Outback Steakhouse - Bend Oregon

Outback Steakhouse

Still in my pursuit of the Best Wings in Bend Oregon, I found myself staring at the menu at Outback Steakhouse again and trying to figure out what I wanted to waste my money on. First I recommend a 24 ounce beer or some other hard liquor to help make me feel more tolerant of throwing my money away.

After looking over the menu again and again I flipped to the back side and realized they have hamburgers. I don't think I have ever seen anyone get a burger there and didn't realize they actually have them. The burger I got was actually really good and if I have to go there again, that's what I'm getting.

We decided to get an appetizer of their whateveroo wings:


The flavor of the wings was good and they DID NOT charge for ranch (Hardy's). But when we found one of the drums to be undercooked, that put a damper on our appetizer. Then it became an issue trying to guess if the rest were cooked as the lighting in there is so dim, I couldn't see well enough to know for sure. They looked cooked and they were hot as the sun. Oh well, no one got sick.

Can you get bird flu from undercooked wings? I wonder if anything could live in my belly after 48 ounces of Fosters.

Outback Steakhouse
269 Se Reed Market Rd
Bend, OR
(541) 383-8104

Other Outback Steakhouse Reviews:

HackBend

Croutons, Bend Oregon

Croutons on Century Drive on the west side of Bend always seems to be a popular spot. The parking lot always appears full whenever I drive by...or is that because they have one of the worst parking lot setups ever? Who has the worst parking in that part of town? Parilla? Longboard Louis? Mother's? Bagel Stop? Victorian Cafe?

Anyway, the day we went to Croutons it was after the lunch rush so we figured we'd have an easier time getting in and out than normal. They get pretty busy during lunch so calling in orders ahead of time is recommended. Also, it looks like they are working on their site to accept online orders soon so look for that.

We were right, it wasn't that busy and we didn't have to wait long to get our food. As I stood at the register looking over the menu and listening to the wife order her half sandwich and a salad combo for $7.25 I thought it sounded good. But those combos tend to be rip offs. Small salad and a skimpy sandwich for more than it's worth.

I asked if the portions on the combo were ample and the nice gal said that it's actually pretty big. She was right.


The last time I visited Croutons the lady next to our table ordered the buffalo chicken salad and it smelled sooo good. I vowed to get it the next time I went and since I'm still on my hot wing kick, I thought it was a great idea. Since I got a specialty salad, the combo was a dollar more so my lunch was $8.25 but look what I got. The buffalo chicken salad above and the "Californian Panini" (as listed on their website) below. Or should I say the Sierra Smoked Turkey (as it's listed in the menu for the local Croutons) in order to keep BendBubble2 from going off on me for mentioning California.


The wife got the same buffalo chicken salad and then this Granny Smith Chicken Salad Pita.

Eh. It was actually pretty good but not for me. Bacon, turkey, and then chicken on the salad...three animals woohoo! Vegetables are what FOOD eats!

Ok, I have to bring this up because I found it rather amusing. We're at Croutons...and do you notice anything missing from the salad above? The wife and I were enjoying our salads and we both agreed that they were good but missing something. Missing that crunch. I reread the menu and noticed that we were without our Cornbread Croutons...you forgot our croutons?!? How is this possible? You'd think that they would have bowls of croutons on the table like El Caporal dishes out the chips and salsa (best in town). You're Croutons! That's your thing. It's what you do.

I don't even like cornbread but I wanted some croutons on my salad. I went up and politely asked (yes politely, I don't go off when something is wrong with my order, I make mistakes too...very rarely...very...rarely) for a cup of croutons for our salads. After adding those to the mix, it was probably the best salad I've had. I don't eat that many salads unless you put Taco in the name...mmmm taco salad!

Croutons is great food for a decent price and great portions. It's not a mystery why they are so popular and their tiny parking lot is always overflowing.

Croutons
335 Southwest Century Dr.
Bend, OR
330-1133
http://www.croutonsinc.com/bend/main.html

Applebee's, Bend Oregon

I recently was invited to join a small group heading to Applebee's and I couldn't pass up the chance to get a photo of some of those Boneless Buffalo Wings in my pursuit of the Best Wings in Bend Oregon.

It's very rare that I ever go to Applebee's. I don't like the food served. It's not that good. Can anyone explain why it's so popular?

