Answering the Typhoon Rumors

Rumors of the impending demise of Typhoon, the popular Thai restaurant on Bond Street in downtown Bend, apparently are just that — rumors.

Typhoon, Bond Street, Bend

I spoke this afternoon to Jim Thomas, a member of Typhoon’s board of directors, and he vehemently denied that the company plans to close its Bend restaurant.

Never mind that Typhoon has been charged with civil rights violations by the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries. Never mind that its founder, Stephen Kline, died following a heart attack in August. Never mind that two of the seven members of the Typhoon group have closed in the Portland area in recent months.

Never mind that COG (that’s my acronym for Central Oregon Gossip) has been circulating the word about Typhoon’s slow death for well over a year.

“Only two of our restaurants have ever closed,” Thomas said. “Those were in West Linn and on Broadway in downtown Portland (at the Hotel Lucia).

Bo Restobar, Bend

“Our northwest Portland restaurant is still open, as well as our restaurants in Gresham, Beaverton, and Redmond, Wash. Plus we have a presence on the campus of Microsoft (in Redmond).”

Thomas speculated that recent rumors began when the restaurant’s Bo Restobar, located in the same Franklin Crossing building, reduced its winter hours to Thursday-to-Saturday evenings only.

“There is a distinct possibility that we will consolidate the Bo bar into the restaurant at some point,” Thomas said. “But otherwise, we’re going to keeping doing what we’re doing now, which is serving lunch and dinner every day.”

Thomas said the restaurant group feels no pressure from the legal suit filed against it. But he wouldn’t comment further. “It’s an ongoing investigation,” he said. “We’re not supposed to talk about it.”

Chef David Touvell of Chow Talks about Sustainability

Running one of Central Oregon’s finest breakfast-and-lunch restaurants isn’t enough for David Touvell. The owner and executive chef of Chow (www.chowbend.com), on Newport Avenue, has other big plans in mind.

Chef David Touvell

That’s not surprising, when you get to know him. Touvell, 35, has never been the kind of guy to sit still.

What’s in the works? For starters, a new pizza pub, The Local Slice. Dave hopes to get it up and running by the beginning of February in Brookswood Meadow Plaza, on Bend’s south side. He was to have signed the lease earlier this week.

Later in 2012, he expects to expand the Chow concept … to Portland. He is exploring three possible locations on Northeast Alberta Street and Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard. Stay tuned.

And then there’s a little personal business — a wedding. Dave and his longtime girlfriend, Rebecca Wilkinson, plan to get married in the summer. Their daughter, Jardin, born in August 2010, will be an active participant.

I guess you could say that even Touvell’s personal life revolved around sustainability.

“If we don’t support our local producers, the world itself from a food perspective will collapse,” Dave tells me one morning over a plate of eggs Blackstone, one of his signature dishes. “There’s no way we can sustain ourselves if we buy from everybody all over the world.”

Touvell has been a part of the Bend restaurant scene since 2000. A native of Ventura, Calif., he began working in the bakery kitchen of a family friend when he was only 9 years old. He attended the Western Culinary Institute in Portland, and after a stint with the Pebble Beach Resorts group on California’s Monterey Peninsula, returned to Oregon.

He arrived in Bend after working in Ashland (Catwalk and Peerless); Tucson, Ariz. (the Tack Room and Hacienda del Sol); and Portland (Couvron and William’s). He initially worked at Café Rosemary, then consulted for seven years at such restaurants as Barcelona, Sushimoto, the Lodge at Suttle Lake and Kanpai.

In 2008, he opened Chow. “I’d always seen the location, and wanted to do a restaurant on my own,” he says. “I designed it and the concept evolved.”

Ham and eggs, Chow-style

Today, the first thing a patron sees when walking in the front door is a blackboard that lists three dozen local food providers and other business people whose services Touvell enlists.

“I’ve been practicing sustainability since I first started cooking,” he says. “It’s not only that flavor is more alive when the food is in season. More than that, it is an educated response to the economy and to what people eat from a dietary perspective.

