Joolz Restaurant - Bend Oregon

Joolz

The Wife and I made it into Joolz for a couple of small plates. I was previously at Deschutes Brewery for a pint (or possibly two) so I sat and drank water for the most part. That was until the people next to me ordered a traditional liquor which was called Raki or Arak (ok, maybe three pints). It is a anise flavored liquor that they mixed with water turning it milky. Sooooo I had to order one. It reminded me of that great afternoon when I got to sample a few US legal absinthe's. I think when I'm done writing this I'll give Serenity Lane a buzz, I mean call.

Uh, so I uh, sort of remember the food. I remember it being good. We had Joolz's wings, some hummus with elk bits on top, and a sort of flat bread (could have been a peta for all I know) with ground lamb. I do remember not caring for the ground lamb but the Wife enjoyed it.


Man that drink was good.

Joolz
916 NW Wall St
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 388-5094

PS - I know I totally phoned this one in. Since it was only small plates I don't count this one as my main review. This was just a appetizer. For a better summary you can read the 3rd and 4th paragraphs of Alice's review at http://www.tsweekly.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4355&Itemid=66

900 Wall - Bend Oregon

900 Wall

I had the pleasure of attending 900 Wall's soft opening. I am going to continue writing but for those of you short on time let me sum up my review...if you liked Merenda, you'll like 900 Wall. Basically 900 Wall could have done a "find and replace" on all marketing materials, name tags, and menu's and just replace Merenda with 900 Wall and there you have it. Actually, not even a find and replace, simply just delete Merenda since the address is the restaurant name. Speaking of which, I don't like the name 900 Wall and everyone I ask about it agrees, its a cop out. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed our meal, but I gots to keep it real.

Upon arrival we weren't on the books and the place was jammed packed. So we waited for a while to get seated, understandably. When we were seated, our waitress Heather welcomed us and took our orders. She was awesome even though she swore that the Blazers selected Kevin Duckworth instead of Jordan...it was Sam Bowie.

On to the food! We ordered a few appetizers. The Clams and Chorizo ($15), the Cured King Salmon ($7) and the Beef Carpaccio ($12).


The clams and broth were very good but if you look at the photo you'll find that there is very VERY little chorizo. When I could find some it was paper thin. If I paid full price at $15 I would have been very sad. Everyone at the soft opening paid for dinner but food was 70% off. So the prices that I show are regular prices.


The salmon was quite the deal at $7 if you enjoy raw salmon as I do. When I go back to 900 Wall I'd get this dish and a side of rice (if they offer it) and be plenty happy. At Deep (or soon to be Michael's new restaurant 812 Wall) you would have paid over $57 for this much salmon nigiri.

The Carpaccio was pretty good. Super thin slices of beef super raw. I don't know why this raw mad cow is acceptable but I effing love it. I'd never just toss a piece of raw beef in my mouth at home but when I'm in a restaurant, why not? To be honest, I prefer the truffle oil carpaccio from Ariana over the stone ground sea salt version at 900 Wall.

We were treated to a couple of drinks. The SextyNiner (I'm pretty sure that was the name of the fruity/girly drink) and the Margarita.


The Margarita was one of the best I've ever had, and I've had my fair share. I'd definitely get that again. The girly drink was too sweet for me. I don't do sugar rims. Those are for the ladies. The Wife didn't care for it either and she usually likes that sort of crap. She said it tasted like a spicy Orange Julius.

The Wife decided on the pork chops ($18) for her entree. It came with a little bit of spinach and a couple of dumplings.


I took a bite and we both agreed that the pork chops were pretty dry. I talked to a couple of friends that were also attending the soft opening and they also got the pork chops and really enjoyed them. They said that they weren't overcooked at all. So ours could have been a fluke but I wouldn't order them again.

I went with a pizza out of the wood fire oven. I selected the prosciutto and arugula pizza ($12) (identical pizza on the old Merenda menu but I never had it before).


My pizza was really good especially only for $12. The one complaint I'd have and I think its obvious with the photo, was the amount of arugula. It was like an entire salad on top of my pizza. The pizza was good though.

Overall I enjoyed dinner. I think the prices need to be reviewed again. $15 for clams and chorizo bits is high in my opinion. If the goal was to get the Merenda client base back, this menu would do it. I am looking forward to going back for a margarita and some king salmon at least.

900 Wall
Really you need the address?
900 NW Wall St
Bend, OR 97701