CO Blogger Meet Up 2008 part B

CO Blogger Meet Up 2008 part B

http://www.cowpu.com/2008/04/central-oregon-blogger-meet-up-take-two.html

"Wednesday, April 30, 5:30ish at the Summit, Downtown Bend
To RSVP visit this event's page on Upcoming and click "I'm Going!", leave a comment, or email me at jenblackledge at gmail.com

The first blogger meetup was a big success! Since then there's been a lot of growth and new folks have popped up in our local "blogosphere". Meetups like this are a nice chance for all of us to gather, unwind, and put some faces together with the blogs.

This event is primarily intended for bloggers who wish to meet other bloggers. If you don't have a blog, then this may not be the get-together for you. So, if you just can't stand not being there and don't already have a blog... what are you waiting for?!"

Free Cone Day - Ben and Jerry's

"The Prineville Princess", my friend who for some reason lives in Prineville, informed me that today is the Free Cone Day at Ben and Jerry's. I guess that's big news in Prineville. Since the closest Ben & Jerry's to Prineville is Bend, I'd recommend avoiding South 97 if at all possible today.

I can totally see 1000's of RVs, trackers, and horse trailers making the drive from Prineville and Redmond today to hit up our Ben and Jerry's. Then on the way home they'll stop in that Mega Walmart Stadium Campus to stock up on recently dropped prices of lawn ornaments and water toys.


Get your Free On!!

Ben & Jerry's Bend
Old Mill District at Riverbend
Bend, OR 97702
541-312-8115
http://www.benjerry.com/

Super Burrito - Bend Oregon

Super Burrito

My friend went to the new Super Burrito before I got the opportunity and he said "I don't think they're going to make it there. How can they keep that location busy?" Well, when I went for lunch late last week and there was a line out the door and every table was filled. What do you have to say now Lucas?

I visited the old location a couple of times and had mixed results. The new location appears to be much cleaner and the food seemed to taste better. I had the carnitas burrito and some taquitos. But since photos of burritos never work out for me, I took a pic of my friend's carnitas tacos.




I was truly amazed by all the customers and loyal followers that Super Burrito has and had on the day that I visited. The CarniBORes LOVE Super Burrito. Even with as busy as it was, my food only took a few minutes to get there. Plus it was 50% off day which I didn't know about. I spent $5 on my burrito, taquitos, and a soda. What a great deal!

The burrito was packed with meat, beans, cheese, and a medley of onions and tomatoes. On every other bite I squeezed on a little of their hot sauce into the mix. I love their hot sauce. I'll be back fo sho!

Super Burrito
1133 NW Wall St, Ste 101,
Bend Oregon, 97701

BOR BASH Vol 1 Episode 2

I received the following comment on my eloquent review of deep, the modern Japanese style restaurant in downtown Bend Oregon. Please read and take notes, your comments on this comment are welcome.

"deep is quite overpriced, if you ask me. Check out some of the better sushi places in Seattle, and you can feed 4 people for around $100 there, or you can spend $200 at deep. The fish isn't as fresh, either, as it spends an extra 12-24 hours to get down here, instead of being fresh off the plane from Japan. Also, anything labeled "Kobe beef" probably isn't (having been to Kobe and had real Kobe beef, which starts at $50-90 per pound, I haven't had anything here that would remotely compare, or that is legitimately Kobe beef). I recommend Kisaku for great sushi in Seattle. I guess deep is trendy for non-traveled locals who don't know any better, but deep is a poor imitation of real sushi (we go to Japan once a year, and the $1 per plate conveyor belt sushi place over there is better than deep. The "good" sushi places are unreal: some of the fish is still swimming in a tank when you order it, or at worst, was caught that afternoon). Save your $ and plan a trip to Japan for real fish"

This is some of the best commentary and advice I have ever received. Starting off complaining about how over priced Deep is but your advice is to either drive 14 hours round trip to Seattle or fly to Japan. When you add in the cost of gas or flights, hotel stay, and taking time off of work, is Deep really that overpriced?

If you haven't noticed, Bend is in CENTRAL OREGON. We are not near a Salmon filled river or next to the ocean for some fresh Tuna. Should the Bend Oregon sushi restaurants serve up Nigiri Trout or Bass Hand Rolls in order to keep the non-traveling locals happy with fresh fish?

One of my favorite lines from your comment is "The fish isn't as fresh, either, as it spends an extra 12-24 hours to get down here, instead of being fresh off the plane from Japan." HAHAHA fresh off the plane from Japan!!! All that fish in the Pike's Place FISH MARKETs where the guys throw them back and forth are all fresh off that plane from Japan? You know Seattle has a port, where boats bring in fish right from the Pacific ocean. I mean did the Pacific run out of fish? The Ocean called, they're running out of shrimp.

Fresh fish from a plane....wow. Are there fish tanks on this fish packin plane? What if there was turbulence? Sounds like a Tyler Perry movie in the making. Big Momma's Fish on a Mother Effin Plane. Sammy Jackson could just combo up his roll when the shark bit his head off and Snakes on a Plane.

Look Sporty Spice, this is the Bend Oregon Restaurants Blog, not the "Sushi fresh off the Japanese Airlines in Seattle WA Restaurants" blog.

"we go to Japan once a year, and the $1 per plate conveyor belt sushi place over there is better than deep."

I've had Conveyor Belt Sushi before, tasted like rubber and was very tough.

So basically your whole comment is summed up with "for good sushi, go to Seattle or Japan." I guess I can agree with that. I mean I've been complaining that the hot dogs in Bend are overpriced. The wife and I fly to Germany every other weekend and the brats for $1 are amazing and still on the pig or at least cut that day.

Buffalo wings are not even fresh here. I mean there's no way that the chickens can be fresh after coming all the way from Buffalo, NY. Save your $7.95 for a trip to NY.

When Brewerman and I were cracking up over your comment, he came up with "If you want good coffee, Thump is OK, but the beans aren't fresh. Portland has some decent places, but better yet, go to Columbia. We go every year and our beans are picked by Juan Valdez himself. He even lets the kids ride the burro!"

If you want pizza, Pizza Mondo is decent but overpriced. You should try the places in Denver, the higher elevation makes for even thinner crust. Or better yet, go to NY for a real pie or even Italy where they don't make it American style...who the hell do they think they are? Now THAT's pizza, we go 3 times a year.

Don't eat the food that you like within walking/driving distance from your house...no no, instead, save your money by not going to the overpriced meals in CO so you can fly to an overpriced Japan for cheap, fresh sushi. Makes perfect sense to me.

To all my loyal CarniBORes, please feel free to post your comments. I'll even take comments from you HerbiBORes. You know you're a tool when a hippy makes fun of you. That's like getting a Canadian to cuss you ooot.

And since you asked, I think Kobe beef from Kobe, Japan is overpriced. Try Redmond, Oregon: http://www.kobe-beef.com/.

You've been BORed!