“Everything is made from scratch. We don’t grow our own potatoes or milk our own cows … but if we could, we would. It’s not marketing. I really, really believe in it.”

David Touvell is one of nearly two dozen Central Oregon chefs featured with original recipes in “Sage in the Kitchen,” a cookbook soon to be published as a benefit project for Bend’s Community Center. For more information, please see: www.facebook.com/pages/Sage-in-the-Kitchen/277434852281807

In the Kitchen with Juri Sbandati

Tuscan tenderloin: Grandma didn't make Italian food like this (Barb Gonzalez photos)

Juri Sbandati is not your average Oregon chef.

A native of Florence, Italy, he has a doctorate in history. Named by his parents for Russian astronaut Yuri Gagarin, he is an avid fan of Grand Prix and Formula One race-car driving, and he named his own 21-month-old son Ugo after a favorite driver.

Chef Juri Sbandati

Juri and his wife, Kinley, own and operate Trattoria Sbandati (www.trattoriasbandati.com), an intimate cafe on College Way, on Bend’s west side. “There is an Italian saying: ‘The fewer the tables, the fuller your restaurant,’” recites Juri, 37. “I am tired of restaurants that seat 150 people. I decided to go the opposite direction. “A trattoria in Italy is a family-run restaurant, a place where you can develop strong connections with your customers and make everyone feel special.”

The 36-seat restaurant, its Florentine art and draperies giving it a sense of European style, opened in October 2009 and already is rated one of the premier places to dine in Central Oregon.

The cuisine is authentically Tuscan. It is not Americanized. There’s no spaghetti and meatballs on the menu. “That is not Italian food,” Juri says. “You also won’t find fettuccine Alfredo or chicken Parmigiana here.”

Italian food is simple, accessible and versatile, he says. “But simple does not mean easy. I try to be an artisan. I don’t cook much with butter or heavy cream. I want to cook for people, but not feed the masses. I am cooking with a personal touch.”

Pastas, sauces, breads and soups are all hand-made. Prix-fixe dinners are worthy of special occasions. At these, the four-course menu is determined several days ahead of time. “I want to create an experience,” says Juri. “I want to make you anticipate for days.”

Juri discovered his flair for cooking as a university student. It was in Florence that he met Kinley Fitzkee, a Boston native who had gone to Italy for graduate studies in art. They married and settled in Oregon, where Juri set up his own business, Sbandati Personal Chef, and cooked in the homes of clients from San Francisco to Seattle.

After several years, they opened their own restaurant, and Bend is the better for it. “A chef without a kitchen is like a country without a government,” says Juri, who is never at a shortage for words. “Besides, food is a great excuse to talk about your country and who you are.”

This profile is one of two dozen that will appear with original recipes in “Sage in the Kitchen,” a cookbook soon to be published as a benefit project for Bend’s Community Center. For more information, please see: www.facebook.com/pages/Sage-in-the-Kitchen/277434852281807

Baldy’s BBQ hosts its annual ‘Baldyfest’

Brian Dioguardi welcomes patrons at Baldy's Barbeque

Baldy’s Barbeque, perennially voted Bend’s best barbecue restaurant, is celebrating its sixth anniversary this weekend … and customers will reap the benefits at this weekend’s “Baldyfest.”

All week long, owners Brian and Paige Dioguardi have served up half-racks of ribs, pulled-pork sandwiches, deep-fried okra and other house specialties at deeply discounted prices.

The customer-appreciation party reaches a climax tomorrow when Brian roasts an entire pig in his portable wood barbecue pit, on the patio at his west-side Bend establishment — located at 235 S.W. Century Drive, next door to Pine Mountain Sports.

While Three Quarters Short entertains guests with live country rock from 1 to 4 p.m., Brian will finish cooking the animal that he’ll start roasting tonight in his driveway.

A Century Drive landmark

The Chicago born-and-raised restaurateur — his polished skull well known as the caricature on Baldy’s logo — was almost salivating yesterday as he visualized the finished pig.

“The skin is so thick, and the pig gets so hot inside, that steam builds up under the skin,” he told me. “It slowly starts to separate the skin from the meat, until there is a gap of 2 to 3 inches between.

