Mio Sushi

Mio Sushi is setting a new standard for Bend Oregon Restaurants. I have not been this excited about a restaurant opening since Don Don took over the spot where blue fish used to be downtown. We were excited to try a new sushi restaurant as we only have a couple of options here and none are affordable. Japanese restaurants like deep, Sumi’s, and Kanpai need to pay particular attention to the business practices at Mio Sushi. All you stupid commentors that have testified to the reasoning behind the crazy expensive sushi in Central Oregon need to shut the hell up. Mio Sushi has figured out a way to bring quality sushi to Bend without charging a month’s mortgage for it.

The wife and I went out of our way to visit Mio Sushi after I heard that it finally opened. This place is effing awesome and if you like Japanese food or just want to finally eat some affordable Sushi, drop what you’re doing and get over there.

I wouldn’t be BOR if I didn’t call it like I see it so I’ll tell you that they are experiencing some restaurant opening struggles. On our first visit it took forever to get our sushi order filled.

Our appetizers and entrees arrived promptly and were great. While we waited for the sushi we shared some Tonkatsu (pork cutlet that has been breaded and deep fried, served with a house salad, miso, and rice), an order of Shumai/Gyoza, and Agedashi (deep fried tofu). But we waited a solid 15 minutes after we had eaten everything for our sushi to show up. That sucked. Sucked so bad that when we realized that our order had been skipped or not submitted properly, we adjusted our order to just get the rainbow roll and a couple orders of Saba (Mackerel). BUT, when the rainbow roll finally arrive, it was amazing. More on that later.

Agedashi Tofu - Deep fried tofu (the only way to eat tofu) with sweet sauce for $4.25.

As with most of the dishes, presentation does not seem to be the focus. Instead we got to eat great food at a very fair price. The Agedashi is great when you want a filler for cheap. My dad told me a story about a roommate of his from college. He made this huge kid eat a loaf of bread before they ate their dinner. If he didn't, his roommate would eat too much too fast and my dad wouldn't get his fair share. I use that same technique when dining with a group at sushi restaurants by ordering a couple orders of Agedashi Tofu. That way all the chumps fill up on tofu and I get to pick off all the left overs of unagi and ebi as everyone will be stuffed. I'm cheap and selfish that way, get over it.

Shumai and Gyoza for $4.50 (4 pieces of each)


The wife mentioned that she's never seen Shumai (a traditional Chinese dumpling) deep fried. I'm not sure if this was a mistake or not but normally they are steamed. I didn't care, I like anything deep fried. Throw some bacon on that mug and I'm dying happy.

One of my favorite dishes is Katsu, especially Tonkatsu - breaded pork cutlet fried and served with a thick Tonkatsu sauce for $9.95.


I was surprised at the portion. I expected one cutlet over rice but got like 2.5 to 3 cutlets with miso and rice for only ten bucks. Great portions, great price and prepared perfectly. The Tonkatsu Sauce is a thick, sweet (mostly sugar and corn syrup) sauce that looks like reduced balsamic vinegar but tastes great with fried anything. Our brand that we keep in the fridge is Bull-Dog. The wife grew up on this stuff. She even has a song from her poor ass childhood.

Imagine a chain gang smashing rocks like in Oh Brother Where Art Thou:

Bull-Doggin on the lows of high
Bull-Doggin on the highs of low
(and repeat over and over again)

I love her ghetto ass. I get treated to this song every time the Bull-Dog comes out of the fridge.

We ate these dishes and sipped on our miso while we waited and waited for our sushi to arrive. Sadly they had not received their liquor license so no booze for BOR....sounds like a great charity event - Booze for BOR, let me know if you want to contribute. Don't worry, they have their liquor license now and you can get all sorts of alcohol. But if I see you at the sushi bar with a sake, I'll drink it up.

