MERENDA
Bend, Oregon

The waiters’ crisp black shirts and faded blue jeans seem like a fitting metaphor for the dining experience at Merenda: exquisite food in a relaxed atmosphere. Surrounded by the warm interior of the large dining room, with its brick walls and heavy timbers, it’s a good place to take in the lively local scene. Patrons form an eclectic and lively mix, if mere looks can be a guide, from the obvious tourist to the casual local. You might even see a few ranchers, or more likely “hobby” ranchers, doffing their 10-gallons while they ponder a 4-glass wine flight. Dress in any style you like—you’ll blend in.

The dinner menu features a good sampling of Northwest seafood and beef grilled over a wood fire along with several choices one might find roaming this high desert country, such as “Big Valley Buffalo Tenderloin” or “Oven Roasted Rabbit”. Each comes with imaginative vegetable preparations enhanced with cheeses and truffle oil. Pasta and pizza are also available, some with intriguing descriptions such as “baked egg with pancetta, fingerling potatoes, sage and fontina”.

Salads and hors d’oeuvres are plentiful and tempting. A bibb lettuce salad springs to life with the rich flavors of roasted cherries and Roquefort. Another preparation, simply labeled “Chopped Vegetable Salad”, comes dressed with a colorful array of peppers, cherry tomatoes, English peas and pine nuts. Both display a nice balance of flavors and are served in a refreshingly straightforward manner.

The affable wait staff accommodated our desire to skip the “big meal” in favor of an eclectic mix of starters and small plates. We sampled the roasted halibut cheeks, prepared with a light sauce of preserved lemon, sherry and garlic, accompanied by a side of rich, creamy polenta with parmesan cheese. The sautéed spinach, also prepared with lemon and garlic (is there a pattern here?), displayed nice restraint to showcase the fresh greens. By comparison, the Copper River salmon tartar was uninteresting, its flavor no doubt overwhelmed by the other dishes.

Close to 100 different wines are available by the glass or in a 2 ounce taste. For those wishing to compare wines of different regions or styles, 8 “Wine Flights” are offered. There’s the “Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio” flight or, for the more competitive, the “Pinot Noir…California vs. Oregon”. While I can’t give you the point spread on the latter, the cost for these 4-glass tastings ranges from $9.00 to $17.00. A flight of Northwest reds gave us the chance to pair the different wines with a variety of foods.

A good selection of dessert wines is also available. Try one of these along with the “Rhubarb Tart with Black Pepper ice Cream”. The almond mousse covering the base of the thin pastry shell provides just the right balance for the tart rhubarb filling. And yes, it comes nestled against a scoop of black pepper ice cream. –Will Foster

Merenda, 900 NW Wall Street, Bend, Oregon
330-2304