“When you cut into the skin, you have to be careful, because you can burn yourself just from the steam. But the meat is so tender and tasty, you’ll fall in love with it.”

Life has been good to Brian, Paige and their two daughters — Karlin, 9, and Amelia, 7 — since they chose to make a permanent home in Bend in June 2004. After six years in Aspen, Colo., they arrived in Oregon with big restaurant plans; Baldy’s opened on Feb. 8, 2005.

“The first three years just crawled by,” Brian recalled. “The last three went by in the blink of an eye.”

Just six months ago, Baldy’s established an east-side Bend location within the Stop ‘n Go Shell station, on East Highway 20 at 27th Street.  And next month the company will add a Redmond restaurant.

There, Brian said, meat will go directly from smoker to barbecue to plate. “This new restaurant has really invigorated me,” he said. “I am having fun.”

Ever since he began washing dishes in a Chicago restaurant as a teen-ager, said Brian, now 42, he has been in love with the business.

Ribs, pulled pork, chicken and brisket

Barbecue has become a passion.

“Timing and temperature are crucial,” he said. “You’ve got to cook low and slow.

“It takes attention, love, good preparation techniques. You can’t over-salt, but you can’t under-season.

“You must learn when your product is done. You can’t fall asleep or it can ruin someone’s meal.

“And the sauce has got to complement the meat.”

Brian’s original barbecue sauce — from a recipe that he devised 17 years ago — is still made in Chicago and shipped to Bend four times a year in 600-gallon batches, he said.

He since has added a spicier Cat’s Meow barbecue sauce, but he’s not yet done creating.

“Not everyone likes a tomato-based sauce,” Brian noted. “I want to make a vinegar-based sauce. The tanginess really brings out the flavor of pulled pork.”

A final note: If Brian Dioguardi asks you how you are enjoying your meal, don’t tell him, “It’s good.”

“That’s the worst word,” he said with a half-smile. “I want to be able to really connect with a customer and get real honest answers. 

“What can I do to make this GREAT for you?”

Update: Pho Viet, Brew Werks, Letzer’s

Readers assail the slow service at Letzer's Deli in Bend

As the restaurant critic for the Friday “Go!” section of the Bend Bulletin, I am never surprised when I hear from readers who don’t like my opinions.  Some disagree with my good reviews, some take exception to my bad reviews, and some merely write to complain.

I am a fan of Pho Viet, the new Vietnamese restaurant on Third Avenue.  I won’t write a review before spring, as I always wait at least three months following an opening, giving a restaurant time to establish itself. But Amy Scott, upon reading my blog about Pho Viet, couldn’t hold back:

Pho Viet's Tan Vo

It was “not worth the horrible treatment,” she wrote.  “I ordered a large soup and a lemongrass-honey chicken dish that came with white rice.  I told the owner when he came by my table that the chicken was way too salty for me.  He and a woman worker both tried it right there.  He said, ‘It is just fine.’ 

“I couldn’t believe he wanted to argue with me over this stupid salty chicken.  When I went up to pay for my bill, I told him I would pay for the rice and my soup.  He tried to charge me $3 for the rice.  ‘But the menu says a side of rice is $1.99,’ I said.  He said, ‘OK, but you wasted our chicken and it was just fine.’

“Then he said, ‘Because you wasted a beautiful plate of our food, don’t come back!  I have the right to refuse service to anyone, and you are too difficult.’

“I couldn’t believe it.  I have never been treated like this.  I dare you to try it and say you don’t like something.  See what happens.  Unbelievable.”

David Love, owner of the Old Mill Brew Werks, considered my “B” review of his pub to be unsatisfactory.  Love pointed out that I had erred in details listed in the review’s information box.

Old Mill Brew Werks

“I thought you were brutally honest in your review of our establishment and the assets and liabilities we bring to the table,” Love wrote.  “I hope you can be brutally honest with yourself and realize that your review was WRONG in these vital areas and can make up for it somehow.”