BOR - "Here, if you have a hot sake, and I have a hot sake, and I have a straw. There it is, that's a straw, you see? You watching? And my straw reaches acroooooooss the room, and starts to drink your hot sake... I... drink... your... hot sake!"
[sucking sound]
BOR screams in your face - "I drink it up!!!!"

Now, the rainbow roll and saba (mackerel) finally arrived. The Rainbow Roll is a California Roll that has slices of nigiri rolled on the outside of the roll. There is taco (octopus), sake (salmon), ebi (shrimp), maguro (tuna), white fish, and avocado for only $8.95.


HUGE roll and great quality. I didn't care for the sauce that was drizzled around and under it but I was still happy with the portions that the wife let me have. The Saba was just insane! Very good cuts and one of the only places in Bend to get mackerel.

We went back to Mio Sushi the next day and had a new server who was not on top of her game....again, working out the kinks. But this time they had their liquor license so I got some hot sake and the wife got some fruity sparkling sake thingy. I also got the Bento Combination #1, my favorite and my recommendation if you go for lunch or dinner.

Chicken Teriyaki, Vegi-Gyoza, and assorted Tempura for $11.95 (dinner, lunch is only $7.95) and you get miso, house salad, and rice. Of course I forgot to get a photo. But I did get a photo of the Spider Maki (soft shelled crab that has been fried to a crisp). I have never seen a soft shelled crab this big used in a sushi roll before.


The end piece with the crab legs sticking out, I was able to take this part and actually break off a leg and the body section, there was actually crab meat in it. That's just redonkulous!! Normally the crab is so tiny that you never get any meat out of those suckers.

I feel like I've been writing for days on this review of Mio Sushi. But before I wrap up I have to even mention that they have THE BEST kid's meal on any menu in Bend. For $6.95 ($5.95 at lunch) kids get Teriyaki chicken, miso, edamame, rice, and their choice between a full 6 piece California roll, gyoza, or assorted tempura. That's the best deal in town, I wish I was under 12.

Mio Sushi
63455 N. Highway 97, #35
Bend, OR 97701
http://www.miosushi.com/

PS, Get the Green Tea, best I've ever had.

Bo Restobar

Bo Restobar was our third and final stop on our world tour of downtown Bend on a magical night. We'd already visited bistro corlise and deep. French to Japanese to Thai(ish). Now we're pretty tossed and feeling great. So more drinks are in order and my friend and I select the Bourbon Flight ($25). The wife gets the Sake flight ($8).


Why spend your money on one bourbon when you can try four different types of bourbon? Great pours of liquor and great quality all around. I love me some Basil Hadens. The wife enjoyed the Pearl Sake from Sake One the best from her sake flight.

For snacks we shared the Sticky-Finger Ribs ($10) (when I say share I mean the wife let me get one). We also tried the Thai Nachos ($9).



Excellent! I liked my rib, their sauce is soooo good. The nachos were good as well but the ribs are just insane. I like Bo Restobar a lot. I especially like their late night happy hour. It's a great deal if you're out and about after 9pm.

Bo Restobar
550 NW Franklin Ave
Suite 118
Bend Oregon 97702
http://www.borestobar.com/

deep

The last time we visited deep it was for my wife's friend's birthday. I tried the tempura bacon and it was everything that I had hoped it was. After we ate our French appetizers at bistro corlise, we stood on the sidewalk trying to think of where to go next. We considered Goombas, Cork, and Marz and then my friend said deep, and off we went.

deep is expensive but fun. We sat at the bar and put together a plan of attack. We settled on The Nine Bites, Saba, Crab BLT, and a Tempura roll.

I absolutely love doing things like the Nine Bites - The Chef’s Daily Selection of
Nine Different Hot and Cold Tastes of Deep for (ugh) $16. It is such a cool way of getting little tastes of all sorts of goodies. We had kobe beef, avocado and bacon tempura, scallop, rib, salmon, tuna, squid, tofu, and beets. I claimed the beef immediately but paid the price as I got stuck with the effing beets. I also got the fatty tuna and enjoyed all three bites. The wife got the rib, squid, and tofu. All was great and I was jealous that I didn't get the deep fried bacon.


