more photosAt JC’s, $7 is plenty for a meal during happy hour. We scored a taco, a heaping basket of tater tots and a pair of 10 Barrel Brewing pints.
Rob Kerr The Bulletin
Think $7
Your wallet will be happy with these 7 dining options
By Alandra Johnson / The Bulletin
Published: November 28. 2008 4:00AM PSTWallets these days may seem a bit slimmer, but that’s no reason to put yourself into some kind of self-imposed house arrest. At The Bulletin, we believe there are ways to eat and drink on the cheap in the area, so we set out to find a few bargains during happy hour last week.
Seven places for $7 each, with at least one adult beverage and one snack at each place. That was the mission.
At most of the locations we opted for beer because it tended to be a bit cheaper than wine or cocktails. Good thing there are plenty of tasty beer choices in this town. We also found that it helps to tell the host or server you are there for happy hour, to avoid confusion or getting stuck with the full price menu.
Happy hours at a bargain didn’t mean sacrificing on food or atmosphere, as the area offers a wide array of options. We scarfed tater tots at a casual bar and nibbled on a sushi hand roll at a classy, high-end restaurant.
We definitely discovered ways (seven to be exact) to get out and enjoy the town without spending too much. Must be why they call it happy hour.
Roszak’s Fish House
Our pick: Pint of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale ($4) and two large fish tacos ($3).
After talking on the phone with the woman who works at this fish house on Third Street, I knew I had to check out Roszak’s. She described the bar area as a “1970s airport lounge.” I was confused but intrigued.
I discovered a small, comfortable room with plenty of quirks, perhaps the most notable of which is the chairs, which look like little teal cylinders that surround you on all sides when you plop into them.
One of the walls is covered with mirrors, while throw-back beer advertisements adorn the room, including one large Schlitz statue of a woman holding a globe. I thought: So, this is what an airport lounge looked like 30 years ago? Not so bad.
The lounge doesn’t offer any drink specials, but they make up for it with the food specials. For $3 you get two giant fish tacos with grilled fish, cheese, grilled onions, grilled red peppers and lettuce plus salsa and sour cream. The $3 quesadilla included eight (!) sections of cheese and tomato, plus salsa and guacamole.
For a little more: $8.95 gets you a full order of ribs and fries.
Bo Restobar
Our pick: Sweet potato tempura ($3) and Jubelale ($3); or spring rolls ($3) and 10 Barrel Brewing Co. (formerly known as Wildfire Brewing Co.) Code 24 Pale Ale ($3).
Bo Restobar knows how to set the mood. It feels like a high-end lounge with Asian influence. There’s the black bar that cuts through the small room, the giant water feature with a massive Buddha face and the seating with giant throw pillows.
But during happy hour, it can be decidedly un-high-end. For $3 we ordered a large portion of sweet potato tempura that came out looking like fries, but tasting like something a step above. The spring rolls, which included four pieces, were filled with tasty mushrooms and veggies and came with a sweet dipping sauce. It wasn’t a full meal, but it made a great snack.
For a little more: $5 gets you assorted dim sum or steamed mussels with lemon grass and Thai basil.
Cascade Lakes The Lodge
Our pick: Mediterranean plate ($4.25) and a glass of Pine Marten Pale Ale ($2.25).
Cascade Lakes is a quintessential brewpub. It has sports on TV, classic appetizers on the menu and plenty of guys in baseball hats drinking pints of beer. Happy hour offers pints for $3.25 and half off nearly all of the appetizers.
I could only afford to get a glass of beer, instead of the regular pint, to keep my budget in order.
We ordered a Mediterranean plate, and it did not disappoint. It came with giant cubes of feta, a large portion of pita bread, pickled onions, fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and two kinds of hummus. It kept us busy for more than half an hour as we nibbled and picked, assembling different combinations.
For a little more: By all means, order a full pint! And on Wednesday, they are only $2.75.
Anthony’s at the Old Mill
Our pick: Widmer Hefeweizen ($3) and a side salad ($2.95) (sourdough bread for $1.25 put me 20 cents over, but I went for it anyway).
