lunch AFTER I had paid for our pumpkins and put them in the car (returning the wagon to the front where it belongs) and I overheard this lady coming out of the kid zone saying "Great! Someone took our wagon...YEAH...It's GONE!"

HAHAHA that was the wife that jackmoved your wagon!! Great stuff right there boy. That's what you get for taking a wagon that you didn't intend to use right away. This is just like those people that go into a restaurant where you have to order at the register who snag a table even though they haven't even made it to the front of the line. You know what I mean?

Look, you are at the back of the line, you send your friend/kid/significant other to go grab a table. This is soooo wrong. What about the people in front of you? They are waiting to order and then grab a table. So what if by the time they order there are not any tables? Their food arrives and they have no where to sit....yet you haven't even ordered yet and you have a table waiting for you. We live in a society people!! Take your seat after you order and all will run smoothly as it should. Soba and the Downtowner patrons are the worst in this area.

DD Ranch
3836 NE Smith Rock Way
Terrebonne, Oregon 97760
http://www.ddranch.net/

Edamame Part ?

Edamame have infiltrated my base!!! I don't know what to do. The wife comes home with a 12 pack of edamame from Costco. The only good news is that it only cost $6. The bad news is that my frozen burritos got booted from the freezer. HELP!

Boiled soy beans are not good (DAVE). I don't care what you guys say. I stand by my previous statements / rants. You would not eat these if they were NOT called EDAMEME. You would definitely NOT pay $6 for a small bowl of these if they were called boiled soy beans. But, if you must, I highly recommend saving yourself $54 bucks and getting the 12 pack from Costco.


Mmmm microwaved soy beans....that's the American way, take something healthy and from another culture and figure out how to create a way to make them microwaveable so we can get them in our fat faces in 3 minutes instead of waiting to boil a pan of water. Not to mention how much more waste we are creating with 12 individually wrapped plastic containers....yeah, their so worth it.
Edamame is my Kryptonite.

Jackalope Grill Serving Special Oregon Bounty Prix Fixe Menu

During October and November, The Jackalope Grill is serving a special three-course Oregon Bounty Prix Fixe Menu pairing fresh, local ingredients with Oregon wines. Oregon Bounty is a two-month celebration of Oregon’s many culinary artisans and tasteful destinations. The Oregon Bounty dinner is $45, or $35 without wine.

The first course consists of a field salad of gathered greens, Rogue blue cheese, roasted Oregon hazelnuts and Champagne-Pear Vinaigrette served with Chehalem Pinot Noir.

The second course features grilled house-made German-style sausage, warm potato salad, pinot noir-braised red cabbage and Ingelhoffer mustard served withYamhill Pinot Noir.

The third course finishes with Oregon pear tatin with a Maragas Muscat wine reduction and homemade vanilla ice cream paired with Maragas Muscat Canelli.

The Jackalope Grill is located just off Reed Market road in the Scandia Plaza, 1245 SE Third St. (S. Hwy. 97) in Bend. Dinner is served beginning at 5:00 pm, Tuesday through Saturday. For reservations, call 541-318-8435 or visit http://www.thejackalopegrill.com/

For more about Oregon Bounty, go to http://www.traveloregon.com/Bounty.aspx

JCs Bar and Grill - Bend Oregon

JC's Bar and Grill

Word on the street is that when Drew is in town, he kicks it at JC's Bar and Grill. I don't mind busting since I'm sort of hoping that he'll hang out somewhere that I go more often. Sadly, I didn't see Mr. Bledsoe kicking it at JC's on my one visit.
I met some friends for lunch and they shared their stories of the few times they had patroned JC's. One friend talked about going there on St. Patty's day and JC's had run out of beer. I'm not a wiz kid but I know there are only two rules a bar needs to abide by on the greatest holiday of all time:

1 - Don't run out of beer
2 - Don't serve green beer

Green beer is stupid. Yeah, I said it. It is stupid and if you drink it, you're stupid.
On my visit to JC's, I went for the Grilled Chicken sandwich.

I wouldn't say that JC's serves the best food or best beer in town, it's ok. I'd like to go back and try it again to try something else maybe. But I'm usually sceptical about my meal when there is silverware but the food comes in a plastic basket. Weird. Fries were mediocre.

I know the picture doesn't look that good but that's what the food looked like. Sorry.

Drew, if you ever want to kick it, let me know.

JC's Bar and Grill
642 NW Franklin Ave
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 383-3000
http://www.myspace.com/jcsbend

Johnny Carino's - Bend Oregon

Johnny Carino's

Mmmmm mmmm some good old fashion Country Italian cuisine from Johnny Carino's. Grilled Chicken Parmesan Panini and chips:


I can honestly say that this was the best Chicken Parmesan Panini I've ever had. I can also say that it was the only one I've ever tried. It was not good at all. The chicken didn't seem like a chicken breast at all. Like it came out of a tube, formed into a breast shape, before being breaded and fried. The whole sandwich just tasted bland. Under seasoned and plain for sure.

The chips were horrible, down right horrid! The only enjoyment I received from the whole experience was watching the bartender try to figure out what he was doing...who, by the way, looked like Rocky Balboa. He was missing the hat and rubber bouncy ball but the hair was spot on. Yo Adrian, your chicken parm sucks!

