Bend, OR

This past weekend downtown Bend transformed into a culinary dreamland (more than it is already) as dozens of local restaurants showcased their cuisine at the 6th annual Bite of Bend. Walking down Bond Street was like a gastronomic world tour: where else can you down a plate of Pad Thai with a slice of brick-oven pizza and wash it all down with a local microbrew that came from a barrel-shaped cart? In addition to hundreds of food choices, the two-day event featured live entertainment, a kid’s play area with all manner of inflatable bounce houses and slides, and an Iron Chef-type competition for local chefs.

A friend and I headed downtown in the early evening on Saturday to check things out. We were able to squeeze into a 2-hour parallel spot on Louisiana Avenue, off of Wall Street, and walked a block over to Bond Street, where our senses were greeted with wonderful sights, scents, and the promise of wonderful tastes. After walking up and down the street, checking out the offerings of the 40 vendors, my friend decided on a plate of Thai food for $6 and I got a miniature Kobe beef burger for $5. While in line, the man in front of me offered me a bacon-wrapped date. “That’s my dad. He likes to share,” the girl working the counter informed me. Thank goodness for generous people- that date was the single most amazing thing I’ve tasted in a long time.

As we happily noshed our food finds, we wandered up and down both ends of Minnesota Avenue, which was flanked by two stages. On one end, groups of people sat around scattered tables, watching a band perform on the Main Stage. On the other end, a smaller group gathered to watch the Iron Chef competition. While I normally love cooking shows, I realized while watching the chefs silently shuffle around the stage that on television, genius editing turns 2 hours of cooking time into snappy 5-minute clips. It’s a little different watching chefs braise a piece of fish in real-time, silently, and with little commentary, so we didn’t stay long.

After poking into a few downtown shops and making a couple more laps around the stands, we finished our Bite of Bend experience with bright orange Thai Iced Tea and Pomegranate Lemonade. We reached the car just as it began to rain, and left the event with stomachs full of food and minds brimming with mental lists of new restaurants to check out at a later date.

What to know before you go:
Bite of Bend is a free, family-friendly event. Local vendors offer everything from pizza and popcorn to fine wine and gourmet treats. With “bites” priced from $1 to $7, Bite of Bend makes for a relatively inexpensive (and yummy) date night. Stay for the live entertainment and competitions and you can make an entire evening out of it. This year Bite of Bend took place on Saturday from 11am to 10pm and Sunday from 11am to 7pm. Find out more at the Bite of Bend website, and get your taste buds ready for next year!