Bulletin E-Edition:
Decoy Bar & Grill
1051 N.W. Bond St., Bend
Phone: 541-318-4833
restaurant site 
A = Outstanding
B = Very Good
C = Average
D = Below Average
F = Poor
| Restaurant facts (updated: 10/01/09) | |
| Hours: | Open 11 a.m. to close Monday through Saturday |
| Cuisine type: | American |
| Children's menu: | |
| Alcohol: | Full Service |
| Reservations: | Recommended for parties of six or more |
| Credit cards: | MasterCard, VISA, American Express |
| Outdoor seating: | No |
| Smoking: | |
| Vegetarian Items: | No |
| Group friendly: | |
| Price: | $$$ of $$$$ Lunch $5.95 to $16.95; dinner appetizers $6.95 to $12.95, entrees $8.95 to $25.95 What's this? |
Join the club
The Decoy lures comfort-food lovers to downtown Bend
John Gottberg Anderson / For The Bulletin
November 7, 2008 4:00 am
One part English pub, one part wilderness lodge — that’s how a close friend of mine describes The Decoy Bar and Grill, at the southwest corner of Bond Street and Greenwood Avenue in downtown Bend.
My impression is similar. Since it opened during last year’s Christmas holidays, The Decoy’s atmosphere has reminded me of a traditional men’s club, one that also opens its doors wide to women.
A custom-made walnut bar and rich leather upholstery dominate the decor. Framed, historical black-and-white photographs of hunting, fishing and other manly pursuits decorate brick walls above a half-dozen dining booths. Eight tall tables and 32 bar stools fill the space between the booths and comfortable bar seating beneath a handsome pressed-tin ceiling.
Two or three servers, dressed in black, shuttle between the kitchen, the tables and the service bar, providing prompt and efficient service even as they banter with guests.
Easy-going vibe
The Decoy is not like other dining-and-drinking establishments in Bend, which is part of its charm. It succeeds exactly because it may not be everyone’s cup of tea (or pint of ale, for that matter). There’s a comfortable, easy-going vibe here that draws people of a wide age range for drinks, conversation and a menu of gourmet comfort food.
I dropped by for lunch one day recently and ordered a sandwich. Similar to a cheeseburger, The Decoy melt is an eight-ounce patty of grilled beef with Swiss cheese, grilled onions and jalapeno peppers.
It is served on delicious, grilled marbled-rye bread. The peppers were almost too spicy, so I picked a few off and enjoyed the flavor of the beef even more.
Like all sandwiches at The Decoy, mine was accompanied by a house salad of mixed baby greens with blue cheese crumbles and chopped walnuts.
The house-made pear-vanilla vinaigrette was so good, I’d order a salad just to have this dressing again.
Another day, I visited during the late-afternoon happy hour and was delighted with a pizza Margherita. A thin New York-style white pizza with mozzarella cheese, garlic, fresh basil leaves and plum tomatoes, it was a good complement to a $5 pour of house red wine.
A dinner visit
I ran into several friends at a recent dinner visit. Two of them swore by the meatloaf sandwiches on grilled sourdough. While agreeing that the meat in these particular sandwiches was “a little bit dryer than usual,” they still ate every bite with lettuce, tomato, red onions, and house-made relish and mayonnaise. The meal came with French fries, cut flat and broad.
The menu also features rib-eye steaks, slow-cooked pulled pork, Greek-style turkey gyros and yellowfin tuna (in thin, pastrami-like slices) on grilled crostini. But for my dinner, I opted for a Southern touch: oven-baked shrimp and grits.
Three big shrimp were served on a bed of sauteed onions, mushrooms and red peppers, which itself was laid upon grits blended with cheddar cheese. The seafood and veggies were great, but I found the grits mediocre.
The coarsely ground white corn wasn’t a whole lot different from Cream of Wheat cereal. A side of fresh, lightly grilled green beans, peas and carrots was considerably tastier, but, all in all, this was excellent comfort food.
Everything is ducky
Mark Anderson, 39, a 1988 graduate of Redmond High School, is the owner of The Decoy. The name, he said, is a dig at Oregon State Beaver fans: Anderson is an Oregon Duck. Bird hunters recognize many of the artificial ducks that stand atop the handsome walnut bar.
Anderson, who bartended for several years in Portland at Jake’s Famous Crawfish, an urban institution that is a member of the McCormick & Schmick’s restaurant group, said he has always enjoyed “the early appeal of a venerable watering hole,” and at The Decoy, he sought to bring that to Bend.
“I’m not going to change a whole lot (from that ideal),” Anderson said.
SMALL BITES
During the month of November, Cork Restaurant will offer a two-for-one dinner menu on Wednesday nights. Owner Carin Hill said diners will have a choice of special fish, chicken, meat and vegetarian entrees that are not on the regular menu. Open 5:30 p.m. to close Tuesday through Saturday. 150 N.W. Oregon Ave., Bend; 541-382-6881, www .corkbend.com.
Two new restaurants opened this month in Prineville. Bento Box offers lunches, Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., in a location formerly occupied by the Garden Terrace Bistro. The selection includes teriyaki chicken, sweet-chili and vegetarian bentos, priced $5.25 to $6.25. 419 N. Main St., Prineville; 541-447-6700. The Main Street Saloon , geared to night owls, opens from 3 p.m. to close every day. The casual bar menu has nothing priced higher than a steak sandwich at $11.50. 234 N. Main St., Prineville; 541-416-9100.
RECENT REVIEWS
Bronco Billy’s (B+): Occupying the historic Hotel Sisters, this ranch-style steak house couples a rollicking Old West theme with prompt and attentive service. The competitively priced menu emphasizes steaks and ribs, which are cooked to order, although some cuts tend to be overly fatty. Open 11:30 a.m. to close every day (lunch until 4 p.m.). 541-549-7427, www.broncobillys ranchgrill.com.
Mongolian BBQ (C-): A pattern of ignoring messy tables, even as new diners search for a place to sit, sets a negative tone for this buffet-style restaurant in south Bend’s Fred Meyer Shopping Center. Vegetables are fresh, meat straight from the freezer, but everything is stir-fried on the same grill. Service is brusque and no-nonsense. Open 10:45 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 10:45 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11:45 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. 61535 S. U.S. Highway 97, Suite 10, Bend; 541-318-8500.
Volo (A-): A new bistro-style menu, with prices topping out at $19, has been introduced by chef Kevin Dietrich, who joined Volo in late August. A range of savory tastes can be enjoyed in the flashy bar as well as in either of two dining rooms. Service is professional, ambience at once contemporary and industrial. Open 11:30 a.m. to close Monday through Saturday. 919 N.W. Bond St., Bend; 541-749-2460, www.volobend.com.
The Breakfast Club (B+): If “Cheers” were a breakfast-and-lunch joint, this would be it. Good solid eggs and meat-and-potatoes cuisine is served in a no-frills atmosphere by a friendly and efficient staff of servers who will remind you of Alice at Mel’s Diner. Open 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. 378 N.E. Greenwood Ave., Bend; 541-312-8393.
