The Broken Top Club is an exclusive Central Oregon golf community, where million-dollar homes perch on the edge of finely groomed fairways.

In the club’s dining room, guests are greeted by million-dollar views seen through full-length windows overlooking a pond and stretches of precision trimmed grass under snowy Cascade peaks.

But there’s no exclusivity here in the public dining room, where geese alight on the water outside and everyone in the room – member and non-member alike – is captivated by a sunset glittering off the rippling waters of the pond.

Dining at the Restaurant at Broken Top is an experience in country club egalitarianism – the beauty of the view, the stateliness of the club’s timbered architecture and chef David Abell’s eclectic menu are available to anyone.

At the guardhouse at Broken Top’s entrance off Mt. Washington Drive, the folks on duty will provide directions to the restaurant. Greeting diners at the entrance to the clubhouse are two hand-carved doors by Sisters artist J. Chester Armstrong. The relief carving depicts a flight of geese beneath a mountain range, and the art is participatory – use the bird’s outstretched necks and wings as handles for the doors.

Once seated, diners can choose from a variety of offerings on the dinner menu. Abell said his cuisine is based in Northwest flavors, but he adds unexpected elements from elsewhere. For example, Abell fuses smoked venison sausage with a jambalaya risotto a la New Orleans ($15), and Northwest salmon with Northeast maple syrup and house-made mustard ($19).

”I like to think we’re a little more interesting that just Northwest cuisine,” Abell said.

The 46-year-old chef is a newcomer to Broken Top. He started at the club in 2002 after working as a chef in Hawaii for 16 years.

His specials often feature the flavors of the Pacific Rim because of the time he spent in Hawaii. Abell’s regular menu often features game offerings, like rotisserie pheasant ($22) and venison layered with apples and oysters ($19.50)

Broken Top offers seasonal menus to keep pace with the changing availability of ingredients. The restaurant’s spring dinner menu should be available within the next two weeks.

But the club also offers lunch five days a week. Choose from typical lunch offerings like burgers and salads ($5.50-$7), or from the more exotic fare, like duck and portobello mushroom pizza ($9) or seared trout with apple ginger sauce ($10.50).

Broken Top’s building, like its menus, takes advantage of local products, said Ron Delaney, general manager of the club. The timbered, lodge-style clubhouse was built partly with stone quarried not half a mile away.

While Broken Top is a private country club, its restaurant will always be open to the general public, Delaney said.

THE RESTAURANT AT BROKEN TOP

LOCATION: 61999 Broken Top Dr., Bend

HOURS: 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, lounge opens at 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday

PRICE RANGE: $15 to $26 for dinner, $7 to $10.50 for lunch

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES: Full bar

RESERVATIONS: Recommended for dinner

CONTACT: 383-8210

Julie Johnson can be reached at 541-383-0308 or jjohnson@bendbulletin.com.