I acknowledged these errors in last week’s “Go!” section: 

The pub does have a children’s menu.  Five different items are available for $4.95, with ice cream and a soda.  “We fashion ourselves ‘kid friendly’ and you hurt us in that regard,” Love wrote.

Although it is hard to miss, I did not point out that the pub has a west-facing porch with outdoor seating for 33 people.  My bad.  And although I emphasized the Brew Werks’ excellent beer selection, I failed to note that it has applied for a full liquor license.

But I have never had more negative response to any recent review than to the kudos I gave Letzer’s Deli, a Jewish delicatessen on South East Division Street, in early December.

Karin Cody wrote me twice, three weeks apart in January, to “challenge your review and A- grade of Letzer’s Deli.  To say that it is Bend’s only authentic Jewish delicatessen is a ridiculous statement.

“The corned beef was obviously not even close to the caliber of a Jewish deli (which serves home cooked corned beef brisket).  As a matter of fact, I saw a hunk of processed pastrami lunchmeat in their deli case and know for a fact (I’m Jewish) that their corned beef was the same processed meat. 

“I do agree the sandwiches were big and the meat sliced thin and piled high, but to say that it is “an authentic Jewish deli” is just criminal.”

Letzer's Deli

This from M.K. Po, as he/she signed him/herself:

“In my opinion — which isn’t much, but I have cooked professionally for 25 years — they need help with customer service and atmosphere.  Seating is tight and service is SLOW!  (The owner) never gets up to offer help to his staff or a seat to his customers.  There is no ambience, no staff-to-customer engagement.

“My sandwich was AWESOME, but it took 35 minutes to make.  No ‘Thanks, have a good day, sorry for the wait, come again, let us know what you think.’  Nada!”

Pam Pangburn of Bend wrote:

“Went to pick up a sandwich at Letzer’s after your review.  Only two other people in the place.   I asked for a roast beef and Swiss to go.  It took 40 minutes to get my sandwich.  The servers were unsmiling and morose the whole time — I had nothing to do but observe them. The guy at the cash register kept wiping his nose with his fingers.

“I took my $8 sandwich home to discover the worst roast beef I have ever had.  It was completely dried out and tasteless with one little pathetic piece of Swiss. … I will never go back.  Awful quality.  Have told my friends.  I hope you make another visit. I am very tolerant, by nature, and I rarely complain at restaurants.  It was awful!  What were you thinking?”

And this from Paige T. and Brittany O., who were shocked that I rated Letzer’s higher than the Country Catering Co., to which I conferred a “B+”:

“Letzer’s is cramped, uninviting and obviously thrown together cheaply before they knew how their business was going to fly.

“While Letzer’s sandwiches are impressively tall, their bread is thin and falls apart while you’re trying to eat your sandwich. … The service is amazingly slow, and the food while possibly authentic is dry and sometimes tasteless. It seems although they’ve recognized this problem by supplying more dressings for the public in plastic side cups.”

Not everyone has the same dining experience at every establishment.  But based upon these readers’ experiences, it sounds like I ought to swing by Letzer’s at least one more time.

Boken: Bend’s New Dining ‘Adventure’

 

Chef Michael Murphy's seared scallop skewers at Boken (photos by Joseph Eastburn)

 

Boken is the Japanese word for “adventure.”  And that’s what owner Justin Cook intends to give diners at his new restaurant, Boken, which opened today in downtown Bend’s Brooks Street breezeway

“Food should be fun,” says Cook, who perceives Boken as a Japanese izakaya-style bar and grill.

Japanese cities are rife with izakaya — loud, social, late-night whisky bars specializing in a variety of small plates shared by friends after nights on the town.

Justin says that Boken will be less of a bar and more of a restaurant.  To start, it will open 4 to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.  Look for lunches to be added soon.  As summer approaches, times may be further extended to take advantage of the large patio area it shares with the Madhappy Lounge.

Michael Murphy and Justin Cook

Chef Michael Murphy’s menu will focus on the pan-Asian concept, not including sushi.

The main reason is that Cook plans to broaden the sushi offerings at his other Bend restaurant — the Kanpai Sake & Sushi Bar on Newport Avenue.

