Adventures + Eats in Bend, Oregon

Last weekend, Z and I spent a fun-filled few days in Bend, Oregon - a little over three hours south of Portland. Planning a trip there yourself sometime soon? Here are some great places to eat, plus a fun adventure to help you burn off all those food calories.

Adventure:

Hiking through Tumalo Falls. Easy 3-ish-mile hike (each way) with gorgeous scenery and a breathtaking waterfall.

Food:

Pizza: From 10 Barrel Brewing. (More on all the beers/breweries/bottle shops to visit later). We needed pizza in a bad way on Friday night, and this hit the spot.

Brunch: Chow. It's worth the 1+-hour wait (they even have live music outside, and a separate bar to order drinks from while you wait). I was a bad blogger (read: hangry) and documented nothing - and there online menu is outdated - but get the brunch dish with polenta. It's amazing. And wash it down with the garlic Bloody Mary!

Bagels: Rockin' Daves, fo sho. Pictured above is Dave's Oh Nelly ($7.25), a bagel of your choice piled high with wild salmon lox, cucumber, tomato, red onion, and dill cream cheese. We even got to meet Dave, and he's super nice - so be sure to say hello to him when you visit!

Dinner: Barrio (not pictured) came highly recommended from Dave, and it did not disappoint. Focusing on Latin-inspired tapas, everything we ate here was incredibly delicious - and had us longing for more. I highly recommend the Fried Asparagus ($11) with shaved fennel and Manchego; the Vegetarian Paella ($14 for a small; $26 for a large), which came with an out-of-this-world Caesar salad, complete with vegan (!!) Caesar dressing; and the Potato Gnocchi ($11) with mushroom confit, butternut squash, and kale. (Bonus: Barrio has some solid local beers on tap, too).

More on our Bend beer adventures - and the adorable B&B we stayed in - soon!

Brunch at Rae's Lakeview Lounge

$1 mimosas. Need I say more?

I still got a Bloody Mary...because I cantstopwontstop...but come on! How can you go wrong with ONE DOLLAR MIMOSAS?

That's what you can get at Rae's Lakeview Lounge in NW Portland (my neck of the woods). Situated in the hilly 'burbs, it's the place to be for Saturday or Sunday brunch (served from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.). When we walked in last weekend around 1 p.m., the one-large-room place was bumpin' with twenty- and thirty-somethings. (During the nicer, drier seasons, their large outdoor patio is also open).

There was a short wait for a table, so we opted to sit at two out of the four seats at the intimately sized bar. Despite a short wait to place our orders, our round of drinks came out quickly (my weekend brunch beverages always include coffee, water, and a Bloody).

The Bloody Mary Deluxe ($8.50) is made with house Bloody mix, Crater Lake Pepper vodka, and garnished with a salted rim, olives, and citrus (despite the description also boasting banana peppers and house-pickled green beans. Humph!). Despite the lack of promised garnish, this Bloody hit the spot - wonderfully strong and spicy. (Z got a $1 mimosa, and it was also tasty).

When it comes to brunch entrees, Rae's has quite the variety, including omelettes, French toast, sandwiches, and salads, to name a few. I went with the Westover Omelette ($12), chock-full of poached Pacific shrimp, roasted red pepper, caramelized shallot, and house creme fraiche - all topped off with slices of super fresh avocado. On the side were perfectly crispy roasted potatoes and 9-grain toast, served with butter and jam (you also have your choice of farmhouse white toast or a biscuit). Everything was seasoned very nicely, and I appreciated how the portion size was reasonable yet filling.

Overall, we enjoyed our first time at Rae's, and will definitely be back again soon for brunch (and/or happy hour, which is daily from 2-6 p.m.!).

Which would you choose: a $1 mimosa, or a Bloody Mary?