Outdoor Dining Guide – Bend Oregon

2008/05/19

Outdoor Dining Guide

Dining outside during the warm summer months in Bend Oregon is a great way to pass the time, relax, and enjoy some good food and drinks. I am very picky when it comes to outdoor dining. Most people are pleased as punch to be out in the sun as they eat. They like to be seen or to just soak up some rays or whatever. I don’t like eating outside when there are cars puttering by or civilians walking too close to my table. I don’t like people all up on my table with their kids coughing or their dogs doing their dog business peeing on a pole or plant within smelling distance. I don’t like sitting outside while the bible thumper exercises his right to free speech so he belts out how I’m going to hell as I try to enjoy my happy hour peel and eat prawns and draft beers.

SO, just because you put some tables and chairs outside doesn’t mean that you should offer outdoor dining. Here are the restaurants that claim to offer outdoor seating. Below is my guide to dining outside in Bend Oregon.

Outdoor Dining Guide as told by the Bend Oregon Restaurants Blogger:

Bend Brewing Company
1019 N.W. Brooks St.
Bend, Oregon
383-1599

Outdoor seating review – By far my favorite outdoor dining in all of Bend, Oregon. View of the river, no foot traffic, no vehicle smell all work in your favor while scarfing down some buffalo wings and downing some Outback Ale.

McKay Cottage
62910 O.B. Riley Road
Bend, Oregon
383-2697

Outdoor seating review – The outdoor seating at McKay Cottage is awesome, if it wasn’t located on OB Riley Rd. Under that big ass tree, the scene is actually really nice. People seem to like it alot.

38 Degrees Mediterranean Bistro
745 N.W. Mt. Washington Drive (Northwest Crossing)
Bend, Oregon
318-8161

Outdoor seating review – Located on Mt. Washington Drive, you’re going to hear some traffic fo sho, but the views of the Mountains are amazing. After some sangria, you wont care about the traffic at all.

Anthony’s Homeport
475 Powerhouse Drive
Bend, Oregon
541-389-8998

Outdoor seating review – Beautifully located along the Deschutes river, Anthony’s and Greg’s Grill are equally great dining options. Big plus for being able to eat and drink while listening to whomever is playing at the amphitheater. Negative points for having outdoor seating with public access. I don’t like being on display while eating.

Greg’s Grill
395 S.W. Powerhouse Drive, The Shops at The Old Mill District
Bend, Oregon
382-2200

Outdoor seating review – Beautifully located along the Deschutes river, Anthony’s and Greg’s Grill are equally great dining options. Big plus for being able to eat and drink while listening to whoever is playing at the amphitheater. Negative points for having outdoor seating with public access. I don’t like being on display while eating.

Baldy’s Barbeque
235 S.W. Century Drive
Bend, Oregon
385-7427 (385-RIBS)

Outdoor seating review – For being located near a busy traffic circle at 14th and Simpson, Baldy has created a total backyard BBQ vibe…if we were in Beaverton. HAHA well he’s done the best for what he’s been dealt. Its actually quite nice with a separate bar, heating lamps and whatnot.

Baltazar’s
1465 SW Knoll Ave (just off of 14th)
Bend, Oregon
382-6622

Outdoor seating review – Very similar to Baldy’s, a nice little spot just off of 14th.

Bend Fish Company
212 NE Revere Ave.
Bend, Oregon
330-6131

Outdoor seating review – Not bad for being on the corner of busy and busier street with zero view. I’m not really a fan.

Downtowner
852 NW Brooks St
Bend, Oregon
388-2467

Outdoor seating review – Apparently the Downtowner has worked out something to expand the seating area just outside the breezeway. Seems like a decent spot, not a whole lot of traffic but you do get to observe, or deal with, the transients that hang out and the foot traffic. Not to mention the occasional street performance or art display or what not. All good for anyone that likes that crap.

El Burrito
335 N.E. DeKalb Ave.
Bend, Oregon
382-2177

Outdoor seating review – Nice deck but the location is not optimal for outdoor dining. I mean you might have a nice view of a mountain or the parking lot of starz. You might get a chance to see someone stealing your hub caps as you eat some Al Pastor burrito but that doesn’t make for the best scenery.

Jake’s Diner
2210 N.E. U.S. Highway 20
Bend, Oregon
382-0118

Outdoor seating review – Jake’s has a nice deck for you to eat your over sized pancakes on. The view is of Pilot Butte. There is not any foot or motorized traffic or anything like that. Great place to watch the fireworks on the 4th.

Kanpai Sushi and Sake Bar
990 N.W. Newport Ave.
Bend, Oregon
388-4636

Outdoor seating review – Located right on Newport, eating sushi on a hot day with traffic passing by at 25 mph doesn’t getting any better.

Kebaba
1004 N.W. Newport Ave.
Bend, Oregon
318-6224

Outdoor seating review – Located right on Newport, eating a falafel sandwich a hot day with traffic passing by at 25 mph doesn’t getting any better.