“Most of our patrons don’t think of Kanpai for anything but sushi,” said Cook.  “And that’s fine.  When we opened Kanpai, we never wanted teriyaki or yakisoba on the menu.  As they are kept separate in Japan, we’d like to keep them separate here.

“So while there will be no sushi at Boken, we will partially adapt the non-sushi menu that we have been serving at Kanpai.” 

Murphy said the menu will feature a variety of Asian small plates, not just Japanese.  Diners can expect to see bold, fresh flavors — grilled plates, quickly prepared from scratch — adapted from such cuisines as Thai, Vietnamese, Laotian, Cambodian, Korean … and Filipino.

Korean-style kalbi ribs

Filipino?  As it turns out, Boken’s Bend-born chef spent a year and a half in 2007-2009 on the Philippine island of Palawan, working as executive sous chef at all four restaurants of the elite Aman Pulo resort. “Asian culture was always an interest of mine,” Murphy says.  “The Palawan gig sealed the deal.”

His second stop after coming home to Bend was at Kanpai, where Cook hired him last July.  Murphy’s culinary skills were a key factor in the decision to take over the Breezeway café — formerly home to The Downtowner and Lola’s — and open a new restaurant there. 

“I’ve been in love with this space forever,” says Cook. “It’s a perfect example of, ‘Just ask and the universe provides.’

“Downtown Bend has a ton of Asian restaurants, but this one is different.  If you know Portland restaurants, think Ping.  Think Biwa.”

Nothing on the menu, Justin said, is priced more than $14.  And bar manager Michael Eliason, formerly of Portland’s Fenouil restaurant on Jamison Square, promises a creative cocktail list.

Cook, 38, was raised in the surf city of Santa Cruz, Calif.  His love of big waves continues to take him up and down the Pacific coast.   Taught by his mother to love and roll sushi before he was a teen-ager, he became a professional sushi chef in 1992 in Bend, at the original Yoko’s restaurant.

He later studied under Andy Matsuka at the California Sushi Academy and worked in restaurants in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Lake Tahoe.  Eventually, he returned to Central Oregon and the former Sushimoto restaurant in Sunriver. 

Justin opened Kanpai in 2005.  He said sushi lovers can expect to see the menu there stepped up by summer, promising “delicate fish presentations, carpaccios, sashimi, and more [exotic] fishes.”

Breakfast in Bend: 5 Favorites

Eggs Benedict at the Victorian Cafe

Sundays always make me want to leave the house and sit down to a good breakfast.  In Bend, these are some of my favorite morning meals:

Eggs Benedict are synonymous with the Victorian Cafe in Central Oregon.  There are 10 versions on the everyday menu, plus a couple of more on the daily specials list.  When it’s available, I like the eggs Benedict del Pozzo ($13.95), with linguica sausage, eggplant,  red bell peppers and mushrooms, topped with the requisite poached eggs on a grilled English muffin, smothered in a homemade Hollandaise sauce with basil and smoked tomatoes.  The order comes with home-style potatoes or chunky applesauce.  1404 N.W. Galveston Ave., Bend; 541-382-6411; no website.

David Touvell

Chow chef David Touvell also makes some wonderful egg dishes, but I’m partial to the pumpkin-and-fresh-ginger pancakes ($6.25 and $7.50), made with whole-wheat flour.  They’re served with fresh blueberries and house-made jam; I like crispy fried tomatoes with creamy polenta on the side.  1110 N.W. Newport Ave., Bend; 541- 728-0256, http://www.chowbend.com

The buttery croissant French toast ($9.50) at McKay Cottage is stuffed with silky Italian mascarpone cheese, grilled until the cheese begins to melt out, and served with a sweet strawberry compote.  If you need something more, get a side order of house potatoes, chopped with sauteed bacon, tomatoes and green onions.  62910 O.B. Riley Road, Bend; 541-383-2697, www.themckaycottage.com