And now, my fellow OmniBORes, I present to you one of the coolest sushi rolls I've ever had....the Crab BLT:



Crab roll with watercress, bacon, and tomatoes. Crab + Bacon = Smiley Face BOR. This roll was great BUT it was also $14....ouch!! The tempura shrimp roll was $12 and the Saba was $6. Deep is very expensive all around but it is quite good.

On Monday, look for my review of Mio Sushi ... great sushi, not expensive.

deep
821 n.w. wall street, suite 100
bend, oregon 97701
telephone: 541.323.9841
hours of operation:
open 5 p.m. daily
http://www.deepbend.com/

bistro corlise

bistro corlise has a happy hour menu with $5 appetizers and $5 glasses of wine. We've visited bistro corlise before and had a great dinner. Since our last visit they have made some nice changes to the atmosphere. If you haven't been to bistro corlise yet, go for some happy hour items to get a feel for the place and you'll probably end up staying for dinner.

We sat at the bar and asked about the happy hour items and our waitress/bartender explained that they had a red and white wine. I totally forgot what the actual types or names of either were but I selected the red and the wife took the white. Both were very good and heavily poured. We were happy for only $10.

On our visit, they had three appetizers that were only $5 each.

sanglier - boar rillettes, crustini, dijon mustard. The photo for the boar rillettes was a little blury but that's ok since it's not much to look at. Two scoops of boar patte with some little crustinis and a dollop of mustard. It was my second favorite of the three appetizers. I spread a good portion on the crustini and then added the mustard. Creamy boar goodness.

terrine du style de la campagne - country style pork terrine, vegetable accompaniment, whole grain mustard. I'm not a fan of terrrines. It was good for what it is but I wouldn't get it again. But, for only $5, it was a great experiment. The wife liked the green beans.


porc - chilled pork, smoked air dried ham, oil cured olives, red peppers, zucchini mousse. YES! This was my favorite. The wife really liked the chutney of peppers and it went great with the pork. I'd gladly get this and the Boar dish anytime.

I'm pleased to see that bistro corlise is still around in this time of restaurant closings and still sitting over there next to Merenda's and I'd recommend that you get in there. If not for a full meal, go try one of the appetizers and let me know what you think.

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

After bistro corlise we continued our World Tour of Bend. Stay tuned...

Ciao Mambo - Bend Oregon

Ciao Mambo

Ciao Mambo is a great place for fast, family friendly, and affordable dinner in downtown Bend. The Americanized version of Italian cuisine can be found in the old Han's location. Ciao Mambo is not the best Italian food I've ever had (of course that has been well documented) but it was a nice meal with good service at a fair price.

We got a table outside on the back side where we could people watch. The back side outdoor seating is much better than the front sidewalk in my opinion. We ordered drinks while looking over the menu and settled on some safe dishes. I was a little bit scared to try the seafood unlike LJR's review at The Source. Normally I don't read any other reviews before writing my own but I was looking for some information on Ciao and her review was ranking in the top results (was in the top, until this gets published). Laurie's review of Ciao Mambo is great, you should read it.

Finding a dinner downtown without breaking your wallet is a difficult task. The following items that we sampled came to a total of $40 not counting drinks.

The wife selected the Pasta Ravenna - Bowtie pasta, grilled chicken, sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and mushrooms in a roasted garlic cream sauce. This was our favorite of all the dishes. It was prepared nicely, seasoned well, pasta cooked perfectly, and a huge portion. The photo doesn't do it justice, that bowl is quite deep. She ended up taking enough home that served as her lunch the next day.


Our guests decided to split a large pizza. Abby's Favorite - Fresh mozzarella, pepperoni and roasted garlic marinara. Nice thin and crispy crust (baked in their brick oven) with a tasty sauce. I felt it was too salty but not to the point that I wouldn't eat it.