Food News - April 25, 2008

Bend Oregon Food Related News - April 25, 2008

Well the most important news was that I celebrated my BORthday this week. Birthday's during the week are sort of lame. I try to celebrate the whole week but that didn't work out. So I started my day with a couple treats from Nancy P's. Had lunch at Country Catering. Then played video games in my new video gaming chair until dinner at The Jackalope Grill.

Reviews will be coming out next week.

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Jake's Diner's Grand Opening

Lyle must be swamped over there at Jake's Diner with the Let's Make a Space redesign since he hasn't posted an update since Day 1 of the redesign. Tomorrow, April 26th, is the big day where they unveal the new digs. All proceeds for from the day long celebration will go to the new kitchen at the Bend Community Center. All profits for the day will be turned over to the Center with Andy and the LMAS crew matching their give. Other businesses chipping in to assist include Wood Awakening, Hardwood Industries, Steve Newman Custom Wood Furnishings, and Franz Bakery.

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Art walk is next Friday so I'm sure I'll get my normal announcement for Thump and bistro corlise by Friday. But for now all I received was the announcment from The Speedshop Deli:

In the upcoming Art Walk in Downtown on May 2nd, one of Bend's newest businesses will be featuring a local preschool's Art on Canvas.

Bend Montessori School's 3 thru 6 year old students have been working hard at putting their imagination on to canvas and they will be ready to be showcased at
The Speedshop on May 2nd. "They are coming together beautifully" says the students teacher, Ms. Robin. The colors are vibrant and the innocence of these preschoolers is showing through!

The Speedshop is a moto inspired store with clothing downstairs and a gourmet Deli in the upstairs loft. A welcome change and fun combination to hit downtown. The Speedshop is located at 805 NW Wall St. Come in to see the work of these artists of our future!!

www.bendspeedshop.com

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Happy BORthday to Me!

It is my Birthday today and I'm not sure what's in store for me culinarily speaking. I've given advice to a few people on what I'd recommend for a birthday dinner based on the little information given and what not.

However, going out to eat as much as I do, I tend to not know what I'm in the mood for when trying to decide on which restaurant to visit. If you have any advice or recommendations for lunch or dinner, please feel free to let me know.

I just got back from Nancy P's so my day has started out nicely.

Your Starving Moderator,

-BOR

Richard's Donuts - Bend Oregon

Richards Donuts & Pastries

On my nominations for Gusto's "Best of" list, Jake disagreed with my Best Donut suggestion. He said "Doughnuts: Sweethearts has NOTHING on Richard's Doughnuts. Those things are like crack."

Righard's Donuts are like crack! Not that I've had much crack lately...I'm more of a Black Tar kind of guy. I went out of my way Sunday morning to find Richard's on Hwy 97. I selected a mixed dozen as well as a dozen donut holes.



The donut holes are a steal at $1.75 for a dozen. You can polish off a dozen of these bad boys over a cup of joe. These little nuggets of pure heaven are the closest thing to a Krispy Kreme donut that I've ever come across. They just melted in my mouth.

The rest of the donuts were very good. The dough was light and the frostings were perfectly sweetened. Yummy all around. I will agree with Jake, Richard's has some killer donuts. However, I did pay about twice as much as I did at Sweethearts.

Now that I've tried Richard's, I'll have to give Sweethearts another go in order to compare more accurately.

Richard's Donuts & Pastries
61419 S. Hwy 97 Suite T
Bend Oregon 97702
541-385-3310

Bubble Tea

Bubble Tea ... sigh. Another fad that I can not endorse, but the wife loves it.

"I took the large straw out of its sheath and plunged it into my blueberry and lavender bubble tea breaking through the thin plastic wrap lid. Placing the straw to my lips I sucked the large Pearl Tapioca balls into my mouth. The squishy balls rolling around in my mouth was an awkward sensation at first but then as my tongue worked them over, the feeling began to grow on me."

That snippet was taken from my new book on Bend Oregon Restaurants. Its a romantic story of one guys journey from Milan to Minsk that will be on the shelves in the check out line next to the books with the hunky Fabio looking dude on the cover. Reserve your copies today at Amazon.

Bubble Tea is one of the stupidest things you can buy and drink/eat that I have ever heard of. Almost as stupid at edamame. I mean I experimented a little back in college but now that I'm a grown man, I'm done with squishy balls of tapioca in my mouth. That stuff has the consistency of pre-chew bubble gum. I did not like it.

Bubble Tea, Pearl Tea, Boba Tea, whatever. Silly I tells ya. You kids these days with your Bubbles in the Teas. You have green, black, white teas, you have loose leaf, bags, hot, iced and so on. In my day, we had one kind of tea...TEA. It was hot and you drank it. Helped fight off scurvy. You said "I'll have some tea please" and they brought you some hot water with a tea bag. You didn't know what it was, you didn't want to know what it was.

I guess you can say that I'm not a fan. I don't really care for iced tea unless it has a few shots of Maker's Mark in it. Seriously, during the Summer there is nothing better than a pint glass filled with ice, then mix half and half of Lipton's Sweetened Iced Tea and Maker's Mark bourbon. I call it the Mark Lipton. Sooooo good!!

If you don't care what I think and still want some Bubble Tea in Bend Oregon you have two options. Townshends by Great Harvest or Balay by Pine Tavern.

Food News - April 18, 2008

Food News - April 18, 2008

BOR BASH Vol 1 was a success in my mind but I'm on the fence about doing it again. I write honest reviews of the meal that I pay for at a restaurant and don't ask for anything in return aside for supporting my sponsors so I can donate the revenue to charity. I take on quite a few insults from people that disagree with my opinion. I can only take so much before my fingers turn into 10 individual incredible Hulks and release the rage.

Speaking of NeighborImpact, I have finally received payment after quite a bit back and forth with AdWords so I'll be able to send that money to them asap.

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Visitor counts to the Bend Oregon Restaurants site jumped this week as Google ranked my edamame post fourth in the search results when searching for "edamame". This is hilarious to me since that post is very anti edamame. Take that you boiled soy bean lovers.

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Jake’s Diner and Let’s Make A Space will be partnering with Bend Community Center to raise money for the center.

On Monday, April 21st, Jake’s Diner will be turning over it’s main dining area to the Let’s Make A Space crew for a complete room makeover.

After 5 days, on Saturday, April 26th, the new dining area will be revealed and a day long celebration will commence to raise money for the new kitchen at the Bend Community Center. All profits for the day will be turned over to the Center with Andy and the LMAS crew matching their give. Other businesses chipping in to assist include Wood Awakening, Hardwood Industries, Steve Newman Custom Wood Furnishings, and Franz Bakery.

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Big Island Kona Mix Plate has a newish website. After an short email exchange I learned that they will be getting rid of the Styrofoam containers for reusable flat wear. That is great news.

Aloha Web

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Gusto Magazine is accepting your votes for Bend's Best of 2008.

