Riddle me this:

Where in Central Oregon can you enjoy breakfast standards like bacon and eggs along with New York twists such as the LEO – a lox, scrambled eggs and onions medley – prepared by a cook from the Philippines?

Answer: Brooklyn Cafe. As its motto proudly boasts, it’s East Coast meets Westside at this Newport Avenue breakfast and lunch cafe.

”We’re trying to balance a New York deli with Central Oregon tastes,” explains owner Steve Rogers, drinking coffee from a blue Brooklyn Cafe mug. His wife, Liza, handles the cooking while he deals with the business end. ”That’s the beauty, and I’m the beast,” he jokes.

The bi-coastal theme of Brooklyn Cafe means you can have a hearty breakfast of pancakes, bacon and eggs ($5.50) anyone might crave on a cold winter morning sharing menu space with lox, corned beef and other deli dishes.

Despite any assumptions you might have about New Yorkers, meals come sans gritty attitude, a la the ”soup nazi” of ”Seinfeld” infamy.

Rather, Brooklyn Cafe cook Liza Rogers and part-time employee Maria Wilcox are quick to give friendly greetings the moment you walk into the restaurant, painted in a blue-and-white theme that harks back to Brooklyn-era Dodgers. Framed photos and brief descriptions giving the stories behind some of the foods the cafe serves, such as bagels, or doughnuts ”with rigor mortis.”

The tempting scent of bacon may trigger a Pavlovian response in some people. Fortunately, breakfast is served until the 3 p.m. closing. Beneath the small TV sits a mug that says, ”Think Bagel.”

Rogers has been thinking bagel since day one.

Although he was born and raised in Portland, his parents were Eastern European immigrants who came to Oregon by way of New York.

”So they raised me on New York deli food,” he says. ”When I came to Bend in ’91, people that knew me said, ‘You gotta open a New York Deli.’ ”

By 1994, he had. The restaurant is now in its eighth year of operation.

The restaurateur estimates he has 20 years’ food industry experience. He owned a restaurant in the Philippines, where he lived for 10 years. He also had another restaurant for 10 years.

While accounting for a modicum of business, it isn’t just homesick tourists who account for the cafe’s success. ”I love tourists, but they come and go with the seasons,” Rogers says.

”It’s better to serve one person 10 times than 10 people one time.”

”We’ve got a really steady, loyal clientele.”

If the customers are native to the area, they’ve developed a fondness for foods first popularized on the right coast. Among the top-selling breakfast dishes are corned beef hash ($6.95), which comes topped with eggs and bagel or toast on the side. The lox omelet ($7.25) features marinated salmon and provolone.

Among the more popular lunch items are the Steak-Cheese Philly ($6.50), the Classic Reuben ($6.95) and the Hot Pastrami ($6.95). The last comes from Chicago, ”the closest thing to New York,” says Rogers.

The two soups Liza Rogers makes each day includes a vegetarian-friendly option. She also chooses the daily special.

The husband and wife aim to keep fare healthy, meaning no deep-fried food whatsoever.

”This is not the place to come for onion rings and biscuits and gravy,” says Rogers. ”We’re tuned to vegetarians and people with healthy, active lifestyles.”

Rogers says running a restaurant is in his blood.

”It’s a labor of love. I enjoy introducing people to new foods and having them enjoy it.”

Dish Details:

BROOKLYN CAFE

LOCATION: 990 NW Newport Ave., Bend

HOURS: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Saturday

PRICE RANGE: $3.95 to $7.25 for breakfast; $4.95 to $6.95 for lunch

KIDS’ MENU: All items $2.95

CONTACT: 389-4019

David Jasper can be reached at 541-383-0349 or djasper@bendbulletin.com.