I selected the Manicotti Ripieni - Pasta stuffed with ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. For only $10 I felt it was a great deal although it was pretty bland. A couple pinches of salt and some pepper and it was just fine.



Now, there are some haters out there that are talking about how it sucks that we have a "chain" restaurant downtown. I think that's just silly. No one said anything about that when Typhoon! came to town. In fact, everyone seemed really excited about it. Plus this chain is only 4 restaurants big so far. Ease up off Ciao Mambo. Shoot, El Caporal's family has like 183 restaurants in Bend. No big deal.

I've also heard that Ciao Mambo is the Hooter's of Italian restaurants. Meaning that the waitresses could be part time models and are well endowed. I didn't witness anything to give me that impression. Although when our waitress poured my beer while standing on a bar stool, hula hooping, and singing, I thought it was rather familiar. I wish Hooter's comes to Bend.

Ciao Mambo
915 NW Wall Street
Bend, OR 97701
Phone: 541-382-3000
Hours:
Every day 5pm-close

Krista's at Widgi Creek

Krista's at Widgi Creek serves up the best Club Sandwich that I've had to date in Bend, Oregon. The latest trip out to Krista's for this club sandwich was my second visit. I don't know what happened to the photos after the first time we went and then I forgot about writing the review. So some friends and I made the drive out to Widgi Creek specifically for the club of all clubs.

The club served at Krista's is on three slices of buttered toast with smoked chicken, ham, American and Gruyère (Groo-Yair (yeah like that helps pronounce it any easier)) cheese, red onion, tomatoes, avocado, lettuce, mayo, and of course bacon.


If it didn't cost me $8 in gas to make it out there to Widgi Creek, this club sandwich for $9.25 would be an amazing deal. Both times the sandwich and fries were awesome. After chowing on this sandwich, watching the Senior Women's Golf Club run the waitresses ragged, and drinking a pint, I was ready for a nap. I don't have a clever name for it like the Mexicoma but I was tired.

This is a true club and one well worth filling up the gas tank and making the trip up Century Drive....unlike this one.

Krista's at Widgi Creek Golf Club
18707 Century Drive
Bend, Oregon 97702
(541) 382-4449

Tony’s Delicatessen

Tony’s Delicatessen located by Safeway, Starbucks, and Taco Del Mar on the west side serves up Italian deli meats, sandwiches, and salads. There are also pre-made take home items like Calzones or Lasagna that you can warm up back at the house. The owner's name is not Tony. From what I've heard, no one involved is named Tony. But it is a good name for an Italian deli. I mean, is there a more Italian/American name than Tony? When I think of Tony, I immediately think of Tony Micelli from Who's the Boss. Sadly, no Alyssa Milano behind the counter, even though she could probably use the work.

I selected "The Adamonator"

Pepperoni, Capicola, Mortadella and Mozzarella topped with a balsamic vinaigrette. The flavors were good and the meat quality was great. For $9.25 it was a decent sandwich. There was a disproportionate amount of stuffing to bread. Before my first bite I ripped off a good chunk of bread so I could get to the meat. After inspecting the other half of the sandwich I made an executive decision and transported the meat from one half to the other and ditched the remaining bread.

A friend of mine decided to go with the meatball sub. She said she liked it but her meatballs are better.


Overall the staff was really friendly and helpful. The food was pretty good but overkill on the bread. I looked around and only one person at our table didn't have at least 3" of bread that they tore off or had left over when finished. She was the only person that ordered an Americano style sandwich so she didn't have the same sub style bread that we did.

I do want to go back for one of those Calzones but I doubt I'd get the Adamonater again. Maybe I'd try a different sandwich but we'll see.