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Jenna Bush had some new ranch cuisine at the Blacksmith while visiting Bend on a book tour.

Click here for more Bush

"According to Chef Gavin McMichael, he and Bush chatted briefly about their shared connection to the Lone Star State and mutual affection for Austin."

I LOVE 6th Street!

The Blacksmith is also doing another wine tasting next Wednesday:

Next week, The Blacksmith's Wednesday after-work Wine Tasting features wines from Woodward Canyon, a Washington winery located in the Columbia Valley. A representative from Woodward Canyon will be on site to pour and discuss Woodward Canyon wines. The winery is known for Cabernet Sauvignon.

Background:
The Blacksmith Restaurant has started Wednesday Tastings after work, and each month spotlights a different beverage. During April, Kevin Gilman, the Blacksmith's sommelier, will host Wednesday Wine Tastings. Cost is $10 to taste approximately eight wines, and every week will feature different vineyards, varietals, vertical tastings and other fun ways to experience the beauty of the bottle.

Kevin Gilman is general manager at The Blacksmith Restaurant and a certified second-level sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers. The Blacksmith Restaurant is nationally know for Chef Gavin McMichael's New Ranch Cuisine. A recent renovation includes a new lounge and full bar, designed in backlit alabaster. The Blacksmith is located in downtown Bend in the historic Pearson Blacksmith Building, 211 NW Greenwood Avenue. For reservations and info, visit www.bendblacksmith.com or call 541.318.0588.

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Another food review by the Minkz in a new segment called Foodies Four. Get some photos going grl!

Foodies Four

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Speedshop Deli's Friday Special:

A Fresh Baby Spinach Salad
tossed in a creamy Gorgonzola Cheese Dressing with Roasted Turkey Breast, sprinkled with Dried Cranberries and Toasted Almond Slivers

Today's Soup is:
New England Clam Chowder

Gusto Magazine's Best of Bend 2008 Ballot

Gusto Magazine's Best of Bend 2008 Ballot

Gusto is asking for people to fill out their Awards ballot. I have never been shy about saying that I think these types of polls are silly especially this early in the year but what do I know. The form that Gusto has online seems easily manipulated since you don't have to login or create a profile or anything. Any restaurant can get their psycho fan base (who goes off on you if you say their portion size is small even though you said the quality of food is great) to submit their restaurant over and over. I could fill this form out as many times as I like. But they don't want you to.

The survey questions at the top of the page include a question:

"Where do you go first to get your dining info?"

The Bend Oregon Restaurants Blog is not listed as an option. You KNOW I should be listed in there. I emailed them and it was explained that the options are print publications. I'll accept that. I know I'm dominating the interwebs anyhow.

Anyway, at the bottom of this post I'm providing the link to visit Gusto and fill out the form. But first I want to force you to read my suggestions. This way you can simply copy and paste my answers since I am right. I'm always right. Accept it.

Please Indicate Your Favorites in the Following Categories:

Asian - Bruce Lee. Favorite Asian is a broad category but I'd go with deep, Kanpai, or the newcomer Bo Restobar (yes, over Typhoon).

Bar - I'm going assume this mean that hard alcohol is served instead of just beers. There are plenty of options but currently, my favorite bar is the Blacksmith.

Bar Food - Blacksmith HANDS DOWN. That Bar menu is insane and all top shelf ingredients. They need to update their online menu cause they've added quite a few more dishes to their bar menu.

BBQ - I can't believe that this is still a category. I bet Kasey's BBQ still gets honorable mention. Even when they aren't being robbed at gun point, they still couldn't smoke flesh worth a damn. Baldy's BBQ is the ONLY BBQ in town. Sure there are catering companies that will tow their smoker around and provide pulled pork for your shotgun wedding but if you want BBQ any day of the week, its Baldy's and everyone knows it.

Best Sports Bar/Restaurants - Village Grill is pretty sweet even though they didn't buy the NCAA sports package. TVs every where and they are willing to switch channels if you ask. Plus they are smoke free which is great.

Best Sub Sandwich - I do like the Downtowner which will most likely win with NY Sub Shop coming in second BUT you are all fools if you don't go to the Speedshop Deli which is literally sandwiched between Pizza Mondo and El Jimador. I'm still perfecting my "sangwich" which is a work in progress. Turkey, gabagool, pepper jack, olive tapenade, lettuce, nuke pickles, nuke sauce, and 6th gear of nuke past on an Italian roll. More on that later next week.

Breakfast - Jake's Diner

Brunch - I've never been to a brunch in Bend.

Burger - Dandy's, just had one today and they're still grubbin.

Catering - How many catering companies dose the average Bendite have the experience with? Are we qualified to vote on this? I hear that Han's is now a catering company. Does that count?

Chef - Dr. Juri Spandati from Spandati Personal Chef Services. Sure there are great chefs in town but how do you pick one? Does that chef get credit for dishes that he/she created yet didn't personally make while you were visiting? I guess so. But I like Dr. Juri because he personally made everything that I had on that glorious evening and I watched it happen. How cool is that?

Cocktails - Well, since Best Bar went to the Blacksmith, how can I select somewhere else for best cocktail? That's part of being best Bar.

Coffee House - Starbucks. I mean, they've done so well for so long...all other coffee houses strive to be bought be Starbucks. Trust me, they do. Honestly, I like the one with free wifi.

Culinary Event - The beer dinners at Deschutes Mountain room.

Cup of Coffee - More coffee? If you like coffee this much, it might be time to cut back. It's a drug maaaaaan, get off the bean!

Deli - The Speedshop Deli is a deli. Not rocket surgery here.

Dessert - Hurricane's. I said it before, it really is great for dessert after a nice dinner at Baldy's or Baltazar's.

Doughnuts - Sweetheart Donuts.

Drive Thru Coffee Location - Oh man, if you want to say "best drive up coffee hut" than just say it, otherwise the winner is clearly Starbucks by Safeway on the west side. Just give in, Starbucks is it baby.

Espresso - OMG WTF DSE (double shot espresso) More coffee? There isn't a difference. It all tastes bad. Just get yourself some Coffee Mate's French Vanilla creamer and a tall drip and drink it. It is NOT that serious. But if you like it, you like it.

Family Dining - El Caporal pleases everyone.

Fine Dining - The Jackalope Grill, The Blacksmith, Zydeco. Can't go wrong. bistro corlise is in the running as well but so new.

Food Presentation - The Jackalope Grill, The Blacksmith, Zydeco. Can't go wrong. bistro corlise is in the running as well but so new. Hola has some nice presentations as well, they could easily win this one.

Grocery Store/Market - The one with the best products at the lowest prices.

Happy Hour - Blacksmith, hands down!

Italian - Spandati Personal Chef Services. Until you try it, be quiet and trust me. I swear, the next person that says Staccato is Italian is getting slapped across the back of their neck. It aint.

