Aloha Cafe - Bend Oregon

Aloha Cafe

Aloha Cafe is the second Hawaiian Grill in Bend. Located on the east side near Kayo's Roadhouse and next to Celina's Latin Bistro, the Aloha Cafe offers the east siders an alternative to Kona Mix Plate.

There are some similar items on the menu and the side dishes are the same on paper. For $12 the wife and I split the sampler which contained all the meat options and all four side dishes.


For $12, I don't think there is a better deal in Bend. We tasted the ribs, terriaki chicken, BBQ chicken, Kalua pork, basically every meat item they have to offer. All of the meats were very good. We GRUBBED!! Everything was juicy and tender, well seasoned and the sauces were great with their sweet and savoriness. Very Hawaiian and very good.

For side dishes there were the yakisoba noodles, white rice, pineapple slaw, and potato mac. The best side dish was the white rice. I mean the slaw was ok but the only thing that made it different from the regular old mayo tossed slaw were the very few pieces of pineapple. The pineapple did not make the slaw any better, in fact made it worse. The potato mac didn't hold a candle to Kona's salad. So the meats were great but the sides were a disappointment.

That little promenade over there has quite a few tasty dining options. For the money, Aloha Cafe is a good addition and great change from taco bell and burger king both within a stones throw away. For our $12 we had too much food for both of us to finish and ended up taking a doggy bag home. The side dishes aside, it was still well worth it just for the meat.

Aloha Cafe
NE Bellevue Ave
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 382-5662‎

Bite of Bend 2008

I was able to attend the Bite of Bend 2008 for a little bit before the rains came on Saturday and I made it back on Sunday for a few hours. I was impressed with the improvement from this year's layout compared to last year. I was also pleased to see more restaurants dishing out their goods as well as offering a few tasters for only a buck.

There are still some improvements that I'd like to see implemented. While the list of restaurants is increasing, I really would like to see more restaurants and maybe some rules around what they offer. I talked to a couple restaurant owners and apparently for most restaurants, it's not profitable. Why wouldn't Lay it Out Inc (the company that runs the Bite) let restaurants come in for free. The main focus of the Bite should be food from restaurants. Make the catering companies and taco trucks pay extra for entrance into the fair.

All the restaurants should offer tasters for a minimum fee and should not have an item/dish over $5. This way we can afford to get a bite from a variety of restaurants that we normally would not visit or have not had a chance to visit. I tried a bunch of different items from the places that offered $1 tasters. But Taste of Thailand (or Thai on the Fly) was serving up HUGE portions starting at $7. If you got one of those, you wouldn't be tasting anything else for the rest of the day.

Chicken tamale and the chili verde from El Burrito - FANTASTIC!


I recommended to my friends that I bumped into that they go give the chili verde a try.

Crab cakes from the Blue Olive and right next to them was a Chef's Association tent (I forget the actual name) and they were dishing out shrimp cocktail for a buck. The crab cakes were soggy due to all the salsa on top which you can see from the one on the right. The wife liked the crab cakes but I didn't care for them. The shrimp in the shrimp cocktail was still frozen making them taste like one of the worst icicles ever.


Lobster chimichanga and the portobello chimichanga from Hola - AMAZING!
If I only had $3.50 to spend, I would spend it on the Lobster and Prawn chimichanga from Hola.


One of the only downtown restaurants to have a booth was Typhoon offering phad thai and chicken satay. For $1 you get one skewer and for $2 you get 3. The chicken satay and peanut sauce were really good but small.


The army of Stilt walkers were out if full force as usual but I sort of missed the poodles like last year.

The Iron Chef Competition still needs improvement but the new MC did a very good job keeping the audience captive even though no one could see anything. I liked that they brought one of the dishes into the crowd so everyone could see what the judges got to taste. Please, will someone hook up a couple of monitors so the audience can see what the chefs are doing? Dave has a pretty good idea of taking the stage down and having bleachers so the audience can view what the chefs are preparing. I still want to see tv screens next year.

And where are the results? Who won? I have heard that the Fireside Red has claimed this years Iron Chef competition but no one has the results posted yet. Congrats to Fireside Red.

