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7.30.2008

Kona Mix Plate Delivers

Kona Mix Plate

Kona Mix Plate delivers in quality, value, service, and now, delivers right to your door. When you're at the house or work and laziness kicks in, who you gonna call? Sometimes I'm too lazy to go out to get some food and when I look in the fridge, nothing looks good so I start thinking about who delivers in Bend. Pizza is an obvious choice but gets tiring. Maybe some Chinese or Thai....eh.

Lately, my favorite delivery has come from the Big Island. Kona Mix Plate delivers and delivers well. I normally order some Bulgogi, Kalua Pork, and Teriyaki Chicken with an order or spring rolls and I select the rice and potato/mac as my sides.


About 30 minutes after placing the call the doorbell rings and dinner is served in the comfort of my our own house. I get to chow down on some tasty treats while watching I Survived a Japanese Game Show or So You Think You Can Dance....Twitch, you're awesome but Katee is by far my favorite!

The above photo was taken after I dished myself up. I prefer to eat off of a plate instead of out the togo containers. I'm silly like that. I had enough to fill up my plate and my belly with plenty left over for lunch the next day.

Everything is great. I can't complain about one item. The meat is always tender and juicy. The Kalua Pork had a good smoke with it and the Bulgogi's marinade of garlic/teriyaki are a great combination that makes my mouth water as I write this. I just love food and Kona does it right. If you have a craving for some great food delivered right to your door while working today or getting ready to watch whatever reality show you watch tonight, I recommend that you give Kona a call and see for yourself.

I have to mention our most recent visit for lunch. We were out shopping some sidewalk sales on a Saturday afternoon and ended up over by Kona. The friendly staff/owners offered the usual courtesy and help as we look over the menu. While we were making our selections, we noticed a new edition to the menu - sushi. So we thought we'd give it a go. The rainbow roll for $9.50. (photo via cell phone)


Absolutely brilliant. Probably the best sushi deal in Bend. While most places are cutting smaller and smaller rolls, Kona is serving up great quality, proper portions, and at the right price. You can't get a roll this size and with these cuts of nigiri anywhere in Bend for $9.50.

Kona Mix Plate
Call for Pick up/Delivery - 633-7378
61470 S. Highway 97, Bend, Oregon
Open Monday - Saturday 11am - 8:30pm, Closed Sundays.
http://www.konamixplate.com/

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7.28.2008

Volo - Bend Oregon

Volo Restaurant

Volo is awesome and if you have the opportunity to enjoy a meal of small and large plates at Volo, I highly recommend it. I've been to Volo a few times. Once just for drinks when they first opened, once with visiting family where we sampled almost all of the small plates and a variety of specialty drinks, and most recently, for dinner with the wife.

I would have posted about my earlier visits but for some reason, without the photos, I don't think the review is worthwhile. I made sure to bring the camera to dinner. It was a busy Saturday night and we didn't have a reservation. We settled on eating at the bar which is rather comfortable. Just after our drinks arrived, the hostess said that they could seat us at a table if we like. We got the corner table in the back room with a full view of the entire restaurant.

Our waitress, Erin (who was also our waitress on the visit with family), went over the menu changes and gave us her recommendations as well as answered any and all questions that we had.

We started off with a couple plates of the baby greens. The wife chose the lemon vinaigrette and I took the balsamic. We both agreed that we picked correctly. For a $4 salad, it was quite large and was very good. But since it was just a salad, I didn't take the camera out.

When we eat at the fine dining restaurants which obviously are the more expensive restaurants in Bend, we tend to map out a plan for dinner. Like, if I get this, you get that, and we'll swap plates half way through. On this visit, we decided on three small plates and then one large plate and we'd just eat whatever. We selected the Sweetbreads, scallops, and crab cake as our starters and the Organzola Filet as our main dish.



MMMM mmmm, Sweetbreads!! Probably my favorite dish at Volo. Who are the ad wizards that came up with this one? Taking the thymus gland out of the neck of a cow, pig, or lamb, bread it and fry it up like a piece of chicken and then call it Sweetbreads! That's just brilliant. Sort of like calling boiled (or steamed) soy beans something sexy like edamame.

All that aside, the thymus gland at Volo is awesome. Light and crispy breading that is seasoned nicely and served over a bed of Spaetzle (like a mini dumpling) and bacon. The beef Sweetbreads sort of taste like fried chicken if you stretch it.


The scallops were prepared with a port reduction and served with peaches (stone fruit on the menu). Erin recommended this one and we went back and forth throughout dinner about the idea of seafood and fruit. On the first taste I didn't really care for scallop and peach. I liked the port reduction just fine but as I tried the peach with the scallop, it didn't get better. Beautifully presented, scallops cooked perfectly, the port reduction was a great addition and made for a savory dipping sauce, but I'd rather have a slab of pork belly instead of those peaches.