Does anyone enjoy Johnny Carino's? Let me know.

Johnny Carino's
63455 North Highway 97
Suite 118
Bend, OR 97701

(541) 318-6300 Phone
(541) 318-5080 Fax
(541) 318-6300 Curbside
http://www.carinos.com/

Sumi's - Bend Oregon

Sumi's Japanese Restaurant

The wife and I have been dying to get over to Sumi's Japanese Restaurant which is located in the old Zucca / Mercury Diner building. Sumi used to own Kushinbo Kitchen downtown and has now opened up a more formal restaurant with metal utensils. We love Japanese food and were excited to see that there will finally be something good in that building.

We made it for lunch a couple weeks ago and got a chance to talk to Sumi about the big change from downtown to College Way. She talked about the soft opening and the pains of getting everything up and running. So if you visited early on and thought the service was lacking, give em another chance as they have been working hard to work out the kinks.

The menu items at Sumi's are pretty much the same as they were at Kushinbo's but twice as expensive. Plus now there is a make your own sushi rolls menu, sides, and appetizers. We tried the edemame (or boiled soy beans), oshitashi (spinach salad), and the agedofu (fried tofu). The appetizers were fairly small but were delicious (aside from the boiled soy beans which are never good).

We also decided on a sushi roll. You get to choose the ingredients you want from the menu. I'm not sure how I feel about this. Maybe its a good idea but I'd also prefer to have some recommended rolls on the menu that have all the tried and tested combinations. We went with some Unagi (eel) and avocado and some other stuff I can't remember.

It was good but damn if $9.50 ain't insanely expensive for six pieces, four of which were paper thin.

The wife got the Tonkatsu Donburi which was amazingly good. The Yakisoba was excellent but again, I have to mention the price. What I used to pay $7 for is now $12.95. Of course now I get to sit in a nice restaurant with great service, and drink liquor! Sumi's does have a full bar which is a huge improvement. I went for my beverage of choice for Japanese Cuisine, the Hot Sake.

Sumi's is good and as they get more and more help, its just going to get better. All in all, its great food and I will definitely go back...or at least I'll get some dishes to go.

Neat little tidbit about the new logo for Sumi's, the Hiragana reads Kushinbo...at least according to the wife...she thinks she's soooo cool.

Sumi's Japanese Restaurant
1444 NW College Way, Suite 1
Bend Oregon
http://www.sumisrestaurant.com/

Kasey's BBQ - Bend Oregon

Kasey's BBQ

Kasey's Texas Style BBQ has been promoting itself on the radio a lot over the last few months. I saw their booth at the Bend Oregon Beer Fest and had to ask them why. They said that there are new owners and they have some big plans.

I convinced my BBQ loving friend from Texas to go back to Kasey's BBQ with me again. The first time we went, I ended up buying his meal since I was embarrased that I recommended trying it. This time he was on his own.

Still, I would have paid for his meal if we didn't have to pay up front...it has not improved much. Two things that have improved greatly are:

- the silver dollar potatoes which were crispy on the outside and not crispy on the inside

- the BBQ sauce. Kasey's BBQ Sauce is delicious. Both their mild and the spicy were amazingly good and I'd buy a bottle of it if I could.

Now for the bad news, I would not recommend Kasey's BBQ to anyone looking for good BBQ. If you prefer dried out meat, beef ribs that are so tough you can't rip the meat from the bone, then Kasey's is for you.




I chose the sampler platter so I could try everything they have to offer. Beef brisket, beef ribs, pork ribs, pork loin, turkey, chicken, and two sides. I selected the baked beans and mashed potatoes wif gravy. No mashers available for lunch so I ended up with the silver dollar potatoes which I was very pleased with.

While I was waiting for my meal I noticed one of the workers go to the back to retrieve my beef rib, throw it on the grill and resauce it. Didn't seem like it was right out of the smoker but oh well. When I bit into it, I tasted fat, then tough, tough meat that I could barely rip free. Then I chewed on it for a while like it was a piece of Taco (octopus) from a cheap sushi bar.

Next I tried the brisket which was sliced so thin, no way it would be tough. And it wasn't, but it was dried out. The smokiness was lacking on all of the meat I sampled and the brisket was no different. I enjoyed dipping the brisket into the spicy BBQ sauce though. Made it much better.

The pork loin and the turkey were almost too similar aside that there was slightly more mosture in the turkey meat than the pork loin. Other than that, they were both unimpressive.

The pork ribs were horrid just like the beef ribs. Tough and dry don't fly.

And finally I tried the chicken breast. I tore it open to get into the flesh without the fatty, grey skin and bit into the breast...dry, flavorless meat. I didn't take a second bite.

Well, I left confused as to why Kasey's BBQ could even get honorable mention in the Source's Best Of 2007 but I'm often confused about many things. I will not be heading back to Kasey's anytime soon, but feel free to give it a go and let me know what you think.

Kasey's Texas Style Bar-B-Q
304 SE 3rd St
Bend, OR 97702
541-389-0830
http://kaseysbbq.com/