CHOW
1110 NW Newport Ave
Bend, Oregon 97701
541-728-0256

Outdoor seating review – Located right on Newport, eating a delicious but small portion of breakfast, lunch, or dinner on a hot day with traffic passing by at 25 mph doesn’t getting any better.

La Rosa Authentic Mexican Kitchen
1444 College Way, #104
Bend, Oregon
318-7210

Outdoor seating review – The tiny outdoor seating on College Way and Newport right next to the new Chevron gas station doesn’t offer the best views. Of course, since the Source says that La Rosa has already relocated to Northwest Crossing, the views from this location are probably awesome, and doesn’t smell like gasoline.

Longboard Louie’s
1254 NW Galveston Ave.,
Bend, Oregon
383-2449

Outdoor seating review – Right off of Galveston, the outdoor seating is actually really nice for what it is. Plenty of shade to keep you cool while eating your MBC burritos.

McMenamins
700 N.W. Bond St.
Bend, Oregon
382-5174

Outdoor seating review – With your 189 options for dining outside of McMenamins, how can you go wrong? For downtown outdoor dining options, this is probably second place in my opinion…if only it were not for the horrible service, shitty food, and subpar beer. Other than that, its quite nice.

Merenda Restaurant and Wine Bar
900 N.W. Wall St.
Bend, Oregon
330-2304

Outdoor seating review – See the entry paragraph above. The wife reviewed this guide and thought that I should just lump all of the sidewalk dining restaurants together. Merenda, JC’s, Decoy, Pizza Mondo, El Jimador, Soba, Marz, Toomies, and whoever else that put tables and chairs out on the sidewalk and call it good don’t really count.

Parrilla Grill
635 N.W. 14th St.
Bend, Oregon
617-9600

Outdoor seating review – The only good thing about the outdoor seating here is when a band is playing…if they are good. Other than that I wouldn’t eat outside.

Pizza Mondo
811 N.W. Wall St.
Bend, Oregon
330-9093

Outdoor seating review – Love the pizza, outdoor seating consists of two tables next to a bike rack which usually has a big ass dog tied up to it. I wouldn’t sit there.

Soba Asian Bistro
945 NW Bond Street
Bend, Oregon
318-1535

Outdoor seating review – For being on the street in downtown Bend, at least the seats are set in to the building vs taking up valuable sidewalk space. So the civilians are not all up in your spicy shrimp noodle soup.

Super Burrito
1133 NW Wall St, Ste 101,
Bend Oregon

Outdoor seating review – Lots of space to enjoy your burrito’s outside but you are right up on Greenwood/Newport/Hwy 20 and have a view of the Boondock’s parking lot. I liked sitting out there while I waited 30 minutes for my panini from the previous occupants.

El Caporal West
744 NW Bond Street
Bend, Oregon
541-322-8916

Outdoor seating review – Decent spot to watch the criterium in the summer. I don’t really like eating outside there as you’re basically in the parking lot but on hot days it seems to be packed.

Staccato’s at the Firehall
5 N.W. Minnesota Ave.
Bend, Oregon
312-3100

Outdoor seating review – Not bad seating normally, but for this summer you can expect plenty of construction to accompany your poor service and overpriced wannabe Italian cuisine.

Toomie’s Thai Cuisine
119 NW Minnesota Ave.
Bend, Oregon
388-5590

Outdoor seating review – Same as Marz, sure you’re outside but you’re spitting distance from the street, and pedestrians are all up in your chicken red curry.

Victorian Cafe
1404 N.W. Galveston Ave.
Bend, Oregon
382-6411

Outdoor seating review – Best as it gets on a busy intersection. With the wait for a table getting over an hour on a regular basis, be happy with any spot you can get.

The Decoy Bar and Grill
1051 Bond Street, Suite 100
Bend, Oregon
318-4833

Outdoor seating review – Tables and chairs are outside, that’s about it. Busy intersection with a view of the courthouse. Great.

Cascade Lakes Lodge
1441 SW Chandler Avenue
Bend, Oregon
388-4998

Outdoor seating review – Outside sipping on nasty beers next to a busy traffic circle. Nice location for those heading out Century Drive. When I drive by, I CRANK up my car stereo with some gangster rap. Its funny.

Alpenglow Cafe
1133 N.W. Wall St., Suite 100
Bend, Oregon
383-7676

Outdoor seating review – There is ample room to enjoy the sun but the views and traffic are lacking. Most of the time there is construction close by or the smell of vomit from last night’s Joker’s patrons trying to make it out the door. Kidding…Joker’s aint even there anymore.

Bella Cucina Italian Cafe – Old Mill District
450 SW Powerhouse Drive
Old Mill District (across from Anthony’s)
Bend, Oregon
385-7774

Outdoor seating review – Like Greg’s Grill and Anthony’s but with way more traffic (both foot and motorized), tons less space, and no view.