Late Night Dining - I eat the early bird special and am in bed by 8pm normally. I don't really know this one. I don't even know how late anything is open in Bend. I know when I moved here, wasn't crap open past 10pm. I think I got used to that.
Local Brewery - Durrrr. OK tourists and new residents, if you haven't given BBC a try, then I suggest cutting the tourist umbilical cord and give it a go. You've been here for 2 years now, time to branch out there SoCal.

Lunch - Toomies. For $5.95 (and that's not counting the lunch special for $4.50) you get salad, rice, phad thai, and your main dish.

Margaritas - Hola, La Rosa, El Caporal...doesn't matter, they're all the same.

Mexican - Hola, La Rosa, El Caporal...doesn't matter, they're all the same.

Milkshake - Dandy's until they close and then Goodies.

Most Dependable/Consistent - I don't like this category. All the places that I go regularly are consistent, that's why I go back. I'm sure you're the same with all the places you go. If you like it, it's good.

NW Cuisine - Seafood, yeah its Anthony's. I was not pleased with Bend Fish Company lately but I know you'll all vote for them and High Tides. The latter is actually pretty good but I've only had their deep fried fish so I can't say just yet.

Pancakes - Jake's.

Pastries - How's that different than donuts or desserts? I don't know, Village Baker, Westside Bakery, Hurricane's?

Pizza - Pizza Mondo - Run lil Piggy RUNNNN

Place to Buy Meat/Butcher - Speedshop = Meat.

Place to Buy Wine - Costco

Prineville Family Dining - Do they have a Chuck E Cheese? If not, then don't they have that Super Walmart?

Prineville Fine Dining - HAHAHAHAHA seriously?!?!?!

Redmond Family Dining - Do they have a Chuck E Cheese? If not, then don't they have that Super Walmart?

Redmond Fine Dining - HAHAHAHAHA seriously?!?!?! (showing these lines to the wife while laughing so hard I'm crying she says in a serious voice "That's not nice, they have a nice place don't they?" HAHAHAHAHA I love it)

Restaurant for Kids - See "Family Dining"

Seafood - See NW Cuisine

Service - hmmmm do we just give it to McKay Cottage like last year? I still say Les Schwab has the best service and they count with their free beef and popcorn.

Sisters Family Dining - El Caporal

Sisters Fine Dining - Jen's Garden

Soups - Downtowner

Steak - The Jackalope Grill or Blacksmith...take your pick.

Sunriver Family Dining - No idea

Sunriver Fine Dining - No idea

Sushi - Kanpai Happy Hour. Bend has not had good sushi at a fair price since Don Don bailed on us. So I go to Kanpai for happy hour. You can afford it and it is very good.

Thai - Angel Thai Cuisine.

Value - Everyone has their own price. I like...surprise....El Caporal.

Wine List - Jackalope Grill, Blacksmith, bistro corlise are all places that I've seen the wine list...are they good? I guess. I vote for Costco!!!

Vote Here

Riley's Market - Bend Oregon

Recently I grabbed a breakfast burrito from Riley's Market over in the NW Crossing Town Center. My friend always wants to stop there for these pita chips that are dusted with Cinnamon and sugar. Another friend swears by their cuts of steak.

I stopped in to pick up a copy of the new parenting magazine - True North Parenting and try a breakfast burrito.


The magazine made for great reading material while eating my burrito. Riley's Market makes their burritos the night before using a tortilla type wrap made by the folks at Kebaba. They steam up the burritos and send you one your way for $5.50.



The burrito was pretty good. The addition of the country potatoes was a nice touch and made the burrito quite filling. The thicker wrap from Kebaba was a nice touch. However, for the same money, I think I'd rather get a burrito at Longboard Louie's thats made fresh and you can order whatever you like on it or spend the extra buck fifty for that delicious croissant from Makahna's Cafe.

I can see that Riley's has potential especially during the warmer months when people can sit outside and eat their breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Being right there in NW Crossing can't hurt much either. For those that live in that neighborhood, they have a nice little market to pick up whatever instead of having to drive down to Newport, Rays, or Safeway.

Riley's Market
2755 Crossing Drive
Bend Oregon 97701

http://www.rileysmarket.com/

BOR BASH Vol 1 Episode 1

BOR BASH Vol 1 Episode 1

Last night I received the following Anonymous comment on my bistro corlise review and it gave me an idea. Since people are stupid enough to post the most ridiculous drivel even though I moderate my comments, I figure its about time for me to do what I do best, make fun of these dipshits.

Now it may be stupid of me to open myself up for even more of these BOR Bashings but what do I care? I write for fun and making fun of morons is rather enjoyable. So instead of bashing this jacknut on the bistro corlise post which will take away from the stellar review that I wrote, I'll keep it separate in my new segment called BOR BASH.

Anyway, I recommend that you familiarize yourself with my bistro corlise post before reading the following Anonymous rant. I'll comment after the idiocracy.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "bistro corlise - Bend Oregon":

Hmmm,
Well the picture may not be good because you're too busy trying to be discreet about taking it! Your palate is like, um the bottom of a shoe with yesterdays gum stuck on it or better yet, a pattie left by a cow.

Lets see, main course, a silver grey for the lady, not sure what kind of fish that was, but hey, you must have been busy looking in the idiots guide to eating.

I am looking at your review of Bistro Colise and tally $50 without the silver grey at market price and I see wine too?! How do you get at your pricepoint of $73? HMMMMM. Are you comp worthy?

Your take on food is humorous at best and I cant believe you are taken as seriously as you are.

You are a self described non foody who loves wine from Costco, probably their own label because they actually have very good prices for the wines they carry, but so would any company that has sales revenue in the millions.

I'm "Bored" with BOR.

Your recent critiques of many restaurants leaves me to wonder, who are you? No, you are not a "comp' worthy guest at any restaurant except Mcdonalds, which by the way will "supersize' any selection that you want. Or Burger King, remember "Have it your way, Have it your way" was their theme back in the day.

Enough of my rant. If you choose to listen to this person instead of judging for yourself at any of the places that this faceless person has presented him/herself, then your palate is the same, tasteless.

Oh, yeah by the way, do you still need your one way ticket South!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Dear Anonymous,

Thank you for writing up a well thought out and constructed comment that has nothing to do with bistro corlise at all. I also appreciate the way in which you attempt to mimic my writing style...that part about Burger King really had me rolling. You're a riot! How do you do it..."have it your way" is pure gold!

In the post I explained that the photo wasn't very good because the colors were not vibrant, not that the photo itself was bad. I gave up being discreet with my photos a while ago. Once the food is in front of me, there isn't much the kitchen can do to make it better so I don't care if they see me taking the photos at all. Explain what this has to do with my palate.

I like my palate. I'm confused about this comment and your entire rant for that matter, the bistro corlise review was a favorable one. Why so angry? So you're bashing me on my palate which means you didn't like bistro corlise? I'm not sure I follow.