It's also a rare treat that a restaurant in Bend has photos of all of their dishes available online so for the first time, I can compare what they have for their photos with the pictures I was able to get at the table.

http://www.applebees.com/MenuLanding.aspx
BONELESS BUFFALO WINGS
Breaded chicken breast tossed in classic or HOT Buffalo wing sauce, with celery sticks and ranch dressing.

My photo:

These wings were actually pretty good for being chicken breast nuggets in hot wing sauce. We were a little disappointed that the description says they come with ranch and we were served bleu cheese and it took forever to get some ranch that we only had one wing left when the ranch arrived.

CLUB HOUSE GRILL
Sliced ham, oven-roasted turkey, cheddar, tomato and mayo on grilled sourdough, with Applebee’s® Signature Barbecue Sauce.

My Photos:

I did not like the BBQ sauce on this sandwich and could not finish it. The portion was great, it was stacked high with turkey and ham as you can see above. The bacon was paper thin and similar to that of the bacon you'd get at McDonalds.

I won't be back to Applebee's anytime soon since their food is not good...still. My favorite comment from lunch came as we were getting up from the table and my friend says (and I know this isn't a topic to make jokes about but it summed up lunch perfectly in my mind) "I wish I was bulimic".

No one finished their food at the table aside from the wings...and no one took their left overs home. So it's not just me.

Applebee's
3197C Highway 97
Bend, OR 97701
Phone: 541.318.5720
http://www.applebees.com/

Love of Jesus Let Loose in Red Robin

Often I find myself checking BendBlogs to see who has posted something new and exciting, and of course to see when the last update took place and if my recent post made the cut off. Today I noticed a blog that I didn't recognize right away and the title interested me...Life in Bend Oregon Part 2. I don't remember reading a Part 1 so I clicked through.

I can't wait to go back to Red Robin for some buzzard wings, a 28 ounce beer, and some duct tape ;-)

"Red Robin Bend will never be the same!!! (insert "evil" laugh) There are so many hurting and lost souls at that Bird place!!! Both that work there and that frequant RR way to often! I am determained! To overflow the love of Jesus, on everyone there... no matter how many times a server "yells" at me that some thing is messed up and it's my fault...no matter how bad tips are...no matter what NASTY comments people make that make me want to duct tape their mouth shut... I AM DETERMINED TO LET THE LOVE OF JESUS LOOSE IN THAT CRAZY PLACE!!!!! I will say this: i love working there and there are amazing people who LOVE LOVE LOVE Jesus who work there so props to them!"


Wow....just wow.


Red Robin
www.redrobin.com
625 SW Powerhouse Dr
Bend, OR 97702
(541) 382-9234

Another Review of Red Robin in Bend Oregon:
Old B.O.R.

Deschutes Beer Pub, Bend Oregon

Deschutes Brew Pub

Still in my quest to find the Best Hot Wings in Bend Oregon, I had a chance to snap a photo with my cell phone while eating at the Deschutes brew pub in Downtown Bend.

It was just a half order of wings as an appetizer. I like the flavor and the size of the mini drumsticks or drums. I still would prefer the other part which I'll now call Flats thanks to Wiki. I like the flats much better as the meat is tender and comes clean off the bone vs the drum which has that mess at the thick end when you're done. What is that, tendon? MMM that's some good cartilage.

The wings at Deschutes are good...they are what wings should be. I'm happy with them and will get them when I'm in the mood for wings and happen to be at Deschutes for some eats.

Deschutes Beer Pub
1044 NW Bond Street, between Franklin and Greenwood
Bend, OR 97701
541-382-9242
http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/BrewPub/default.aspx

Red Robin, Bend Oregon

I try not to go to Red Robin as much as possible but every now and then, I get roped into it. There are a couple of dishes that are doable and I do enjoy them when I finally give in to go there. I can only take the birthday singers so many times. Is there not a better place to celebrate your birthday in this town? Is it worth the $68 bill to get your free sunday?

Since I have been reviewing the Buffalo Wings available in Bend lately I thought it only fitting to get a half order of the Buzzard Wings at Red Robin.


The wings are actually pretty good for being all drummettes. I think we know my position on the drummettes so I'll refrain from going into any detail. The wing sauce was your standard hot wing sauce and it wasn't too hot or too mild. Just right.