The crab cake is also one of my favorites. The actual crab cake is chuck full of crab instead of a jambalaya of veggies. The veggies were outside, where they belong, and actually quite nice. The combo of Jicama, English Cucumber, and mango (again seafood and fruit = weird) were actually quite refreshing. So the scallops matched with peaches didn't take but this small amount of mango with the Jicama actually went well together.


Finally we enjoyed the Oregonzola crusted Filet served with a potato puree, spinach and a Fig Balsamic Jus. At first I thought the entire filet was crusted but was pleased to find out that only the Gorgonzola was crusted. The filet was perfectly prepared medium rare and melted in my mouth. We grubbed up the steak and enjoyed every bite. The only knock on this dish was the spinach. It was basically steamed spinach...without any seasoning. I think it's funny that the only bad things I have to say about Volo comes with the veggies and fruit. Everything else was insane!

The service was amazing. Erin rocked. Andy, the GM helped us pick some wines that went perfectly with dinner, and the (I don't want to offend but don't know what else to call him) bus boy was on top of things with clearing our plates, restocking the silverware, and refilling the water. My water glass NEVER made it passed half filled (as opposed to half empty).

Brilliant dinner, excellent service, great food, all in all, a phenomenal experience. I can't leave you without mentioning the price. Dinner for two can easily take you over $100. Our dinner was $110 not counting the tip. But for a nice night out, it's well worth it.

Volo
www.volobend.com

919 NW Bond St
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 728-0580

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Restaurant Closings - Bend Oregon

Bend Oregon Restaurant Closings

Restaurants in Bend Oregon are closing, most blame economy, I blame bad food and service. There are too many restaurants in Bend serving up shiite. Is a little thinning of the herd what the restaurant industry in Bend needs? There are great restaurants in Bend and I feel bad that most are struggling but is the economy the only thing to blame? How about the fact that we have/had about 290 restaurants in Bend and only about 100 of them are any good? I mean the Source did their restaurant guide of the top 100 restaurants and it seemed like a stretch to get to 100.

How about restaurants serve up great food and separate themselves from the heard? We don't need another Mexican restaurant, we're good on fast food, we don't need another brew/pub/sports/bar. What we need is for the food and service at our current restaurants to be amazing. Can't restaurants focus on their strengths, adapt, improve their weaknesses, and overcome? I've thinned my list of restaurants I rotate through, cutting out the restaurants that haven't changed, that have poor service, that are overpriced for what you get. I want the best meal for my money.

All of the reports I've heard about the restaurant closings mention the poor economy. When was the economy really that good? The job market in Bend sucked 3 years ago and it still sucks today. That didn't stop new restaurants from opening. I mean the real estate market in Bend obviously blew up and then blew out but was that the only thing that was keeping these restaurants open? Was it all the successful realtors, mortgage brokers, and builders keeping the restaurants afloat? I don't have any of the answers. I just know that there are restaurants in Bend that have gotten away with poor quality and service for a long time and am shocked that some are still open.

Pepe's was a loss but there are plenty of Mexican restaurants to choose from. The others, I'm not so sure are going to be missed. Don't get me wrong, I feel bad for the owners and the employees that are losing their business and jobs. That sucks ass. I feel bad for anyone that owns a restaurant right now. I'm just saying that I don't think it's JUST the economy to blame.

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In an exception to the above comments, 38 Degrees appears to be closed. I can't seem to get the official word but I've driven by a couple of times when they should have been open and they were not. That's sad, I really liked the sangria flights. Their tuna was always great and I loved their clams and chorizo (when the chorizo was not dried out). Instead of just blaming the economy on this one, it could be that 38 Degrees really didn't have the best location. Could be a combo of things but their food and service were good.


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Kayo's Roadhouse in Bend and Redmond has closed. A reliable source shot me an email and was able to find the Z21 news story to confirm that in fact Kayo's is done. The news article mentions that Kayo's is probably best known for the buckets of peanuts and the shells on the floor. I never got around to writing my review of the one trip I made it over to the East side for dinner at Kayo's, but it would have focused on the same point.

The food was bland. We tried the appetizer sampler which was a cut bomb of overcooked chicken wings, huge potato skins covered in cheddar, mozzarella sticks, and spring rolls. We totally should have waited to order our dinners until after the appetizer. After sampling the appetizers, we weren't really hungry.

I had the bacon burger which was overcooked and the Kraft singles slice of American was tough to wash down even with my huge beer. The wife got the ribs which were some of the worst we've tried. We ended up taking a bunch of left overs but ended up throwing them out as they stayed in the fridge way too long.

I never got to the Kayo's review as all of the photos came out way too dark. I couldn't get a good photo but trust me, there wasn't a way to get a "good" photo out of what was on our plates. Great peanuts and really cold beer are the best parts of Kayo's.

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Ernesto's closed their doors. I didn't post my review of Ernesto's before I heard of their closing. I had visited for lunch as a dare about a week before the news of their closing was announced.