Fireside Red
803 SW Industrial Way
Bend, Oregon
306-3121

Outdoor seating review – Can’t complain about the view much at all, mountains, river, Colorado Ave. Especially with all the floaters on the river having to get out to cross over the damn right there. You get the full view…of things. I can hear the owner’s now – “Old Man BOR is here again requesting patio seating.” I can’t wait.

Marz Bistro
163 N.W. Minnesota Ave.
Bend, Oregon
389-2025

Outdoor seating review – Outdoor dingin in Downtown Bend is hard to come by. Marz throws some tables outside but every time I walk by them, I sort of laugh at the outdoor patrons. I like to pretend cough and pass gas just to help with the ambiance. Kidding of course, but I wont dine outdoors at most downtown restaurants for this reason.

Pine Tavern
967 NW Brooks St.
Bend, Oregon
382-5581

Outdoor seating review – Glorious spot, probably the best outdoor seating in all of downtown Bend, if only the food was good. The food was great in 1930, and the patrons that had it back then are still loving it today.

Pizzicato
1288 SW Simpson Ave.
Bend, Oregon
382-1228

Outdoor seating review – I’m sort of getting tired of writing these now…you get to sit outside and watch the cars go in and out of the Safeway parking long on Simpson Ave. The pizza is overpriced.

Scanlon’s Athletic Club of Bend
61615 Ahtletic Club Drive
Bend, Oregon
385-3062

Outdoor seating review – GREAT views of the pool. You’d think that at an athletic club you’d see some hard bodies but unfortunately, it is not that great.

If I’ve missed a restaurant in this category. Please submit a restaurant via email.

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Dining Guide – the Source Weekly

2008/05/16

Dining Guide – the Source Weekly

Last week the Source Weekly published their Dining Guide for 2008 complete with their restaurant of the year and their favorite 100 restaurants in Central Oregon that provide dinnertime table service. Sounds good…is there a restaurant in Bend that provides dinnertime table service that is NOT in the list?

Not counting the chain restaurants like Applebees or Outback…I can only think of La Costa Azul as not making the list but I don’t know if they’re even open anymore. So if basically every restaurant is in this list, why are they referring to the Dining Guide as “100 of Our Favorite Dining Spots?” I mean, that’s all there is.

Before I get too far into my rant on the Dining Guide, let me say that I like the Source Weekly. I like that it is free in print and ONLINE (Bulletin). I like the editors that I’ve met and or emailed with. I think all in all, they do a good job for being advertiser funded. I am going to complain about the Dining Guide for a few issues but all in all, I think it is a good list of restaurants that serve dinner, offer tables and chairs, and employ waitresses.

So hopefully anything I complain about will be viewed as constructive criticism.

#1 – The restaurant of the year – I don’t get it. What is the criteria for this sort of honor. Marz will have the plaque in the window for the next few years but what does it mean? Why or how did they beat out the rest of the competition? Because they “broke the steak and potatoes mold 10 years ago” tells me that they should have won restaurant of the year ten years ago. This isn’t the hall of fame where your name comes up for eligibility years after retirement.

#2 – Why bother with Standouts and Regrets. We all know that the paper is advertiser funded and 90% of the ads in the Dining Guide are restaurants. So why have a Regrets line if all you’re going to say is “can be a bit noisy”, “can be a bit rowdy”, “a bit inconsistent”, “it’s hard to extract yourself from those comfy chairs”….OOOO you sure taught them a lesson with that one. Every regret is a bit this or a bit that or could be this or maybe a little more that. Man up and just say it. “It’s flippin noisy as hell in there. Makes my ears bleed.” Or you could say “Sure they make their own beer but the food is served in plastic baskets, why are they on this list?”

#3 – Celina’s Latin Bistro opened on Friday…two days AFTER the Dining Guide was published. Shouldn’t a restaurant open before it gets a good review. I mean sure, the “regret” listed is “untested menu” but if it is untested, then why is it even listed in the Dining Guide? Who wrote the description?

#4 – La Rosa hasn’t moved to Northwest Crossing yet.

#5 – Jake’s Diner doesn’t offer the Elvis Cinnamon Roll anymore.

#6 – “the most comprehensive and honest assessment of the Central Oregon dining scene you’ll find anywhere around – guaranteed.” See #3. I love coming across guarantees like this. Reminds me of Tommy Boy – “…I can take a shit in a box, and slap a guarantee on it, …but all you’re getting is a guaranteed piece of shit.”

#7 – Prineville only has two restaurants listed. I mean come on! Oh wait, no, that’s actually accurate. The Prineville Princess says that Barney Prine’s is great but Club Pioneer is “glorified Sizzler.” Isn’t there a Chuck E Cheese in Prineville? There should be.

You can read the online version of the Dining Guide at:

http://www.tsweekly.com/index.php?option=com_mtree&task=listcats&cat_id=42&Itemid=142

Currently it is the 2007 version online but hopefully that will be updated soon.

The Source Weekly
http://www.tsweekly.com/

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