The Blacksmith… jazz bar?

A little rumor birdie this weekend told me that The Blacksmith Restaurant is going to be closing down for a bit of a remodel sometime soon… there will still be a restaurant, though greatly reduced to around 10 tables (not unlike how it was when it originally opened) and the … Continue reading

Why the Eastside Rocks: #8 Zydeco

You can read the general introduction to this series here. Why the Eastside Rocks #8: Zydeco I’ve sung the praises of Zydeco (formally known as Zydeco Kitchen & Cocktails) time and again, with good reason: I think they are all-around the best restaurant in Bend. And their Third Street location … Continue reading

Why the Eastside Rocks: #5 Diners

You can read the general introduction to this series here. Why the Eastside Rocks #5: Diners This might come as a shock to some, but the fact is that Bend still has cheap places to eat that are unpretentious, casual, and colorful slices of classic Americana. These are the places … Continue reading

Giuseppe’s to close and change

This article in today’s Bulletin reveals that long-time (22 years!) downtown restaurant Giuseppe’s is closing September 8th, to be reopened later in the month under the name "Bistro Pow." Pow is short for powder. Both [Peggy] Falcaro and [Mark] May are avid skiers, and aspects of the decor and menu … Continue reading

Zucca’s closed (already)

I saw the headline in the Bulletin about Kuishinbo Kitchen moving to the Westside, but I hadn’t yet read the article, so didn’t see the fine print: Kuishinbo took over the space that was formerly Zucca (and formerly Mercury Diner). So a mere six months after Zucca replaced Mercury Diner, … Continue reading

Hans is closing

News broke in the paper today that Hans is closing. As of August 31st, when their lease is up. It’s been a downtown staple for 24 years. “It’s really a positive change for ourselves,” Weiss-Hoffman said. “The opportunity came up, and we feel it’s a good time to walk away … Continue reading

Jackalope Grill

The Jackalope Grill may be one of the best-kept fine dining secrets in Central Oregon, largely because they’re unobtrusively located in Scandia Plaza, the stripmall-looking small shopping center at the corner of Reed Market and Third Street. Embarrassingly, I’ve never eaten there… even though I’ve known about it for years … Continue reading

Super Burrito open through tomorrow

According to the Bulletin, Super Burrito is open through tomorrow (Friday)—they had a slight reprieve. Everyone knows by now that they’re closing their present location, though, right? Go down there and get some lunch before they close tomorrow. A nice big burrito will run you 3 to 5 bucks. I … Continue reading

Zydeco notes

I’ve talked about Zydeco before here—I really, really love the place—and one of my last Zydeco posts was about their poor men’s room layout. Good news! While the physical layout of the men’s room is the same, they’ve since put up a heavy dark curtain in front of the urinal … Continue reading

Free Food at Jake’s Diner…

Over on Diner Life (the Jake’s Diner blog), Lyle has posted an offer to get a free cinnamon roll (the "Elvis"): Here is my blog special. If you print off a copy of one of these pictures, bring it in to Jake’s, and sign up for email specials; I will … Continue reading