I decided to mix it up from my normal chicken breast salad or BLTA Croissant and go with the Chili Chili Cheeseburger:

If you don't already know, the Red Robin Chili is not good. I don't know what I was thinking. The chili was really bland. I don't know what would have made it better even. Oh wait, I know, if it was made by someone else who knows how to make chili. I guess that would work. Baldy's has good chili. Where else?

Our waitress was awesome! Of course I don't remember her name but she said she's been there long enough so she hopes she's good. We let her know that we thought she rocked. Anyway, she asked if I wanted a little pink or no pink on the burger. I decided no pink when I normally would have said pink. I made another poor decision. No pink is well done which was dry. Even smothered with chili and the large amount of Tabasco I used, it was still dry.

The wife had this new item that was on that insanely large table display. You know the display that you put on the neighboring table as soon as you sit down. Their crap on the table is getting out of hand. It's just too much. Put that crap in the menu and call it good. I get your point, you want me to order a speciality drink and get dessert all within 5 minutes so you can shuffle in the next birthday party. Annoying.

Oh so the wife's dish was this Buzzard wing Zesty Wrap thingy. It was hot wing chicken breast slices in a jalapeno wrap with a zesty sauce, blue cheese dressing, and blue cheese crumbles:

It was great. She only ate half so I got the second half which was perfect since I didn't eat all of my "burger". Her's was good and I'd recommend it. The wrap was rather spicy and the flavors blended perfectly together. I'd get that again.

One thing I do like about the birthday songs (if you can actually like something about them) is the speed in which they are wrapped up. Quick and to the point. I can't stand the traditional happy birthday song. It's painful. It reminds me of Office Space when they had to sing to Bill Lumbergh.

Red Robin
www.redrobin.com
625 SW Powerhouse Dr
Bend, OR 97702
(541) 382-9234

Bend Brewing Company or BBC - HotWing Chicken Ceasar Salad

Bend Brewing Company

I've been on this hotwing craze lately and wanted to go back to BBC to have theirs again. I got there, got a pint, and then found the Hot Wing Chicken Caesar Salad on the specials menu. Hmmm, chicken wings, or a chicken breast covered in wing sauce over a Caesar salad with bleu cheese crumbles (you can visualize me with my hands out to my sides, palms in the air doing the whole scale thing). This tough decision had me in a bit of a pickle.

Wait ... "bit of a pickle?" Where did that saying come from...does it even make sense...am I even using it correctly? Is being in a pickle is like being in a jam? MMM jam and pickles. Of course jam probably is more like door jam, like a tight spot, a tough situation instead of the delicious spread for my morning toast or lunch time PB&J. None of this matters. I don't like pickles with jam. Gross.

I did watch on Food Network a while back an episode of Ham on the Street where George Duran took random jams and put them with random cheeses to make grilled cheese. His theory was that you can't go wrong with any combination.

The wife and I actually tested this theory with whatever jams and cheeses we had in the fridge and he was quite right. It was difficult to find a bad combination. And it was a good way to use those jams that you always have sitting around that you were given during the holidays or that came with the Hickory Farms gift set that you meant to mail to your grandma last Christmas but forgot because you are the worst grandchild of all time. When I was a kid I used to eat Jam sandwiches, you got two slices of bread, jam them together, done. Great childhood memories.

So if you're lucky enough to have the HotWing Chicken Caesar appear on the daily specials on your next visit to the BBC, I'd recommend it. The HotWing Sauce at the BBC is delicious. It's spicy but not too spicy and the flavor is spot on! Perfection. Of course if you don't get the special, I'd still recommend the wings. They are great!!

Bend Brewing Company
1019 NW Brooks St.
Bend, OR, 97701
(541)383-1599

http://www.bendbrewingco.com/

Hardy's Freakin' Hot Wings and Hamburgers

Hardy's Coke Wings, Freakin' Hot Wings and a Hamburger

After our last trip to Hardy's Hot Wings and Hamburgers, we wanted to try the hottest hot wings they offer as well as the Coke wings. We also split a hamburger.

First the burger....soooo NOT worth the money. The burger starts at $7 and can easily go past $10 depending on toppings at $0.75 each for things like cheese and bacon (which should just come standard in my opinion). The burger was really small and just a basic burger. I was not impressed or even pleased with it. I'll stick with wings from now on at Hardy's.