Idiots guide to eating!!! HAHAHA oh man you're a clever one. Did you get that out of your Idiots guide to blogging? All this negativity yet you don't bring any value to the post. Explain why my palate sucks. Other than your misunderstanding of simple addition, what don't you like about my reviews? I think you're just pissy because your co-workers at Walmart read my reviews on the Packard Bell P120 display model and laugh hysterically while you have to clean up aisle 4.

The pricepoint bit. I came up with $73 because that's how much the food cost you dipshit. Yes there is wine in the photo because I felt it made for a better photo. But since I didn't discuss the wines I didn't add them to the price of the dinner. And what is with the comp worthy crap? Did you comp me for this meal? No, then shut the hell up.

The comment about liking wines from Costco - I'm not sure how to take this. Are you insulting me? Should I feel bad that Costco's sales revenue is in the millions? Its like you're insulting me using the Metric System. I don't quite get it. Is 4 degrees Celsius hot or cold? Is it the temperature of the sun or do I need to put on a sweater? Oooooo Costco makes money and has wine - in your face dummy!

Another random comment about my palet. Let me get this straight, you're saying that if people listen to me, that their palate is the same as mine...tasteless? I'm not sure you know what a palate is. You can't catch a palate by listening to some one's opinion. I can hear you yelling out the broken screen door of your double wide to your shoeless kids playing with their favorite stick "Git in here and warsh your hands before dinner, we can afford you catching the palates again."

I love that you call me faceless while commenting Anonymously. That is always one of my favorites. And I love that you still haven't figured out that my post about moving south was an April Fools joke. Put your smock back on and get back to aisle 4.

"I'm "bored" with BOR" - That's right you are, cause you've just been BORed!! In "bor" FACE!

Your starving moderator,

Senior BORbash III

PS - I'm taken so seriously because you touch yourself.

---------------

I thought that went well but I received another Anonymous comment today and this person is claiming to be the original Anonymous commentor. I'm half thinking that this is a different person because this comment is a slightly clever while the original was ass. He must have been drinking the big barrels of wine from Costco last night while crafting the first comment.

I thought I had knocked him out in round one but he keeps coming back for more. So here we go with round two.

Since I've wasted enough time with this schmo, I'm going to just throw my comments in Italics throughout his comment instead of writing a whole new bit.

-BOR

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "BOR BASH Vol 1 Episode 1":

BOR Bash Vol 1 Episode 2

Amuse: I just finished my smoke break and my smock is back on. After my double shift at "Walmart" I was laughing so hard at your retort that I had to change my underwear. Lets clarify a couple of things.

First Course: Bistro Corlise is a wonderful place to eat, many of the places you comment on are worthy of trying for oneself. My rant is more towards your self proclamation of not being a foodie, so how can you make such comments about food and dining that are worth anything?

BOR SAYS - That's what bloggers do dummy. We're all self appointed experts in whatever we want to be. I say I'm a non-foodie because saying you're a foodie is stupid. What is a foodie? M-W says "a person having an avid interest in the latest food fads." That's exactly what I don't want to be, up on the latest food fads. I like what I like. NOT what you and you're foodie friends like. I represent a big majority of diners that like to go out and have a nice meal without all the stupid hype. I want a great meal at a great price.

I can make comments on anything I damn well want and it doesn't have to be worth anything to anybody. I'm not writing this for you. I don't get paid to do this, I donate the ad revenue to charity. So I get the liberty to write whatever I want and you can like it or not, I don't care.

Yeah you are right, I am not a blogger, (BOR interrupts - I never said you were) I do enjoy reading your depictions and critques and laugh myself silly as I touch myself (yeah right) I don't need to go to Makhanas cafe for titilating stimulation before going home and jumping on the wife and fantasizing about the hottie who served me. Oh, by the way, do you need your Viagra refilled? Since I work at Walmart I can get your perscription refilled.

BOR Says - You obviously haven't been to Makahna's. Viagra jokes? Don't get me started, don't EVEN get me started.

Main Course: Well, I just finished fixin the back porch screen so back to my story. Opinions are like a-holes, everybody has one and they all stink. I find it humorous to read your opinion of my opinion of you. Kind of looking in the mirror right? The wine comment was your self proclaimed wine cellar stocked with Costco wines. Am I insulting you? HMMMMMMMMMMM, I will leave that one for you to determine.

BOR Says - How is a wine cellar "self proclaimed?" Why even write the above paragraph? Nothing of value. You use my joke making fun of yourself and don't use it very well...plus you're not telling a story. Then you take an OLD ASS saying which basically is labeling your opinion as stinky too. Then you say that my opinion of your opinion of me is like looking in a mirror. No, it's more like reading lame comments and then making fun of the tool that wrote them. Your mirror sucks if that's what it looks like to you.

Finally, you don't even answer my damn question. Your original paragraph about Costco made no sense and this one doesn't either. Yes I buy wine from Costco. Get up off me.

The metric comment? let me review, ah yes, that must come from your comments on your experience at another relative new comer to Bend. Chow and your conjure about an open faced sandwich. (BOR's Confused here - "your conjure about" I don't think that's right) When I look at the pic, I see three halfs of bread which equates to almost two full pieces of bread. (BOR's Half Empty - Or it equates to almost one full piece of bread) It looks to me that they have chosen to present the dish a little different than other open faced sandwiches. (BOR Interrupts - THEN CALL IT SOMETHING ELSE. Call it an open faced half sandwich and I wouldn't have said a thing, I wouldn't have ordered it either but at least we'd all be happy) I cant attest to the portion size of the meal because I havent eaten there, you know workin here at the "Mart", I guess I can "supersize my big Mac right?

BOR Says - Thanks for taking the virtual time to review, ah yes, I did mention the metric system in my CHOW post but somehow I was able to expand on it, make it a little different, and it is still funny. Your math skills are improving, you can count three halves of bread (which according to you is almost two full slices - again thanks) on the plate in my CHOW review.

A sandwich normally contains two slices of bread with edible goodness between them. So if you have an open faced sandwich, that would be one slice of bread with food on top of it. CHOW had one half of a slice of bread with food on it and then another half of a slice of bread laid sort of on sort of off the food. THEN there was another slice of bread that came with the meal. So Watson, what can you deduce from that?

Since you haven't eaten there, why are you even saying anything? You don't know me but yet you felt the need to bash me and my palate, say I'm not "comp" worthy, bust on my photos cause I'm busy reading the "idiots guide to eating" all cause you are offended that a self proclaimed NON FOODIE has an opinion about food. I'll use a generic saying to help you understand, "Everyone has to eat." I have an opinion of the food that I eat and pay for, and I write about it. I write about my experience, not make shitty comments about you and your experiences on your blog.

Dessert: Yeah, I got it April fools joke, too bad, I was ready to give from my tax refund to help you leave our community, but oh, I forgot, I need to go git shoes for my chitlins sorry I cant throw you a party, but hey Costco even makes cakes so when you buy your next scuba tank of wine to go with your first course of spam, followed by an open faced sloppy joe and finished with a can of woop ass, take it from me, you can have your blog page, have your tasteless opinions of the community restaurants, enjoy your next sausage party at Deschutes and remember what Forest says, stupid is what stupid does

BOR Says - Really? One sentence?