I'll partially retract my earlier comments of the upcoming disappointment. While there is room for improvement, this was by far the best Bite of Bend so far.

Early Comments:

The Bite of Bend 2008 is set for Saturday and Sunday June 21st and 22nd in Downtown Bend. There is info about the Iron Chef Competition posted online by AdHoc and HackBend. The Source has published the official EVENT guide to the Bite (though it is only available in this week's insert instead of online) and of course the official Bite of Bend website is available.

What sucks for me is that NO ONE has a list of the actual food that will be present at the Bite of Bend. I mean, isn't that what the Bite is supposed to be about? I would LOVE to see all the restaurants have a booth with samples of their trademark dishes. Might as well let the neighborhood kids set up a lemonade stand and sell homemade cookies. I'm half expecting to see a Girl Scouts booth. Mmmm thin mints!

Last year I expected to see more restaurants but when I arrived, the food was not the top priority. Instead there were mostly caterers and taco trailers. Pretty much the same participants as munch and music/movies. I guess it makes sense to have these people show up as they are already prepared to serve food on the go with their trailers and portable BBQ grills and all. But I would really like to see more restaurants this year.

Just call this the Iron Chef of Bend instead of the Bite and I'll be happy. The Iron Chef competition was a disaster for me as a attendee. I couldn't see anything, didn't get to sample anything, and the MC annoyed the piss out of me. This year it appears that they have swapped out the MC and have actual foodies on the Judges panel.

Look for my review/rant/disappointment next week.

Deschutes Barrel Tasting 2008

Deschutes Barrel Tasting 2008

I had the opportunity to hit up this years Barrel Tasting at the Deschutes Mountain room. This has been one of those events that I try to make it to year after year. This year the beer was flowing in great quantities, a variety of flavors, and served with some tasty treats.

For $35 a person you get to drink 8 different beers that have been brewed by Deschutes and then aged in a variety of different wine and liquor barrels. You can read all about the beers and opinions on each from my buddy the Brewerman. I agree with him for the most part. When he says that the Anniversary Ale was on the sweeter side, I found it undrinkable. The wife loved it but she also drinks Beringers white zin. The flat Oud Bruin was another one I found to be undrinkable. My favorite quote from the Brewerman is about the Abyss:

"Drink this beer whenever a glass of it is in front of you. If you say, “I don’t like dark beer”, you should get slapped … hard … immediately. Don’t be that guy. Drink it I say, and be set free!"

For the other 6, I couldn't get enough. I felt like Augustus Gloop
diving into Wonka's chocolate river. I was swimming in a sea of Abyss and couldn't care less. I love beer but I also love food. I'm glad to see that Deschutes is providing better appetizers to snack on in between sloshing down a few beers in comparison to years past.

When we arrived a couple of friends were already out on the balcony so I grabbed a couple beers and we headed out to say high. Lucky enough there was a grill filled with mini lamb chops served with mint infused oil. I ate my weight in these.



Prosciutto Wrapped Fresh Mozzarella Balls with Sweet Wort Drizzle and Smoked Albacore Spread on Sesame Crackers

Fennel Apple Goat Cheese Flatbread
Chocolate Cake Bites with Macadamia Coconut Caramel

Not pictured - Quajillo Braised Pork on House-Made Tortilla Chips

The lamb was my favorite dish. Cooked medium rare unless you asked specifically for a piece to be cooked a little longer, eaten right off the grill in the view of the mountains while sipping on one of the great beers is how I want to spend every Saturday night.

The braised pork on the chips were also very good. One of my friends grabbed a couple of those and drizzled some of the roasted red pepper spread on them from a different table, that made them even better!

The Prosciutto and mozz balls are a staple but I didn't get enough wort drizzle on mine. They were pretty plane, the cheese was very very mild and lacked any flavor. We ate the Prosciutto with the other cheeses instead. The smoked tuna spread started off really good but left a weird after taste. Could have been that they were sitting out a while since the first one I tried didn't seem to have that fishy after taste.

