Bend Over

Day Thirty: Bend

We got R. Girl to the shop early this morning only to discover that they don't open until 10. I have never heard of a mechanic that didn't open until 10. Anyway, the Girl's official diagnosis is that her back tire is worn and needs to be replaced, and the shimmy we felt is coming from the back wheel. Some of the spokes have broken. This is not good news. They have over nighted the new spokes which, as speedy and convenient as it sounds, delays us an unexpected day. We will have to have our room another night now too. Bend has suddenly become expensive. The upside is that there is no sales tax in Oregon, so perhaps the parts will at least be cheaper.

We are lucky enough to have a bus stop in front of the motel. By the afternoon we're ready to hop on and hit the town. We prepare to spend the rest of the day and evening in downtown Bend, only to discover that the buses only run until six. Dammit. While waiting for the bus, a local sells us 2 day passes for $2. We saved 3 bucks!

Downtown Bend is sweet. It's tiny, and you can walk the entirety of it in a couple of hours. We have fun strolling around window shopping, the Pirate buys some sunglasses and I contemplate little leather wallets. We find McMenamins, an Oregonian institution that seems to pop up in most hip towns here. It's a beautiful day, so sitting out on the patio that's a jungle of umbrellas and plants suits us fine. McMenamins is genius in that they offer not only wine and beer flights, but liquor flights as well.

Scotch Flight with an ESB back

It was a tough choice between the Irish whiskey flight and the scotch flight. We went with the scotch. For $14 we got 3 little shots of beautiful golden liquid. The first is a delicious peaty 10 year from the Isle of Skye called Talisker. Then, Highland Park, a beautiful green floral 12 year from West Highlands. Last, from the Orkney isle, a 14 year called Oban. The Oban was hot and sharp with hardly any flavor, just pure alcohol. My initial preference was the Talisker, I like the rich earthy aspects. It would go down like a dessert. In the end, I think I would have the Highland Park in my decanter.

On to the Pine Tavern, a little place that the Pirate visited when he was here years ago (shout out to Jes and her Mom and Dad). The Pine Tavern is aptly named, since it has a couple of actual pine trees growing right through the middle of the restaurant. We are seated at our second lovely patio table of the afternoon, this time with a view of the river. We start with a couple of martinis made with gin from the local Bend Distillery. Whoa, the Pirate was right. This gin tastes just like fresh juniper berries crushed between your fingers. It's clean, bright and fresh. There will be a decanter for this, too. To accompany this distilled work of art, we have some shrimp tacos; delicious crispy shrimp and cabbage nestled between 2 thick corn tortillas.

Shrimp Tacos and Bend Gin Martinis

We now have a tough decision to make. We have to either leave to make sure we catch the bus, which means missing out on dinner and spending the rest of the day at the motel, or stay and feast. Well, we're the Pirate and the Mermaid, so it's a no brainer. We order a couple more martinis, a rare prime rib and a Caesar salad. OK, a note about the salad. Many places charge a fee when you split an entree (ridiculously insulting when you're already $40 in the hole for cocktails alone). I've discovered that if the Pirate orders the entree, and I feign daintiness and order a salad, we actually come out ahead.

Pine Tavern

The prime rib is as pink and tender as they come. With a salty, dark jus and a creamy horseradish sauce, this is a plate of classic American beauty. The salad is really good too actually, crispy and bright green with just a hint of dressing. The Pirate might have mentioned to the server that we were food bloggers, and so our server comped us a gigantic piece of Mud Pie. Mud Pie is not something I generally order. It's usually a pile of undecipherable frozen sweet stuff that is more often than not shlepped off the Sysco truck. Not so at the Pine Tavern. First, this thing is no less than six inches tall. The Oreo crust is house made, silky coffee ice cream is the “meat” of the pie, then rich caramel sauce, then fresh whipped cream, then slivered almonds. We're over the edge.

Mud Pie ain't no joke

Good thing we have a long walk back. In need of a digestive stroll , we enjoy the beautiful weather, get a surprise glimpse of a speckled fawn and an Osprey right beside the road, and a are back before we know it. I drift off to the sounds of a That 70's Show marathon on Nick at Night. It's been a great day.