Rockin’ Daves Bagel Bistro smokes all of its own meats.  Big chunks of house-made pastrami and corned beef, tossed with grilled onions parsley and peppery, coarsely chopped potatoes, make its breakfast hash ($7) stellar.  It is topped with two eggs, cooked as you like, and served with rye toast or fruit.  661 N.E. Greenwood Ave., Bend; 541-318-8177, www.rockindaves.com

A phenomenal sandwich dubbed the bacon breakfast sandoh ($7.25) is unique to the Sparrow Bakery.  It is served on a freshly baked croissant dressed with a light garlic aioli.  Two poached eggs are laid atop slices of thick, crispy bacon, smoked in-house, with avocado slices and arugula.  Everything is made from scratch at this intimate, French-style bakery in the old Bend Iron Works vault building.  50 S.E. Scott St., Bend; 541-330-6321, www.thesparrowbakery.com

Other excellent breakfast spots in Bend include, in alphabetical order: Alpenglow Cafe, Bourbon Street Sea & Soul Food, Cafe Sintra, Cheerleaders Grill, the Original Pancake House, 10 Below (Oxford Hotel) and the Westside Cafe.

New dining: Pho Viet, Boken, Gatsby’s

Tan Vo at his new restaurant

There’s a lot of action on the Central Oregon dining scene as 2011 begins. Here’s a quick look:

Who’s in

Bend has never, to my knowledge, had a Vietnamese restaurant. The wonderful little Saigon Village in Redmond’s Fred Meyer shopping plaza recently closed, but it’s place is now being taken in Bend by Pho Viet & Cafe.

Tan Vo and his wife Tammy, have moved from Portland to open an authentic Vietnamese restaurant in the old Rico’s Tacos building on Business Highway 97. Tan promises he’ll have it up and running on Monday morning, January 17.

I’m anticipating steaming bowls of the incomparable beef-noodle soup known as pho (and pronounced fuh), along with crispy rice-flour crepes and chicken simmered in coconut milk.

Pho Viet will be open 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day; 1326 N.E. 3rd St., Bend, 541-382-2929.

Boken will open by Feb. 9 in the breezeway between Wall and Brooks streets, according to owner and executive chef Justin Cook.

A Japanese izakaya-style drinking-and-eating establishment, Boken will feature small plates from various east and southeast Asian culinary traditions said Cook, who also owns the Kanpai Sushi and Sake Bar on Newport Avenue.

Michael Murphy, a Bend native with extensive Asian culinary experience, will be the chef at the restaurant. It will be open Tuesday through Saturday nights.

Gatsby’s Brasserie Bar, Gavin McMichael’s new venture, is scheduled to open February 11 in the former Marz location in downtown Bend.

McMichael is phasing out the old “global cuisine” menu and transitioning into classic American-style dishes of the 1920s and ’30s, including beef stroganoff and chicken tetrazzine.

New decor will feature red-velvet upholstery with brass trim. 

Meanwhile, Hola!, a well-known Mexican-Peruvian restaurant with two locations in Bend, will be opening a new location in Sunriver in the spring. Executive chef and owner Marcos Rodriguez said Hola! will take over the former Trout House. More to come on that. 

These restaurants opened in Bend in late 2010, many of them replacing former tenants: Letzer’s Deli, Taylor’s Sausage, Common Table, Level 2, Old Mill Brew Werks, M Bar, Brickhouse, Bond Street Grill and Caldera Grille.

Several other restaurants opened earlier in 2010, among them Tart Bistro, Bourbon Street Sea & Soul Food, Amalia’s, Original Kayo’s, Spice Box and Thai Thai.

Who’s out

Of restaurants that have recently departed, I will especially miss Cork, Marz, Giuseppe’s and Tony’s Delicatessen.

Cork was a Bend classic for nine years, a fine-dining restaurant with a superb wine bar. Located at 150 N.W. Oregon Avenue, Cork closed in early June and reopened in September as Common Table.

If nine years was a long time, consider that Peggy Falcaro had Giuseppe’s Italian Restaurant for 25 years. She tried some new ideas to stimulate business, but original recipes for lasagna and other Italian classics served her best. Giuseppe’s closed in November and was promptly replaced by the Caldera Grille.