The Fennel, Apple, Goat Cheese flat bread were very good and went quickly. That was one of the stations that was constently being refilled. Very clean and crisp, it was a great mix of flavors that went really good with the Cascade Ale.

The chocolate cake bites were out of this world.

I loved it all, a great evening. My favorite part is that they served the beer in half pints instead of the little shot glasses.

Blacksmith Restaurant = Beer

The Blacksmith Restaurant has been a favorite restaurant destination for me especially between 4:30 - 6pm for happy hour. Sporting the Best Happy Hour in Bend, the owners are continuing their quest to dominate my beer consumption with their Wednesday Beer tastings and the upcoming Beer dinner.

Beer Tastings - For $10 you get to sample beer and snack on unique appetizers from the kitchen. Robin pours you samples and will give you little nuggets of info about the brewery the beer came from, the type of beer it is and why he likes it. Robin is working his way to become one of only a few official Beer Snobs. I mean, beer Sommelier. He has a different name for it but after sampling the 6 beers this week, I couldn't remember.

Robin is actually really cool about his beer knowledge. He doesn't bore you with too much useless information about IBU numbers and shit. But he can if you want to know. I just want to drink it. If it tastes good to me, then that's all that really matters.

The kitchen brought out potato skins that were fried up as chips, sprinkled with crack, and melted cheese. You can't eat just one. First bowl is free, after that you'll be hanging out in the ally turning tricks just for a taste.

They also served up some Cod Balls. MMMMmmm Cod Balls are like the rocky mountain oysters of the sea. Actually they are merely deep fried cod mixed with mayo and other goodies served with tarter sauce. Very good and went very fast.

I really didn't want to write about the beer tastings at Blacksmith as I want to be selfish and not have to wait in line for my next sample. I also want to see how many cod balls I can stuff in my mouth at the same time. But, you really should give it a try.

Beer Dinner - Blacksmith and Deschutes Brewery team up on Tuesday, June 24 to create a five-course meal paired with five Deschutes brews. Mix and mingle starting at 6:00 p.m., then sit down to a gourmet meal at 6:30 with a Deschutes Brewer. $75 per person. RSVP: 541-318-0588

Toomies - Bend Oregon

Toomies Thai Restaurant

I've written about Toomies quite a few times but this will be the first time with a good photo served on a plate vs a cell phone camera or a to-go order. I absolutely love Toomies for lunch. I've voted Toomies to be the Best Lunch in Bend Oregon and as long as they are the only meal in Downtown Bend for $5.95 I'll keep on voting them the best lunch.

I wanted to mention Toomies again since it is getting difficult to get a sit down lunch for under $6 in Downtown Bend and wanted to give them some props (urban slang for respect, whitey). With a few exceptions, most of the other restaurants downtown are fine dining and don't offer lunch. Sure you might be able to get something cheaper from one of the downtown street corner vendors serving up their rat burgers all Demolition Man style but even the gerbil wraps are over $8. (Note - I have no idea what the street vendors are serving and I doubt I'll ever find out)

Sure at Super Burrito you can get a burrito for under $6 but does it compare to the meal you get at Toomies? Thai salad, phad thai, rice, your selected dish, and normally an orange wedge even though I didn't get one this time, or a $5 burrito? The choice is obviously yours but for me, I'll take...


Here is my favorite quote from my past reviews:

"The best part of Bend, or Deschutes County for that matter, is that while restaurants offer the organic ingredients, their to go containers are (or can be) Styrofoam. Good thing you carry a nalgene to reduce waste but you look silly walking to your Hummer carrying your Toomies lunch meal deal in a Styrofoam box. Good going."

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

Bella Cucina - Bend Oregon

Bella Cucina

Bella Cucina received a favorable review recently from Hack Bend for their breakfast burrito/wrap. A couple of friends of mine went there for a late lunch not too long ago and had a good time, thought the service was good and the price was great.

So on those recommendations I thought I'd give Bella Cucina a shot. I met a friend for lunch and we sat outside enjoying one of the only warm sunny days in Bend so far this year. After looking over the menu and waiting 5 minutes for water, and another 8 for the waitress to come back I ordered The Italian - "Served hot on our fresh baked focaccia bread with salami, pepperoni & prosciutto, melted mozzeralla cheese" for $9.


