3 GREAT SPOTS TO EAT IN BEND
Oregon bound? Bend is home to some wonderfully creative — and delicious — restaurants, brew pubs and cafes. Over the last year, we’ve waxed rhapsodic about Spork, Sparrow, Dogwood Cocktail Cabin and more. Now here are a few more hot spots to add to your must-nosh list for breakfast, dinner and dessert:
1 La Magie Bakery and Cafe
This casual French eatery in downtown Bend is simply adorable, from its flowered booths and chandelier multitudes to the giant, bright pink mixer responsible for the contents of the glass pastry case out front. You may be tempted by those gorgeous eclairs, berry tarts and little cakes. But La Magie’s all-day brunch menu is too delicious to resist: Steak fajita hash ($16), for example, and French toast brioche ($11), stuffed with marionberries and mascarpone, then dipped in custard and grilled.
DETAILS » Open daily at 945 NW Bond St., Bend; lamagiecafe.com.
2 Barrio
Latin-inspired small plates rule at this lively downtown hot spot. No reservations, but they’ll text you when your table’s ready. On a recent First Friday, when downtown Bend bustles into the evening with art, music and a definite party vibe, that gave us a chance to saunter about (and even play a few rounds of Pac-Man at Vector Volcano Arcade first). Go for a Barrio Margarita ($8.50) or a Paloma Violeta ($10), made with jalapeno tequila, beet juice, ancho syrup, grapefruit and hibiscus. Don’t miss the duck confit empanadas ($13), seared Spanish octopus ($13) or tacos (three for $12), whose options range from pork carnitas and chicken tinga to pineapple-bacon and mushroom-corn.
DETAILS » Open daily at 903 NW Wall St., Bend; www.barriobend.com.
3 Bonta Gelato
If you didn’t splurge on churros at Barrio — heavens, why didn’t you? — stroll over to this small-batch gelato shop, which scoops 18 flavors. After owners Jeff and Juli Labhart spent a year traveling the world — and encountered real gelato — they returned home with the idea that what Italian gelato really needs are Pacific Northwest ingredients. The result? Scoops of peanut butter and Theo chocolate fudge, Rainshadow Farms mint chip and roasted strawberry rhubarb fill waffle cones and paper cups. Even a “single” scoop is a double, so if you can’t decide on just one flavor, you can go halfsies.
DETAILS » Open daily at 920 NW Bond St., Bend; bontagelato.com.