Marz was a pioneer in global cuisine locally, but it had recently lost its edge to other global restaurants, including Level 2 and the Spork mobile kitchen.

Tony’s Deli, in the Safeway Century Plaza complex on Bend’s west side, was hands down my favorite place in Oregon to get a Philly steak sandwich. Alas. I’ll have to find a new location.

Gavin McMichael, Chef & Entrepreneur

Gavin McMichael

When there’s a rumor about a restaurant purchase in Bend, the one name that’s always front and center is that of Gavin McMichael.

Love him or hate him, it’s time for Central Oregon to get to know the man.

The executive chef and owner of The Blacksmith Restaurant, Bourbon Street Sea & Soul Food and Marz Planetary Bistro — and perhaps another restaurant or two, before you finish reading this blog — is a diligent businessman.

He just may deserve more credit for his entrepreneurial success that some folks are willing to grant him.

McMichael drew immediate raves after he opened The Blacksmith in 2002.  He nurtured a successful catering business and twice remodeled his steakhouse, shaping the concept of “New Ranch” cuisine while adding an extensive lounge business and weekend dance club.  He launched a retail line of culinary spices a year ago.

Then came 2010.  And this year, Gavin, 44, has created a major stir in Bend’s restaurant community.

The rumor hound barked loudly in June, when he assumed the lease on the Old Firehall after the closing of Staccato Italian Restaurant.  He reopened it as the New Orleans-style Bourbon Street in late July.

In September, he bought Marz, which he says he soon will revamp and reopen as a classy 1920s-style diner to be named Deco Bistro, or perhaps Gatsby’s.

Gavin is trying to buy up this town.  How many times have I heard that line in recent months?  But McMichael says it is simply a numbers game.

“I’m just trying to do what’s been done in larger markets for a long time,” the Texas-born chef said.  “Three places are cheaper to run than one.

“This is one of the oldest strategies in the business.  It’s so hard for the owner-operator to make any money on just one restaurant.  It’s much easier to pull a little from several, and to spread the costs and demands of staff and inventory.”

Bourbon Street in the Firehall

With multiple restaurants under his ownership, McMichael said, he can offer some stability to the local food-and-beverage industry.  “You create a stronger environment for the dining demographic,” he said.

“In this town, it seems, if you get too big too fast, you are a public enemy.  But because the economic opportunities were there, I had to act quickly.”

Gavin insists that he did not set out to take over Staccato.  That restaurant was in serious arrears to its landlord; Staccato’s owner had warned her staff of her precarious position, months before the closure.  Until McMichael was approached by building owner John Gilbert, he said, he did not pursue the space.

When he moved into the Firehall, McMichael said, he discovered a house divided.  Some embittered Staccato employees had sabotaged the restaurant they were vacating.  Kitchen appliance cords and electric wires were chopped.  Dining-room tables were gouged.

“I hired as many Staccato employees as I could,” Gavin said.  “But in each job interview, I was forced to ask if they knew anything about the vandalism.”

McMichael said he dealt with similar negativity when he purchased Marz.  “There were forces in the community that didn’t want to give (the new) Marz a chance,” he said.  “That’s one of the reasons we are changing it.”

The new restaurant, he said, will have Art Deco-style decor and a menu of old-time American classics.

McMichael is still open to other restaurant opportunities in Central Oregon.  “I’m just waiting for the right price and location,” he said, noting that he has thought about a Tex-Mex establishment and a Chinese-style restaurant.

“I like to create concepts,” Gavin said.  “I get a lot of calls.  But it has to make sense.

“I’ve got a few things that I’m looking at in the next three to six months.  And in a year or so, I may seriously consider another market with a larger population base.”

Eugene, he said, is a possibility.  In part, that’s because he finds local attitudes frustrating.

“The politics of dining seem to work against our self-interest here,” he said.  “Bend has got to accept the fact that this town is going to grow.

“I’m afraid the town will end up killing the thing it says it wants.  Most critics don’t understand that you have to make money to sustain business.”