Tony’s Delicatessen
320 S.W. Century Dr., Suite 410
Bend, Oregon
647-1653

Chicken and Nacho Cheese

We went to see the Bend Elks play the night that the famous San Diego Chicken was visiting. We drank Cascade's Golden Glove Ale and ate peanuts for the first couple of innings and laughed as the SD Chicken played first base coach, heckling the opposing pitcher, and argued calls with the umpire.


On a poorly called strike, the Chicken went nuts on the Ump and pulled out a visual acuity test (the eye exam chart thingy). He had quite a few tricks and gags which were very entertaining in between innings.

We enjoyed the Chicken so much that it made it difficult to find a break to go get more ball park food. But the wife made her move and was able to score some goodies from the concession stand. She brought back one of my all time favorites. The nasty-ass Nachos.


When I was kid, my mom would send me up to 7-11 for Nacho cheese. I'd play a game of Shinobi and then get ready to scam the store out of gallons of cheese. See, you could get a plate of nachos for like $1.19 from 7-11. But my mom figured that its silly to put the nacho cheese on top of the chips, which wastes precious space in the container that can be filled with cheese AND it makes the chips soggy.

So I was instructed to pay for the nachos and ask for a bag to carry them in. I was to dump the chips into the bag and then go over to the push pump Nacho cheese dispenser and fill up the nacho bowl. Now, if you've seen the nacho cheese plate at 7-11, they give you a shallow plate for your chips and cheese and then a big dome like lid to cover them up. I was to turn this upside down and use the lid to fill up with liquid gold and place the plate on top to act like the lid. So instead of just a couple of pumps of cheese, I would be there for a good 15 minutes violating the hand pump to get a good 40 ounces of cheese. Pour a little out for the dead hommies and I was on my way back home to feast on Nacho Cheese for a week.

This worked for about a year. Then one day while attempting to take full advantage of my mom's ghettofabulous ways, I noticed that they put holes in the plastic lid! You won this round 7-11. So after that failed, I was sent to KFC for a quart of gravy. That's all, just a quart of gravy. I'll explain that one another time.
Anyway, I can't look at Nacho Cheese without remembering the good old days of trying to get extra cheese and playing Shinobi. I owned the bonus level. It's sort of amazing that Nacho Cheese has not changed in 2,000 years (yeah, if you look closely, you can see that there was a cup of nacho cheese at the Last Supper). It is just as you remember it, (like Lucky Charms) they're disgustingly delicious.

When telling a couple friends about the game and the nachos, my friend "eBay K" wanted to know what nacho cheese actually is. Well, I can't say for sure what was used to make the nacho's at the ball park but I found the ingredients to Frito Lay's Nacho Cheese here.

The SD Chicken stole the show in my opinion. The game started at 7 and for a Wednesday night, my belly stuffed with fake cheese, beer, and peanuts, it was time for bed right around the 7th inning stretch. After watching a gang of kids swarm the chicken while singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." Then half the stadium joined us as we left. The Elks lost 8-2.

Here's a recipe for Nacho Cheese Sauce just for you eBay K:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
7 slices processed American cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt

Arby's 5 for 5.95

Arby's Bend Oregon

I don't care what you say, Arby's 5 for 5.95 is nasty. It was gross when I would get the 5 for $5 twelve years ago and plow through all five sandwiches like it was nothing and it's still gross now. However, now you get to choose the 5 nasty items for only $5.95.

So the new(ish) menu gives you options of your five items such as curly fries, a small shake, soda, ham n cheese, those triangle thingys, cheese sticks, and that's all I remember. So I'm thinking "Soda...that's how they get you".


I want five sandwiches damn it. I want to stuff five arby's melts down my throat eased by a few squirts of horsey sauce. Buuuuut I opt for some curly fries cause I can't eat that many sandwiches .... anymore.



I feel sick. Really.

Here's an image of how it should look. Taken from the Arby's site:


Arby's
(503) 389-7436
535 SE 3RD ST
BEND,OR 97701
http://www.arbys.com/