A friend and I went to Ernesto's for lunch. After reviewing the menu we both decided on getting the buffet which consisted of soup and salad bar, pasta with a choice of three sauces, pizza, some sort of chicken dish, and then the special of the day. I think it was a Wednesday and prime rib was the special.

I decided to try all three pasta sauces, tomato, pesto, and Alfredo. In order from left to right, or right to left, or mix matched (doesn't matter really) they were blah, blehk, and boring. I also tried a slice of the pizza which looked really dried out but tasted ok. Old pork is still good pork in my mind. I just call it aged and be done with it...until I'm running to the restroom in the middle of the night. Damn you aged pizza!

The prime rib was a waste of time. I got a couple of good bites out of it. My favorite parts of the meal was the salad, bread, and water. Actually, the soup was pretty good. They had the normal minestrone soup out front but the waitress told me about the specialty soup of the day in the back, chicken pesto. It was rather good.



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Pepe's Restaurant moved back to Madras. "I'm going back to Madras, to Madras, to Madras, I'm going back to Madras, no, I don't think so." Could you imagine if LL Cool J lived in Central Oregon? No, I don't think so.

I wrote up my review of Pepe's Restaurant and am actually sad about this restaurant leaving. I really liked going to Pepe's. I went up to Portland for the International Beer Fest and saw that Pepe's has a restaurant right on the main strip in Madras.

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7.14.2008

Flatbread Community Oven Pizza - Bend Oregon

Flatbread Community Oven

Flatbread Community Oven Pizza and Wine Bar located in the Old Mill is the second installation of this new restaurant chain. A couple of friends and I went to visit the new pizza place for lunch.

When we arrived in the old mill, parking was easy to find and we were able to get a table outside right away. As with most new restaurants in Bend, Flatbread Community Oven appeared to be benefiting from some early success. Their take on pizza is that they are VPN certified which means that apparently, they are approved by the Vatican to make pizza in America. The waitress explained it a little better and their menu's as well as their site is pretty big on this certification. But none of that really matters to me. I just want a good pizza at a fair price. Seriously, does it matter if your pizza has a certificate of authenticity? As long as it's good, eat it.

For lunch we chose from the Lunch Menu (available from 11-4) where you get to pick any two items from the Pizzetta menu, half sandwich, half salad, mac & cheese or soup. I decided on the Capicola, Sausage, and Salami pizza with the mac & cheese.



For the price, I found the lunch to be a pretty good deal. For around $9 you get a good set of options and I found the mini pizza and salad or mac & cheese to be the better value. I enjoyed my three meat mini pizza. The salty pork products blended well with the FCO Formaggio. FCO Formaggio is a type of cheese that I have never heard of before. I think they made it up. Sounds too much like fromundercheese.

I used all of the crust as bread sticks and dipped them into my left over cheese sauce from my Mac & Cheese. It was a rather heavy lunch but I enjoyed my meal.
A side note. I have written an Outdoor Dining Guide but I should have written some rules about outdoor dining etiquette. Actually I can't imagine there being that many rules but one stands out as I was eating at the Flatbread Community Oven ... KEEP YOUR DAMN SHIRT ON. This rule is actually meant for the fellas only. I mean, ladies, by all means. But if you're a dude, I don't give a damn if it's 110 degrees outside, you're at a restaurant and we're all eating. Unless your shirt is on fire, please keep your shirt on. No shirt, no shoes ... IT'S THE FIRST ONE!

While we were sitting at our outdoor table, half of us enjoying the mountain views, this tool and his family roll up on their bikes and sit down a nearby table. After ordering, all of the sudden, dad goes shirtless. Nice. It's great that we live in a small town were you can take advantage of a beautiful Central Oregon day and ride your bike around town with your family, getting all sweaty, thirsty, maybe a little hungry, and are able to stop by a restaurant for some refreshments and a nibble. I'm glad that I get to share in your successful workout regiment over the years as you work on your tan and continue to sweat two tables away from my Pope blessed pizza. Thank you sir, thanks for sharing. Tool.

I wish that the staff would have asked this jacknut to put his shirt back on. It's inappropriate.

Flatbread Community Oven
375 Powerhouse Dr, Bend, Oregon
541-728-0600
http://www.flatbreadpizza.com/

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7.02.2008

Baldy's BBQ - Bend Oregon

Baldy's BBQ

Just when I think Baldy's can't get any better, I get hit with the Beef, Chicken, and Pork combo platter at lunch for $10. I'm really loving these three meat combo's lately. At Baldy's the combo is pulled pork, BBQ chicken, and beef brisket plus a gigantic salad (your choice of house or Caesar).


After stuffing my face with fork full after fork full of deliciously smoked animal flesh, I realized I need something else. I ordered some garlic toast which really helped out. You have to have garlic toast with BBQ, it's only natural. For $10, this combo is definitely my favorite of the three meat platters that I've tried so far. Absolutely worth it.

Go Baldy GO!

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

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