Anthony’s is a large, inviting seafood restaurant in The Old Mill District, featuring pretty views of the river and mountains. The happy hour is fairly popular and gives off a classy vibe, tending to draw a slightly older crowd as well as a few families.
The side salad for $2.95 came with a dusting of shrimp, croutons and cherry tomatoes on top of greens. We decided to get a side order of bread (to dip into my leftover blue cheese dressing, naturally). We received a whole round of bread, eight to 10 slices, which was definitely worth the $1.25. Oyster shooters are a real bargain at Anthony’s, costing just 75 cents.
For a little more: The Hawaiian nachos for $4.95 include ahi tuna.
JC’s Bar & Grill
Our pick: Basket of tater tots ($2), one beef taco ($1), a pint of 10 Barrel Brewing Backdraft IPA ($2) and a pint of 10 Barrel Brewing summer seasonal ale ($2).
JC’s is a comfortable, casual, classic downtown bar that attracts a younger crowd and tends to appeal to sports fans. We watched a group of guys order a new addition to the menu: A gallon of beer. It comes in a giant glass pitcher accompanied by a large ladle (because who can accurately pour such a large, unwieldy vessel). The bar features a pool table and a shuffleboard table, and photographs of regulars plastered throughout the bar give off a friendly feel.
The happy hour bargains are truly wallet savers. Beer — good, local beer mind you — for $2 a pint, tacos for $1 and a seriously giant basket of tater tots with ranch and thousand island for $2? Crazy bargains galore. The taco came with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and salsa in a crunchy shell. I also had my eye on the mini corn dogs for $2, but after the basket of tater tots, I decided I could only take so much.
For a little more: Cheeseburger and fries for $5.95
Flatbread Community Oven
Our pick: Margherita pizza ($5) and Coors Light ($2.50); beers are two for $5, and yes, we went over our $7 budget by 50 cents.
This is one of the new restaurants in The Old Mill District. The dining room feels large, but comfortable. It includes a big, wood-burning fireplace and a large brick wall with more than a dozen small candles that offer soft light at night. But the real focal point is the pizza oven. During our visit, a mother and son perched on stools near the oven and watched as the chef made pizza after pizza.
We opted to go for the original pizza, a margherita with basil, mozzarella and tomato sauce. Classic, clean. The portion was plenty for one.
For a little more: A glass of wine costs $5.
Deep
Our pick: Chilled sake ($3), miso soup (free!) and a fire dragon roll ($4).
It’s confession time: Before this trip, I had never been to Deep. I had heard great things, but worried about how my pocketbook would feel after a trip. Thanks to happy hour discounts, I needn’t have worried.
The interior is just as stylish and lovely as I imagined. An overhead water feature and giant, stylistic photographs of wood adorn one wall. It’s all very tasteful and classy, but not stuffy. We ordered a chilled sake. Instead of arriving in a typical ceramic white sake vessel as I’ve seen at dozens of sushi restaurants, this one came in an elegant long-stemmed glass and certainly didn’t look like a bargain drink.
The restaurant has recently started offering small portions of miso soup for free, which is a great way to add to a meal without adding to the final tab.
Perusing the happy hour menu, we had a couple of options to meet the budget. Spicy pork ramen with cashew broth was $4 and the stir-fried spicy edamame was just $2.50, but we had to opt for the sushi. The fire dragon hand roll for $4 included hamachi, habenero chilies, cilantro and scallion. It was fiery, but not burning. In a word, delicious.
For a little more: Pork short ribs for $7 or tempura shrimp, bacon and avocado roll for $7.
Rob Kerr / The Bulletin
For $7, you can get a glass of chilled sake, a small cup of miso soup and a fire dragon hand roll during happy hour at Deep.
At JC’s, $7 is plenty for a meal during happy hour. We scored a taco, a heaping basket of tater tots and a pair of 10 Barrel Brewing pints.
Rob Kerr The Bulletin
Alandra Johnson can be reached at 541-617-7860 or at ajohnson@bendbulletin.com.
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