Forrest (two Rs) quotes his mom twice in the movie using "Stupid is AS stupid does" but the original line was when talking to Jenny on the school bus and said "Momma says 'Stupid is as stupid do-es."

------------

You've been BORed again! Now I'm getting BORed with you. This case is closed.

-BOR

Food Events and News - April 11, 2008

Upcoming Food Events and News in Bend Oregon - April 11, 2008

Today marks the second Friday in a row that I'm posting some food events and news that were sent to me via email. I don't always have all of the information. If you know of an event or are hosting an event that you'd like to announce, shoot me an email with the details. You can let me know about a new restaurant fixin to open, a charitable event hosted by a restaurant and what not and I'll post it on the following Friday.

You can even let me know about any specials going on. Like Taco Del Mar's double stamp Mondays or 38 Degrees Tapas Tuesdays. I know that my favorite sandwich shop, Speedshop Deli has a Hot Pastrami sangwich that they are pushing every Wednesday.

It would be cool to have a compilation of daily specials that I can maintain here. Help me help you!

Here's the scoop on local happenings that I know of:

My boy HOC has a great post up about some wine samplings going on at The Jackalope Grill and The Blacksmith.

Check it and get your wine on!

----------------

Jake's Diner getting it's remodel on

The owner, Lyle (not Jake but he'll answer to Jake), has all the details listed on the Jake's Diner blog. Lyle is such a cool cat. Its amazing how much he gives back to the community.

"The diner will not be closed down during the five day makeover event. We will serve out of our back room and weather permitting, deck. On Saturday, April 26th, there will be a Revealing party and the main room will be reopened to the public. All profits for that day will be handed over to the Bend Community Kitchen and Let’s make a Space will be matching Jake’s give. It even looks like Kristi Miller might be on hand to pour some coffee and talk to the crowd. It should be a huge day."

I'm going to try my best to get out there for this one.

--------------

The Source Weekly published a Dine on a Dime section in this week's paper but I can't find it online yet. I was going to provide some commentary on a separate post with my opinions but I may not get around to it. Grab up a copy anyhow and give it a read...Hey, it's FREE!

http://www.tsweekly.com/

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Bistro Corlise Presents A Five-Course Journey Through German Border Country

(BEND, OR) Bistro Corlise’s Chef Jason Logan presents an evening of culinary delights from the Alsace region of France on Tuesday, April 22. Seating is limited to 16 for this special five-course meal paired with regional wines. Cost is $125 per person (gratuity included). For full menu and reservations, visit www.bistrocorlise.com or call 385-6979. Bistro Corlise is located downtown Bend at 916 NW Wall Street.

Full Press Release via -HOC

Dude, ad hoc is killin the restaurant PR on my blog. If you're a restaurant and you don't have someone handling your PR then you're just stupid. That's right, dumb.

Check out a couple of the folks that are smart enough to send me info (which is PR 101):

Harold Olaf Cecil
http://wordsideas.com/

Renee Davidson
http://www.grassrootspr.com/

-------------

I have some competition! Another Restaurant Review blog has popped up in Bend Oregon. So for all you punks that send me your nasty comments and emails (which I crack up at every time, keep em coming) now have someone else to annoy.

Bend's Underground Food Beat
"A wannabe food critic's ponderings about restaurant experiences in Bend, Oregon."
http://bendfoodbeat.blogspot.com/

Makahna's Cafe - Bend Oregon

Makahna's Cafe

On the west side of Bend there are a shit load of breakfast joints and coffee houses. Driving down Galveston recently I noticed a sign for Makahna's Cafe and Coffee house. It got me thinking of the last time that I went to a place called Makahna's (Trattoria) where Super Burrito is currently (or very soon to be) occupying. The service was hella slow and the food wasn't worth the money at all.

On this visit for a quick breakfast, my friend and I were greeted by a cutie behind the counter who discussed the menu and gave us the scoop on the place. Seriously, what's with the restaurants on Galveston? They only hire hotties. If you're a single fella or a hottie looking for work, I think Galveston is the place to be.

Anyhoo, I ordered a regular old breakfast sandwich for $6.95. A croissant with scrambled eggs, basil, cheese (I forgot what kind), and bacon with some Makahna's sauce that was like a ranch and honey mustard dressing combo.

Effing heaven -

Service was good, didn't take too long to get our breakfast and the scenery was nice. Seriously, good looking ladies like Makahna's cafe. There were women every where. I swear I'm going to be pissed if the next time I go in there its a sausagefest just like Monday nights at Deschutes pub.

For being the same owners of the old Makahna's, they've done very well with the new menu and location...and clientele if you know what I mean.

"Why do you always want to go get breakfast at Makahna's?" - The wife asks. BOR turns and winks to an imaginary camera off to the side.

"Loser" - she sighs.

Sucks that I don't have an address. I know they're on Galveston. I guess I'll have to go back for a business card. 'BOR turns and flashes a big thumbs up again the imaginary camera'

Makahna's Cafe
1227 Northwest Galveston Avenue
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 678-5750

Thanks for the addy Dave!

bistro corlise - Bend Oregon

bistro corlise

The wife and I went to bistro corlise for dinner and with the help of our awesome waitress, thoroughly enjoyed our entire evening. We sat down and viewed the small menu of starters, salads, and entrees to map out our plan for dinner. The wife and I like to make sure we get items that we can share. That way we can swap if something doesn't agree with one of us.

Then, she decided on the onion flan.

In my mind, I started thinking that she's mad at me or that I did something wrong. I can't think of something more unappetizing as an onion flan. But, since I can't tell her what to do:


tartre des allymes
onion flan, belgian endive 9.

We ate the whole thing...she ate most of it and really, really liked it. I had a few bites and liked it as well. It wasn't all oniony like I thought it would have been. You know what I mean. We think of a flan as what you get at Mexican restaurants for dessert, that runny, jiggly snot lookin thing. This was not like those at all.

Our waitress explained that this dish was more like a quiche than a flan so she decided to give it a try. We both agreed that this should be called a quiche instead of a flan. The wife says she'd go back just for that if it was a lunch item.

I only had a few bites since I was busy with my Wild Boar appetizer. Wild BOR appetizer. I'm a BOR you're a BOR wouldn't you like to be a BOR too? I'm a carniBORe.

sanglier braise
basque braised wild boar,
le puy lentils, celeriac 8.


Yup, that will work even though I have no idea what a sanlier braise is. I know the photo is not that great and the colors do not shine but for me, this is just want I want, meat and beans! Chef Logan is a fan of salt which agrees with me. I like my dishes heavily seasoned and bistro corlise does not hold back. My boar (or BOR) was very tender, it had the same texture as stew meat, and the lentils were grubbin. I enjoyed every bite.

