RESTAURANTS IN BEND OFFER A DELECTABLE VARIETY
Don’t let Bend’s embarrassing riches of biking, hiking and ski trails fool you, we’re just as much a foodie town as we are a mecca for outdoor adventures.
Enjoy a Scotch and steak at Greg’s Grill, relish the butternut squash ravioli at Pastini, or sample some of the Pacific Northwest’s finest red wines at Va Piano, for example. Check out the latest seasonal seafood dish from Anthony’s or grab brunch at the always innovative Boxwood Kitchen.
Leave your appetite ambitions behind as you explore the culinary scene here in the Old Mill District!
ANTHONY’S CIOPPINO RECIPE
PROVIDED BY ANTHONY’S RESTAURANTS
You’re sure to win the hearts and minds of your entire dinner party with Anthony’s classic cioppino recipe. An ideal winter warmer meal, you’ll find yourself drinking from the bowl to savor every last drop of this delicious seafood stew.
Don’t feel like cooking in? Order take-out food or get curbside pick-up from Anthony’s anytime this winter.
CIOPPINO SAUCE INGREDIENTS
A light tomato broth incorporating fresh tomatoes and herbs that is very similar to a thin marinara sauce.
- 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- 1 Cup Minced Onion
- 1 Tbsp. Minced Garlic
- 2 Tbsp. Minced Parsley
- 20 oz. Diced Sweet Plum Tomatoes
- 6 oz. Tomato Paste
- 12 oz. White Wine
- Pinch Coarsely Ground Black Pepper
- ¼ Cup Fresh Basil – Chopped
- 2 Tbsp. Fresh Marjoram – Chopped
- ½ Tbsp. Ground Fennel Seeds
- ½ Gallon Clam Juice
Procedure: Sauté onions and garlic over low heat until they become soft. Add parsley and seasonings. Cook for one minute. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, clam juice and white wine. Let simmer for 45 minutes.
CIOPPINO INGREDIENTS
Cioppino can be made using a variety of fresh fish and shellfish. The key is to use only the freshest seafood. Additional shellfish that may be used include calamari, ocean prawns, lobster, scallops or Alaskan King Crab. Anthony’s prefers to use halibut or lingcod, but any firm white fish can be used.
- 3 Quarts Cioppino Sauce (recipe above)
- 8 Pieces or ¾ lb. cut in pieces Firm White Fish (Halibut or Ling Cod)
- 4 Pieces or ½ lb. cut in pieces Fresh King Salmon
- 1 ½ lb. (approx. 3 per serving) Mussels
- 1 ½ lb. (approx. 3 per serving) Manila Clams
Optional
- 1 Whole Crab, Cracked Dungeness Crab
- 8 each or ¼ lb. Small Spot Prawns or Patagonia Prawns
Procedure: Sauté salmon and white fish in olive oil and garlic. Add all shellfish and Cioppino Sauce. Cover and steam until fish is cooked (clams and mussels should be open) but do not boil. Arrange in bowl and serve.
Yield: 4 servings.
Recipe adapted by Anthony’s Restaurants for home preparation.
BOXWOOD KITCHEN’S FALL HARVEST SALAD RECIPE
PROVIDED BY BOXWOOD KITCHEN
Dig into this easy-to-make salad that highlights seasonal produce like pomegranates and winter squash. Bonus points for making your own dressing!
DRESSING INGREDIENTS
- seeds from 1 pomegranate
- 1/2 cup pomegranate juice
- 1/2 cup good balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- You can sub agave or honey
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds) or you can sub sunflower seeds
- salt & pepper
DRESSING DIRECTIONS
Combine 1/2 of the pomegranate seeds, pomegranate juice, balsamic, brown sugar and pepitas in a blender on high. Slowly add the olive oil to the blender. Add salt and pepper to taste.
SALAD INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 head of radicchio, thinly sliced
- 1/2 head of frisee lettuce, torn
- 1 roasted butternut squash, cubed
- You can sub any winter squash
- Humboldt fog cheese or you can sub any goat cheese
SALAD DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, combine radicchio, frisee and squash. Plate a heaping mound of salad onto each plate, top with a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds, pepitas and Humboldt fog cheese. Drizzle dressing on top and serve.
