DECEMBER 9, 2010 / THE SOURCE WEEKLY / 19 chow Though guests enter through the gym’s


main lobby, low lighting and wood panel- ing mark the entrance to Scanlon’s. The cushy booths are more reminiscent of a family restaurant than a posh steakhouse, but the overall effect is pleasant—it’s easy to envision settling in for a few glasses of wine and a good dinner. That’s exactly what my companion and


I did. After ordering generous glasses of pinot noir, we started with the addictively herby marinated mushrooms ($4) and sourdough flat bread with roasted garlic, romesco and goat cheese for spreading ($4). I’d have preferred the bread not be salted, since it overshadowed the more subtle savory flavors of the spreads. Since Scanlon’s dropped prices across


NOW THAT’S WHAT WE CALL AU JUS DINING Flexing New Muscles


New chef and lower prices revitalize Scanlon’s BY JOANNA MCDONALD


The location of Scanlon’s is perhaps an


apt metaphor for a restaurant that’s trying to play a lot of seemingly contradictory roles. It’s fine dining, but it shares a build- ing with the Athletic Club of Bend. It’s a place where “fancy” dishes like rack of lamb with a side of ratatouille rub shoul- ders with Nikes, gym bags and nachos.


INDUSTRY ROUNDUP This past week was one of the most


eventful restaurant weeks in recent his- tory. Multiple restaurants closed, sold and changed hands. And if the musical chairs- style rotation of restaurant owners is any indication, this was also one of the most confusing. Let us try to catch you up. Last Tuesday, Giuseppe’s Ristorante,


the long-standing (20-plus years) Italian institution on Bond Street, served its last meal. While we’re sad to see this perennial favorite go, it seems to be another casualty of Bend’s changing dining scene, going the way of Ernesto’s and Bella Cucina. We don’t know if newer chain Italian eateries are to blame, or if pricy fine dining is becoming less popular with the economic downturn. Either way, we’ll miss Giuseppe’s and its lounge, Goomba’s. But the Giuseppe’s storefront won’t re-


main empty. The restaurant sold to yet-to- be-named owners and reopened Tuesday, Dec. 7. The new owners were planning on changing the name to Bond Street Bar and Grill. But across the street, the Decoy Bar and


Grill was also undergoing changes by al- tering its menu and changing its name to Bond Street Grill. According to the owners, this change has been in the works for quite


“We’ve been so well branded as the


fine dining, date-night restaurant and we want to still be that for people, but we want to be economical, too,” says club general manager Kip Heilman. “We want everybody to understand that you can come in here and get an affordable meal in a very nice setting.”


the board a month ago, it wouldn’t be too hard to get out for under $35 for a simple dinner for two. Most places where that’s possible don’t also have an appetizer fea- turing house-made charcuterie, or a filet mignon one can enjoy with a nice bottle of wine. The filet, by the way, is solid. Served


au jus with Brussels sprouts (which I swapped out for the garlicky sautéed spinach—never quite got over that child- hood aversion to the infamous sprout) and silky, buttery potato puree, the soft, fist-sized cut was heavy and rich, a bit red in the middle and complemented by the herb-salt crust. At $29, pricing is on par with other spots in town. The bar menu features some good op-


tions for a diner looking for a lighter din- ner or a late (after 3 p.m.) lunch. Standard bar and grill offerings include burgers, nachos, chili and pizzas in the $7 to $12 range. The grilled chicken sandwich ($9 on the bar menu) was a bit on the salty


side, but the garnishes do include pro- sciutto and aioli. The house-made focac- cia it came with was just right and the fries were hot and crispy (but oddly not salty). The old fine-dining staple is in the midst


of a reinvention. The big changes started a little over two years ago, when Scanlon’s changed chefs. The Bend institution came under the direction of chef Brad Wood, whom some may recognize from his ten- ure at the now-defunct Merenda with chef Jody Denton. Wood worked at LuLu in San Francisco for about 10 years, earn- ing his chops under Denton as a line cook and administrative chef while he tried to


staple is in the midst of a reinvention.


make a go of a career in music. Somewhere along the line, cooking French and Italian country food became his art of choice. What’s in season and what can be pro-


cured locally play a huge role in the menu these days. Wood and Heilman believe strongly in supporting local farmers and ranchers; it shows in the flavors and is noted in the menu. “You can come in and order rack of


lamb and a $50 bottle of wine and have a wonderful, intimate dinner for two, but please, by all means, come in and have a big plate of nachos,” says Wood.


The old fine-dining


Scanlon’s, 61615 Athletic Club Drive. 541-385-3062. Dinner daily, 5 p.m. – close. Lounge open daily, 3 p.m. – close.


some time. After hearing of the Decoy’s name change, the old Giuseppe’s will now be called Caldera Grill. Two of Giuseppe’s favorite front-of-house staff, Nancy and Hydie, will likely remain at the location. Are you confused yet? Another restaurant that was rumored to


have changed ownership last week was El Jimador. The Mexican joint on NW Wall Street has allegedly been sold to Gavin McMichaels of the Blacksmith, Bourbon Street and Marz Bistro. We hear El Jimador may become a Chinese restaurant and while we’ll miss the location’s margaritas, we can’t help but be excited for Chinese we don’t have to trek across town for. Lastly, Spork, the street cart in an


Airstream that serves one of the best pork belly sandwiches in Bend, will take over the Café Sintra space on Bond Street next week. No, Spork is not buying the Sintra space – the Portuguese breakfast spot isn’t going anywhere instead, they are serving a seven-course meal for two nights only this Thursday and Friday. This trend, known as a “pop-up restaurant,” has been popu- larized most notably by Ludo Bites in Los Angeles. The temporary restaurants usu- ally serve more eclectic and risky fare and while Spork isn’t employing ingredients


GOODBYE MEXICAN, HELLO CHINESE?


like offals (internal organs) that many pop- up restaurant chefs play with, they do have a creative, eclectic and absolutely delicious- looking menu. Tickets are $44 includ-


ing gratuity and can be purchased online through brownpapertickets.com. We’ll be featuring the dinner in next week’s Chow section. (SR)


JOANNA MCDONALD


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