7 Favorite Seafood Dishes in Central Oregon

Oolong tea-glazed sea bass at 5 Fusion

If you’re a seafood lover like me — if you can’t get enough of the ocean’s bounty, from Copper River salmon to Dungeness crab to Willapa Bay oysters — you may sometimes feel frustrated to live hours from the Pacific shoreline.

It’s true that the restaurants of Bend and Deschutes County don’t often get fish pulled directly from the salty brine. But many chefs design menus that take advantage of direct flights and refrigerated trucks, brining fresh seafood to Central Oregon several times a week.

Following is a short personal list of my favorite seafood dishes at Central Oregon restaurants, in no particular order.

Oolong tea-glazed sea bass ($18) at 5 Fusion & Sushi Bar. The sweet, tender white fish, served on fettuccine-style egg noodles tossed with lemon butter, virtually melted in my mouth.  It is presented with a medley of seasonal vegetables, which on my most recent visit included carrots, bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, red onions and potatoes. 821 N.W. Wall St., Bend; 541-323-2328, www.bend5spice.com 

Camarones al tequila ($19) at Hola! Wild-caught prawns are wrapped in banana leaves with sliced bananas, red onions and Portobello mushrooms, then baked with chipotle chilies for spice and a splash of reposado tequila for flavor.  I also love Hola’s Peruvian ceviche traditional ($12), made with halibut or tuna marinated in citrus juices and served with aji amarillo (yellow chilies), sweet yams, a Creole salsa and dried corn kernels. The Shops at the Old Mill District, Bend, 541-647-2711; N.E. 27th Ave. and Highway 20 E., Bend, 389-4652; www.holabend.com

Blackened redfish ($25) at Zydeco Kitchen+Cocktails. Rubbed with Steve Helt’s signature cayenne-pepper spice blend, the snapper (or catfish) is pan-fried in butter and served on a bed of sautéed spinach with Dungeness crab meat.  Zydeco’s plump barbecued shrimp ($11) is also memorable, served on grit cake with a savory sauce.  919 N.W. Bond St., Bend; 541-312-2899, www.zydecokitchen.com

 

Bourbon Street crab cakes

Crab cakes and green bean sauté ($17.95) at Bourbon Street Sea & Soul Food.  Three thick cakes of crab meat, blended with onions and peppers, are lightly breaded with Japanese panko crumbs seasoned with garlic, lemon and tarragon.  They are served on a creative clam chowder — with potatoes, onions, bacon, corn, black-eyed peas and a dash of chili oil — and topped with a half-dozen long green beans.  5 N.W. Minnesota Ave., Bend; 541-323-2833, www.bourbonstreetbend.com

Thai fish soup ($6 and $8) at High Tides Seafood Grill.  There are eight excellent soups and chowders on the menu of Bend’s best seafood restaurant, but none compares to this one.  Halibut is the main ingredient in a spicy broth of curry, lemongrass, basil and coconut milk.  The concoction also has sliced red onions, carrots and tomatoes.  1045 N.W. Bond St., Bend; 541-389-5244, www.hightidesseafoodgrill.com

Calamari ($10) at the Black Butte Ranch Lodge Dining Room.  This is not the heavily breaded and deep fried variety so often served at other restaurants.  Here, strips of mature squid are lightly battered in a garbanzo flour, flash-fried, drizzled with a cilantro pesto and served without a hint of grease on a bed of fresh arugula.  A sweet-and-spicy dipping sauce of mango and chipotle is the finishing touch.  12930 Hawks Beard, Black Butte Ranch; 541-595-1260, www.blackbutteranch.com/dining/

Ahi poke ($17) at Kanpai Sushi and Sake Bar.  Other area chefs have attempted this raw fish dish, but none as successfully as Kanpai’s Justin Cook.  Coarsely chopped yellowfin tuna is marinated in sesame oil and citrus-based ponzu sauce; tossed with scallions, avocado and wakame seaweed; and served with wonton chips. Cook also serves seared diver scallops ($14) with sautéed shiitake mushrooms and a ginger cream sauce. 990 N.W. Newport Ave., Bend; 541-388-4636, www.kanpai-bend.com