GREG’S SPANISH COFFEE RECIPE
PROVIDED BY GREG’S GRILL
It’s warm, it’s delicious AND you get to light it on fire. Yes, a Spanish Coffee might just be the perfect winter cocktail when you’re entertaining friends or need a pick-me-up after shoveling out of the latest snow dump from La Nina.
INGREDIENTS
- sugar, for rimming the glass
- water, for rimming the glass
- 3/4 oz 151-proof rum
- 1/2 oz triple sec
- 1 1/2 oz coffee liqueur, such as Kahlua or Tia Maria
- 3 oz hot coffee, freshly brewed
lightly whipped cream, for garnish - freshly grated nutmeg, for garnish
- glasses with stems
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Put some sugar in a shallow bowl. Put some water in another shallow bowl. Dip the rim of the glass in the water and then into the sugar to make a band of sugar around the rim (both on the inside and outside). Add the rum and triple sec to the glass, and light with a match or lighter.
2. Hold the glass by the stem at an angle and let the flame heat the sugar around the rim and twirl the glass until the sugar begins to bubble and caramelize. To get it dark, caramelly and delicious usually takes about a minute.
3. Add the coffee liqueur and the coffee. Top with whipped cream and freshly grated nutmeg. Serve immediately.
GIVING THE GIFT OF THE GODS
WINE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EVERY PRICE POINT
Gifting a good bottle of wine is the gift that has the potential to keep on giving.
Headed to a white elephant Christmas party and want to make sure there’s something in the gift pile you actually want? How about a nice chianti. Need a last-minute side dish for the potluck you forgot about? Chardonnay for the win.
Looking for something a little more complex than the latest hop bomb? (We love them too, but how many Imperial IPAs can you consume over the winter months!?!) Hello Cabernet Sauvignon.
With a little help – and several tastings – from Va Piano Vineyards, Evoke Winery and Pastini here in the Old Mill District, we’ve got you covered for bottle recommendations headed into the 2020 holiday season and beyond.
Under $30 – The classic office party or in-laws-you-tolerate price range, we’ve got a handful of great suggestions. From Va Piano, try their 2016 French Creek Chardonnay. Using grapes from French Creek Vineyard in the Yakima Valley, one of Washington’s oldest Chardonnay vineyards, this Chardonnay is a proven crowd-pleaser with hints of fresh citrus and melon and just the slightest of tropical notes. We love it as a first-drink wine that pairs exceptionally with fish and seafood.
Another white we love in this price point is the Di Lenardo Pinot Grigio, an import Pastini carries from the Veneto region of NE Italy. Its flavors of pear and quince are balanced by a slight richness, for an elegant white, perfect for sipping.
For a full-bodied red that will pair with just about any pasta, Pastini’s go-to Tuscan favorite is Travignoli Chianti Rufina. Dry, ripe and exceptionally complex, it is consistently ranked 90+ by the wine publications and is a terrific value.
If you’re looking for a gift for the wine lover who doesn’t take things too seriously, go with Evoke’s Fugly Sweater Red Blend. The notes of blackberry and red currant are delicious, and the wine label is one of our favorite designs of all time. Evoke’s Sleigh the Day Viognier is just as playful, a great white wine for that friend or neighbor who goes all out and decks their halls Pinterest-perfectly every year.
Between $30 and $60 – Highlighting the very best of Walla Walla’s world-renowned wine scene, Va Piano’s 2015 Walla Walla Syrah blends grapes from Les Collines, Va Piano and Stoney Vine. The result is a beautifully original Syrah that captures the complexities of the Walla Walla Valley.
Looking for a classic Oregon Pinot Noir? Portlander Andrew Rich comes highly recommended from Pastini. Rich makes several pinots, from his Andrew Rich Prelude Pinot Noir – it’s young, peppery and full of black cherry fruit – to his higher-end Andrew Rich Volcanic Pinot Noir, which is plush with floral and spicy notes.
$60 and above – If you want to truly make a splash, here’s a couple of bottles we always splurge on during the holidays. Evoke’s Oh! Orgasmic Nebbiolo is one of our favorite underrated holiday wines. You’ll taste dark berries and spices with this dry red, a combination we love to pair with anything that includes provolone. From Va Piano, go with their 2016 Rosebud Cabernet Sauvignon. Crafted from grapes grown at Rosebud Vineyard, a third-generation winery in the Columbia Valley. You’ll smell hints of red plums and cherries before your palate dives into notes of rich blackberries. It’s an absolute favorite of ours during the colder months.