Coke Wings - On other blogs I've read as well as a comment from Jen, people really like the Coke Wings. These are wings that have been slathered with Coca Cola syrup. The wife liked them, "not loved them, the honey BBQ is still the best in my book". I did NOT like them! In fact, I hated them.

I know I'm in the minority here with these wings but I just did not like the flavor of flat Coke on my wings. It tasted like someone spilled their soda over my dinner, let it sit for a couple hours and then served it up. If I want some hot wings and a Coke, that's completely different than having a Coke ON my wings. It just doesn't make any sense to me. I like dipping my cookies in milk but that doesn't mean I want to have milk flavored cookies. I like root beer floats but I hate root beer flavored ice cream. I like coffee but I hate coffee flavored anything.

You see where I'm going with this? There are exceptions from time to time. I love beer and I really really enjoyed the Stout Ice Cream at the Deschutes Beer Dinner but I had already enjoyed many pints that evening. Maybe that's the secret to these Coke wings. Maybe you all were trashed when you had them? Ok, I'm just teasing now.

Now for the Freakin' Hot Wings....AWESOME! Man, I haven't had a wing this hot in ages. The flavor was great as well...at least for the first wing. After that I just was trying to not have a heart attack. The wife set the timer as we wanted to see how many I could eat in 15 minutes.

8

8 wings in 15 minutes. I destroyed the first three in about two minutes and had to wait a while for my heart rate to settle and the flames to simmer down a touch on my lips. My mouth literally was on fire. Then as I realized there was no way I could eat 15 in 15 minutes so I slowed it down.

I also started dipping the wings into the most expensive ounce of ranch dressing ever in hopes of the dairy to magically relieve the pain. You'd think they made their ranch with gold dust and keep it under lock and key. I wonder if their ranch is delivered in Armored Trucks. I see the heist scene from Heat as Val Kilmer and Robert De Nero target the Hardy's armored truck as their next big score for selling on the street. Hardy's a player though, he'd buy them back at half the price from Bobby D (yeah, that's what I call him, we're cool like that), claim the loss to collect insurance, and still make out like a bandit. But I'd still have to pay $0.75 an ounce to quench my burning lips from the Freakin' Hot Wings.

Anyway, if you like HOT wings, The Freakin Hot Wings at Hardy's are freakin awesome, baby!

Hardy's
238 NE Third St.
Bend
541-382-6962

Hardy's Hot Wings & Hamburgers

Now that March Madness is upon us, it's only fitting to continue the conversation that I have been having with myself as to which restaurant in Bend has the best wings. In my quest to find the best wings I figured I had to try out a place that has hot wings in its name. Makes sense to me.

One of the things to consider when eating a hot wing is the size of the wing. Some places, Cascade Lakes Brewery, buy the smallest little scraps of wings that don't have any meat on them at all. When it comes to wings, size matters (and ONLY with wings, oh and horseshoes).

Another factor to consider is if you are getting winglettes or drumsticks. Some serve all drumsticks like at Deschutes or BBC.

My personal preference is to not have any drumsticks and have a sauce that's as hot as you can get it. The wife actually went out to Hardy's and brought a sampling back to the house. Otherwise I would have had to try their hottest Hot Wings. She even mentioned something about a "Hardy's Hot Wing Challenge" where you have to eat 15 of those wings in 15 minutes. I'll be investigating that really soon.

So on this trip she decided on Honey BBQ, Garlic and Herb, Hot, and Too Hot for the sauces to try out.

Honey BBQ:

Garlic and Herb:


Too Hot and Hot respectively:


I like my chicken spicy so the Too Hot were the ones that I devoured after trying all four. The Honey BBQ was tasty and if it was the only option, I'd get them again. The Garlic Herb were nasty. It's just a weird flavor for a chicken wing. Hot was mild and Too Hot was sort of hot.

Too Hot is about the same as the wings at BBC which I think are just a tad hotter than Deschutes. The flavor was spot on with what a wing should be. I guess on our next trip we have to try the CocaCola wings...I'm not looking forward to it but I'll try em.

Complaint: DO NOT CHARGE FOR RANCH! Charging for dipping sauces is lame. Stop it. Charging for dipping sauces is like charging for soda refills. It's bad mojo, man. $0.75 per side of sauce is just ridiculous. I'd rather have you just charge $0.25 more per order of wings and give me all the damn sauce I want.

Give Hardy's a try!

Hardy's
238 NE Third St.
Bend
541-382-6962