After these two starters we wanted something on the lite side so we opted for the watercress salad.

la salade
watercress, goat cheese, golden beets, radish
champagne vinaigrette 7.

Unfortunately the photo did not come out but it was very good for a salad. The yellow beats were a great mix and the wife, who does not like beats at all, enjoyed them. She actually snagged the last couple before I could. Ok, that's way too much info on a flippin salad. On to the next course!

The wife had a tough time deciding between the duck breast and the fish special of the day. She finally settled on the fish. A silver grey fillet served over a bed of asparagus with a prosciutto reduction (the pork reduction means more salt).

poisson du jour
seasonal fish, daily preparation market price.


The skin was crispy and the meat was similar to a fatty tuna instead of being flaky like halibut. The jus was salty and delicious.

Now for my entree. I swear this menu item was right up my ally. Before looking at the bistro corlise website, I talked to my hippy friend who said "ask for the meat, meat, with a side of meat dish....they have it." I would not think that this French bistro would be catered to a meat lover like myself but sure enough, there was a entree just for me.

le veau goute
veal new york, veal sausage, veal sweetbread
potato dumpling, carrot 26.


I'm in heaven with my all meat entree. The medium rare veal went well with the potato dumplings. The best part was taking a little slice of all three veals for each bite. Yummy. There was not a scrap left on any of our plates especially this one.

The wife and I had a good chuckle over the name before I ordered it. With the combo of the all meat entree and Chef Logan's love of salt, le veau goute was quickly turned into le veau gout. My father in law has many gold sayings like "I'm gonna slosh this down real quick" in reference to his can of BER (cheap beer, so cheap they don't waste the extra ink on a second E) and my favorite via text message at inappropriate hours of the evening while he's kickin it at his local bar ... "my gout's acting up...too many hot dogs and pretzels today." I have very little understanding of the gout but I think it has something to do with too much meat, salt, beer, and lack of movement. I'm days away from calling the MD.

All in all, the dinner was insanely good and I will be going back to try the duck. I have some constructive criticism for Chef Logan that I hope this is taken as constructive.

First, I'd love to hear some French music or something to make the restaurant a little warmer. The restaurant is nice, I just think the ambiance could be upgraded a bit.

Second, I would like the idiot's guide to the menu. I've said it time and time again that I'm just your regular guy. So when faced with this French menu, it can be a little intimidating. We had to ask quite a few questions so we knew what exactly we were ordering and what to expect. Our waitress was so helpful and polite. She gladly answered our questions and gave her recommendations. We felt very comfortable asking about anything. At one point I asked "What about frogs"...do you know what she answered? (total Portland joke from back in the day)

Finally, I would like a wine pairing or recommendation for each entree. I didn't recognize many of the wines on the menu but I'm not really a wine guy. The wine shelf/cellar in my house contains mostly Costco red wines. They're my favorite. So when presented with the wine list I'm out of my element. I'd love to see a recommendation on a wine that will go well with each entree especially from a certified Sommelier by the International Sommelier Guild as Chef Logan is.

Obviously the wines that Chef Logan is stocking his shelves with are good, he knows what he's talking about. So all I need is for him to tell me which wine to sip on while I shovel fork full after fork full of food into my gullet.

For all of the above we only spent $73. That's a great deal for a great dinner out at a fine dining establishment in downtown Bend Oregon. When you get two starters, a salad and two entrees with this quality and for this price, you're doing alright. For the money I felt the portions were spot on and I'd gladly revisit bistro corlise.

On top of all that, you get to dine in Central Oregon at a fine dining restaurant rubbing elbows with locals wearing cowboy boots...seriously, that happened. Cowboy boots + fine dining French bistro = True Bend Oregon Dining.

bistro corlise
916 NW Wall St.
Bend OR 97701
http://www.bistrocorlise.com/

Upcoming Food Events - April 4, 2008

Upcoming Food Events - April 4, 2008

I hope this will be a pattern that I can post any upcoming food related events on every Friday. Unfortunately, I don't always have all of the information. If you know of an event or are hosting an event that you'd like to announce, shoot me an email with the details.

First up is my April Fools Joke. I know internet April Fools jokes are tired but I have to admit, I really enjoyed all the comments and the emails wishing me well. Turns out that there are a few people that actually read this silly blog.

I got quite a few of you, I was cracking up all day. We've been in Bend for quite a while now and we don't have any plans on leaving anytime soon.

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Jackalope Grill & Bend WineStyles Women’s Wine Dinner Menu Finalized

EVENT DATE: Monday, April 7, 5:30 pm

(BEND, OR) Chef Timothy Garling of the Jackalope Grill has finalized his special four-course wine dinner menu:

Women’s Wine Dinner Menu
Shrimp Cocktail
Oregon jumbo salad shrimp and Jackalope cocktail sauce, paired with Amaboka Chenin Blanc.

Artisan Pheasant Sausage
House-made pheasant and wild mushroom sausage served with a duck confit and barley risotto, paired with Mio Valpolicella.

Medallions of Pork Tenderloin
Dried plum and zinfandel sauce, poached dried plums, potato puree and haricots vertes. paired with Sandholt Zinfandel.

Orange Mousse
Chocolate-orange sauce and cookies, paired with Fiororange

Carol DelMonico, a certified life coach, and writer Linden Gross will speak briefly on how to slow down and take time for yourself. Cost is $60 per person. For reservations, please call WineStyles at 389-8889.
Seating is limited.

For more, visit http://www.jackalopegrill.com/ or call 318-8435. The Jackalope Grill is located just off Reed Market road in the Scandia Plaza, 1245 SE Third St. (S. Hwy. 97) in Bend.

:: ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Carol Delmonico is a Certified Life Coach and RN. She has studied Nonviolent Communication for four years and facilitates workshops and classes based on this model. She runs a successful coaching businesswhere she specializes in working with individuals who are ready to commit to living in balance with their personal values. Carol can be reached at 541-389-0831 or visit her website http://www.intobalancecoaching.com/.

Linden Gross is a national magazine journalist, bestselling writer and writing coach, who draws on her editing and writing background - as well as her experience with and love for teaching - when working with others. She specializes in helping people to express their truth and their story, and in the process to extend their writing abilities. She believes that we all have the ability to find the writer within.

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Art Hop: James Simmons’ Solo Acoustic Guitar - Open Late and Pouring Wine

April New Exhibit: Robert Johans’ Avis Lofts

Continuing in April: Artists Local 101 group show, Mark Bernahl's new "Wishes"


Thump Coffee welcomes spring with an exhibit of Avis Lofts. Tumalo-based artist and custom furniture designer Robert Johans elevates the humble, utilitarian birdhouse into the fine art realm. His designs are so sleek, modern and cool it makes one wish for wings simply to be able to live in his Avis Lofts.