Well, for being on ciabatta bread instead of "fresh baked focaccia", half the sandwich was cooooold instead of "served hot", and for being light on the meat, it was ok. Now I think I've been spoiled by the BORwich over at the Speedshop deli (my personal creation of course) which is only $9.50 and comes with a great Asian style coleslaw.

This sandwich from Bella Cucina was served with bland, oily chips. The service was bad but I'll blame just our server. She couldn't care less about us or the speed in which she did anything. Could have been a "red" week or some other personal issues going on. I don't really care.

We had to wait forever to get our bill and for her to come back and collect the bill. We waited so long that we got up and started walking inside to pay. She came out and met us half way. I paid in cash and she took another 5 minutes to bring my change.

For lunch, I was not impressed at all by Bella Cucina's and if I decide to go back for breakfast or dinner (unlikely), I'll make sure to request any section other than the old ass biker chick with the raspy smoker's voice which you can barely understand's section.

Bella Cucina Italian Cafe
450 SW Powerhouse Drive
Old Mill District
Bend, Oregon
385-7774
http://www.bellacucinacafe.com/

Sonic - Bend Oregon

Sonic, the fast food burger chain that calls itself America's Drive In, recently opened up in Bend Oregon. The Bulletin announced it's opening but didn't mention much other than the fact that Sonic has in fact opened. I tried to go and check it out a couple of times but I'll be damned if I'm going to wait in line out on the street while my car burns gas (at $4.17 a gallon as of this posting) just for some fast food burgers and a shake.

The lines have been nuts every time I drove by. I'm not that dedicated to getting the photo and review to waste my time waiting for a Super Sonic Burger and a Sonic Slushy. It just isn't worth it yet the two times that I went which were off hours, the place was packed and the line of cars extended into the street. So I pulled a u-turn and headed somewhere else. Finally, the wife and I made it into Sonic for a late dinner the other night.

Sonic Menu for anyone that cares:

Just for kicks I wanted to see what the Sonic Jr. Burger for $0.99 would get you. Meat, Mustard, Ketchup & Dill Pickle. It was pretty dry, I didn't finish it as I had my own burger to get to:


I also got the Sonic Bacon Cheeseburger for $3.79. It was a decent size but also pretty dry. For the money, I was not that impressed. I'd rather wait at Dandy's for a much better burger.


The wife selected the Sonic Toaster Sandwich and I was jealous. Her burger was stacked with Bacon, Dill Pickle, Onion, Lettuce, Tomato (they forgot the tomoto), Cheese, an Onion Ring & Hickory BBQ sauce. It was a much better deal for only $4.29.


And finally, we got ourselves some Sonic Blasts. She ordered the Butterfingers while I got the Oreo. Mine was better.


So we went to dinner pretty late and didn't have to wait long at all. We were able to drive right up to one of the Carhop service stations and took our time looking over the menu before pushing the button for service. Once we pushed the button the gal inside was immediate to answer and we ordered and paid easily.

About five minutes later, a wobbly kneed carhop stumbled her way to our car and delivered the goods. Fast and friendly service to say the least. However, my friends at Eat Salem have a horrid tale to tell and in it they mention that someone comes around with sauces. For the tots and fries that we ordered, we didn't get any ketchup or mustard offered or delivered. I'm sure we could have pressed the button again and requested, though I was sort of hoping to see the Sonic Sauce Server.

If there is any wait time, I don't think it's worth it. I will go to Sonic for fast food over McDonalds. Everyone I talk to says the same thing - "the burgers aren't that great but they have the best shakes and slushies." Whatever, it is NOT better than Goodies, Dandy's, Pilot Butte, or even worth the wait for a slushy compared to the 8 gallons of slush you can get at 7-11 for only five cents more. Come on, it's only five cents more.

Sonic - America's Drive In for Slushies and Shakes.

