Our Hot Spot of the Week this week is one of our favorite places to visit in Oregon, Bend! After a fantastic summer of helping so many people find their dream homes, we decided to treat ourselves to a little getaway. A big bonus for us of visiting this lovely city is that our flagship office of Cascade Sotheby’s is located there so we also got to visit with some of our favorite colleagues.
The Beer
One of our favorite things about Bend is that there are so many wonderful breweries. No matter what style of beer you like, you will be thrilled with all of your options in Bend. Many of the breweries also have public houses, so one of the days we decided to grab lunch at Deschutes to try their pub exclusive beers and grab a bite. I definitely recommend grabbing their beer cheese soup and some VERY garlicky truffle fries to soak up the fantastic tasting flight.
The Bubbles
Everyone knows we love bubbles, so of course we had to sip on some on our celebration weekend! We ordered some at our dinners, but our absolute favorite bubbles experience was at the wonderful spot Good Drop Wine Shoppe. They had an amazing selection of champagne and the wine steward was extremely knowledgeable and helped us pick the perfect selection. We went with a delicious bottle called ‘Eye of the Peacock’ (but in French) and it was the ideal blend of bright and crisp with a slightly toasty brioche finish. I highly recommend this spot for all of your wine needs when you are in town.
The Food
We had so many delicious meals while in Bend, but our absolute favorite was Washington. We’re always big fans of ordering a lot of dishes and sharing everything, and here was no exception. We started with the Goat Cheese Fondue (yum!) and the Pork Belly with Dungeness Crab (yummm!) plus some tasty cocktails. Mine was the Garden Party, with Aperol, champagne, gin, and basil and it was positively summer in a glass. We proceeded to order a bottle of bubbles with dinner, and adored our choices of the evening Sturgeon special with corn and Chantarelles, as well as the grilled Bavette steak with Chimichurri. I cannot wait to return to Washington and try every single thing on their menu!
The Outdoors
Despite what it sounds like, we didn’t JUST eat and drink the entire time in Bend. We also went to explore a bit of the nature nearby. While the lava tubes were sadly closed, we were still able to wander around in the lava fields at Newberry National Volcanic Monument as well as hike over to Benham Falls along the Deschutes River. There are so many amazing nature experiences all over the area, so you will have no shortage of choices when you want to see beautiful things or work off all of the indulgences 🙂
We had such a delightful time visiting Bend and we cannot wait to go back! What should we see/do/eat next time we are there? Let us know in the comments!