“Modern homes for modern birds,” is how Johans describes his creations. “Avis Lofts are meticulously handcrafted birdhouses that render a whimsical nod to the classic design elements of modern architecture,” he says. “These boxes are ornithologically functional, and feature found, recycled, or sustainable materials and natural, non-toxic finishes. They’re just as beautiful on display indoors as in the backyard.”

For Art Hop on Friday, April 4 Thump Coffee will stay open until 9:00 pm, pouring complimentary wine and showcasing the guitar talents of Thump barista James Simmons. Though Simmons took up the instrument himself only a decade ago while in his 20s, music runs deep in his blood. His father Larry played for the Grand Ole Opry and toured with top country musicians, and grandfather Buddy, uncle Don and cousin Dean
are all professional musicians.

Simmons endlessly explores the possibilities of the guitar fretboard. When asked to describe his music, Simmons simply shrugs. “My friends describe my music as an eclectic mix of finger-style progressions interspersed with bluegrass-style flat picking.” His guitar heroes include father Larry Simmons, and such pioneers as Michael Hedges, Pierre Bensusan, Mike Marshall, Tony Rice, and Scott Huckabay.

Continuing in April will be a group exhibit by Artist Local 101, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting contemporary and outsider art. For many years the group has provided local artists who work “outside the box” with a vehicle for exhibiting their art, as well as a place to network with other artists. The show at Thump Coffee runs March through April and features a diverse representation of many artists affiliated with the organization, from the well established to newcomers. Artist Local 101 welcomes new members, and membership forms will be available at Thump.

Mark Bernhahl’s popular “Wishes” installation is hanging again, and customers are encouraged to continue creating wish planks to be rotated into the installation throughout the year.

Thump Coffee is located in downtown Bend at 25 NW Minnesota Ave. For details, visit http://www.thumpcoffee.com/ or call 388-0226.

--------------

Bistro Corlise Spring Art Hop Open House
Friday, April 4, 5-7pm
Complimentary wine and hors d'oevres.
Dinner reservations available after 7pm.

For reservations and info, visit http://www.bistrocorlise.com/ or call 385-6979.

Bistro Corlise is located downtown Bend at 916 NW Wall St.

Allyson's Kitchen Deli - Bend Oregon

Allyson's Kitchen Deli

I heard about a new deli in the Old Mill shopping center that had some amazing soup and wanted to go check it out. In the back of Allyson's Kitchen there is a small deli providing sandwiches and a couple soups as well as a nice dessert case.

All of the sandwiches sounded very nice and contained great ingredients like the roast beef with fresh mozzerella. I ordered the Turkey sandwich on sourdough with smoked guoda and a cup of their chicken noodle soup to go. The Turkey sandwich is my benchmark sandwich for any new place.

I was pretty pleased to see the little extras when I opened the bag. A nice pickle, a couple olives, and some bread for my soup. But that's about where my pleasure ended. While the soup tasted good, it was only 8 ounces and cost me $3.50. The sandwich was $6.95 and I would have much rather just bought a pound of turkey and made my own sandwich.


The turkey was of the same quality that you can buy in any prepackaged Hormel type sandwich meat in any deli case and the bread, regular, thin sourdough that was quite dry. I was not impressed with the sandwich or the soup for $10.45. Maybe I'm spoiled by the Boars Head meats piled high with some nuke paste/sauce at the Speedshop which I'm a big fan of.

Now this is not a knock on Allyson's Kitchen as a whole. I rather liked the store and will definitely go back to shop but I'll look elsewhere for a quick bite. I hear there is a working kitchen upstairs that will host cooking classes and what not. I want to check those out as well.

Allyson's Kitchen Deli
375 SW Powerhouse Dr
Bend, OR 97702
(541) 749-9979

CHOW - Bend Oregon

My first trip to CHOW was for lunch. My second visit to CHOW was for dinner. Everyone kept telling me that I have to go to CHOW for breakfast so I finally did. Recently I received a comment saying that CHOW can hang with McKay's Cottage and the Victorian Cafe for breakfast any day.

While I'm not going to go that far, I think CHOW is a nice, quaint, dining option on the west side of Bend. I'm definitely not as in love with CHOW as some commentors or those that write for the Source. The food is good but I'm still having quantity issues. I want more food for my money.

For breakfast I decided on the open faced sandwich. Basically it was Salmon Benedict's on sour dough instead of English muffins.


The Salmon and hollandaise were very good. The bread used for my open faced sandwich was very, very tough. I couldn't cut through most of the bread with my fork. Only the very center of the bread was soft enough to cut and eat with a bite of egg and salmon.

I had an issue with the portion size at CHOW for lunch in the past. This time I thought I'd be safe with and ordered the open faced sandwich, not the open faced HALF sandwich. Look at the photo, my sandwich is one slice of bread cut in half. That is half of a half of an open faced sandwich. That's a fourth of a sandwich, 25%. For you on the metric system, that is aboot a small bite of a royal with cheese.

Think about it, an open faced sandwich usually is one full slice of bread on a plate piled high with tuna fish or sloppy joe or chili cheeseburger or whatever comes "open faced." I don't care what you say, the portions are small.

The potatoes were good and I always like the little extras like the pineapple and pear skewer. So for $10, my breakfast was good in quality but I still feel it is over priced for the quantity that I received. I know there is a fan base already for CHOW and I'm going to get a bunch of comments supporting CHOW. If you like it, then its good. So enjoy it if you want to.

CHOW
1110 NW Newport Ave
Bend, Oregon 97701
541-728-0256
http://www.chowbend.com/

Hours
Open 7 days

Breakfast and Lunch 7am to 2pm
Dinner 5pm to Close

I'm NOT Moving to Cali

UPDATE @ 10pm on 4/1/08. I'm not going anywhere. Merry April Fools losers!!

------

To all my loyal readers I wanted to say thanks for all of your comments and support. But it is with a heavy heart I have to announce that I'm shutting down the Bend Oregon Restaurants Blog.

It has been fun writing about all the different restaurants but I have not been able to keep gainful employment here in Bend. I'm moving to San Mateo for a great new opportunity for me. With the recession as well as the cost of living here in Bend I just can't afford to live here while going out to eat like I do. Over the next couple weeks I will be traveling back and forth quite a bit. I doubt that I'll be able to get any posts going so this may be my last one.

In retrospect I probably could have eaten at home more often and saved my money but then my blog would have sucked ass. I'd have to make fun of my own cooking and service. "The taco salad was good but I'd like a little more beef. Why so cheap with the meat there hippy. Plus the chef was rude." I've been using 'hippy' a lot lately.

If anyone is interested in taking over the blog, please feel free to shoot me an email. I'm willing to hand over the username and password to someone with the drive to continue writing these hilarious and snarky reviews.

Thanks again to all of you that have sent nice comments and emails my way in support of my comments/reviews. Please keep in touch. To all of you that disagreed with me, Testa di cazzo.

Your starving moderator,

-BOR
http://www.bendeats.com/