SONIC Drive-In
63076 NORTH HIGHWAY 97
BEND, OR 97701
(541) 306-4153

Speedshop Deli - Bend Oregon

Speedshop Deli

The Speedshop Deli is definitely my favorite sandwich shop in Bend Oregon. I have gone there on an average of once every 2 weeks since the first time I visited. 6th gear every time. I chat with the owners every chance I get but lately they have been slammed with business. I'll take partial credit for getting asses in the seats but Keith (one of the owners of the Speedshop deli) is definitely doing a great job and getting them to return for seconds.

I've been working at getting my own sangwich on the menu. I have tested all sorts of sandwiches off of the 'build your own' menu and I finally found my sandwich. I start off with the Italian roll and select the roast turkey and spicy Capicola (or Gabagool as Tony Saprano would say). This sets the foundation of a turkey and bacon sandwich. To which I add Havarti, lettuce, and nuke sauce. For all this the total comes to $9.50. Now, that's quite a bite for a sandwich but it is well worth the price in comparison to the other sandwich shops downtown. You can't match the quality of products or the quantity.

Some Bendites are die hard NY Sub Shop lovers. But I just can't take the loaf of bread with a dash of meat for the $11 it costs get a foot long. I'd rather have top shelf meat and not as much bread. Seriously, why is the NY Sub Shop so damn expensive?

Some Bendites are di hard Downtowner fans. I can only get a spot in there during off hours as the tables ar HUGE in such a tiny place. So there is never a place to sit and eat.

Back to the BORwich. I forgot to mention that I add the Olive Tapenade to the beast which is still covered under the $9.50 price. So right now I have one of the best turkey and ham(ish) sandwiches topped with olives, special nuke sauce, mild cheese, and lettuce that I've ever had. I go the extra mile though and add on a nuke pickle and the 6th Gear Nuke Paste.


The full on 6th gear's worth of nuke paste will set you back another $1.75 but for me, it aint a sangwich without the "WICH" as in, "which gear are you going to get, pussy?"

HAHAHA yeah that's right, if you're only on the first gear or none at all, might as well try on some of the skirts available downstairs before heading over to Blockbuster to reserve your copy of Atonement. I'm talking to you Lucas.

Speedshop Deli
805 NW Wall Street
Bend, Oregon 97701
728-0303
M-F 10am-8pm
S-S 10am-5pm
http://www.bendspeedshop.com/

Pilot Butte Drive In - Bend Oregon

Pilot Butte Drive In

Pilot Butte Drive In has been voted Best Burger in Bend Oregon by all the magazines and newspapers for many years. I've had Pilot Butte burgers before and good luck finding a parking spot on Sunday. I like PB but my favorite burger is served up over at Dandy's. I recently realized that I've never written about Pilot Butte Drive In so the other day we swung by for some burgers.

The wife went all basic and got herself just a cheeseburger, tater tots, and a Pineapple Malt....weirdo. I don't even know where to begin on the pineapple malt. That's just wrong. She always gets tater tots when sh can. Tater tots are lame. I know that many of you are fans of the Tot buy I am not. I gave up tots when I graduated elementary school. French fries are better. Just accept it as I am always right.


I went for the Tavern - Grilled ham, bacon, swiss, cheddar cheese, and, "to raise your cholesterol", a fried egg with sauce, mayo, lettuce, tomato and pickles. For $9.50 (comes with an order of fries), it is a damn fine burger. I like the ham and bacon with egg. Lately I have been loving combo dishes with multiple animals. Flesh is just soooo good.


I enjoyed the burger very much. It was one of the better burgers that I've had and it makes sense that Pilot Butte continues to be named best burger in Bend. I'm not converting away from my Dandy's burger just yet though.

For being only a 6 ounce patty, this is a huge meal. The burger was so big that they couldn't even close the top of the box it came in. I was hurting after and feeling guilty for finishing the whole thing. Makes me wonder if I should even attempt the 18 ounce Pilot Butte Burger for $15. It's only $5 more. I smell a challenge!

Pilot Butte Drive-In Restaurant
917 N.E. Greenwood Ave.
Bend, Oregon 97701
541-382-2972