If there’s a Central Oregon restaurant award category for “best view while dining,” I have a nominee: the Lodge Dining Room at Black Butte Ranch.

When I dine in the multi-level restaurant at the Cascade foothills resort, eight miles west of Sisters, I look through large picture windows, past tall ponderosa pines, to a small lake. Anglers stand on its shores and cast trout flies into its waters as a handful of horses trot through a meadow behind it. In the far distance, the great peaks of the central Cascade Range — Broken Top, the Three Sisters, Mount Washington — reflect the rosy glow of sunset.

It’s almost a bonus that the food and service keep pace with the ambience.

Executive Chef Dean Ecker offers a classic Pacific Northwest steak-and-seafood menu with continental flair, strong in meat and wild-game dishes, accented by select seafood choices. A professional waitstaff responds to the challenge of attending diners seated on four different tiers, with the kitchen on a fifth.

Dinner at the Ranch

I arrived for dinner recently about an hour before sunset and was seated on one of the upper levels. Sun screens over the west-facing picture windows kept the early-evening glare out of diners’ eyes without eliminating the panoramic view. Natural wood construction brought the outside in with the views. At two separate tables, families were seated with young children. In each case, the kids were extremely well behaved, a compliment both to their parents and to the restaurant’s willingness to accommodate them.

My friendly server quickly acknowledged me with water and a menu, but it took about five minutes before I became a part of his four-table flow. He apologized for delays as he delivered a coffee drink to one table, a bottle of wine to another, then finally returned to take my order. From that point, he was on top of my needs, delivering my courses with clockwork efficiency.

First things first: Each diner is presented with a half loaf of warm sourdough-rosemary bread to stimulate the appetite.

Next, I had a signature Lodge salad: mixed baby greens (spinach, arugula and more), tossed with toasted hazelnuts, dried cranberries, thinly sliced red onions and halved cherry tomatoes. It was dressed in a tangy citrus vinaigrette and topped with blue-cheese crumbles. I love nuts and berries in a salad, and this was delicious.

Choosing an entrée was a challenge because so many menu items looked good. Should I order the sea scallops, pan-seared with a white-truffle sweet-potato puree and finished with a ginger beurre blanc? How about the roasted rack of lamb with a walnut pesto crust, served with wild huckleberry sauce?

I finally settled on venison. Elk and deer are bred for restaurants in the Sisters area, so I knew it would be fresh.

Pan-seared and “herb-crusted” (or so the menu said; I wasn’t aware of the herbs), the venison loin was a little chewy and gamey … but that’s the nature of the meat. A compote of dried bing cherries and port wine was the highlight of the recipe, and helped the venison to burst with flavor.

The meat was served atop a homemade German-style potato spaetzle — a good choice for the dish — and accompanied by fresh sliced carrots and zucchini. A peppery Maryhill reserve zinfandel was the perfect wine match.

Lunch on the go

The 30-mile drive to Black Butte Ranch may be a little far for the people of Bend and Redmond to go on a regular basis, but I found that you can call ahead and have a to-go order waiting before you head across Santiam Pass to the Willamette Valley.

What I did not count on was a meal that took two hands to eat. No fast food here: I played it safe and pulled into a picnic ground by Suttle Lake, just down the road, to properly enjoy my meal.

I ordered the Ranch burger: a half-pound beef patty, grilled medium, piled high with green-leaf lettuce, thick slices of tomato and red onions, cheddar cheese and pickles on a sesame-seed bun.

It was definitely one of the best hamburgers I’ve had in Central Oregon. French fries accompanied my order, but I had the option of fresh fruit, a green salad or a cup of the soup of the day.

The lunch menu is wide ranging. There are numerous salads: a Caesar (with chicken, shrimp or salmon added), a Cobb, an Oriental (with chicken, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, green onions, chow mein noodles and Napa cabbage in a coconut peanut dressing) and a Nicoise (with seared ahi, green beans, hardboiled egg, tomatoes and tapenade). There are omelets, pastas, Mexican dishes, fish and chips, and a variety of other sandwiches including a roasted turkey croissant club.

In addition to the Lodge Dining Room, Black Butte Ranch offers other dining options. Light meals are served upstairs from the Lodge Dining Room in the Aspen Lounge. There’s casual dining at the Big Meadow Clubhouse and outside, beside the swimming pool, at the Lakeside Bistro.

I’m sure the view is great at all of them, but it’s hard to believe they could top the Lodge Dining Room.

RECENT REVIEWS

El Caporal (B). Although ownership of this group is split between two brothers, there’s not a lot to distinguish the Mexican food and presentation from one to the next. Not all dishes achieve the same standard, however, and while service is enthusiastic and attentive, there are occasional glitches. Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. El Caporal East: 2570 N.W. Twin Knolls Dr., Bend; 318-1492. El Caporal West: 744 N.W. Bond St., Bend; 322-8916. El Jimador: 801 N.W. Wall St., Bend; 318-1333. Also in Tumalo and Sisters. The Blacksmith (B+). The self-styled purveyor of “New Ranch” cuisine is doing better seafood these days than steaks. Don’t miss the seared sea scallops in a yellow-pepper glaze. A star on the national culinary scene when it opened four years ago in a renovated 1923 blacksmith shop, the restaurant is reliable but pricey, and service can be distracted. Open 5:30 p.m. to close daily. 211 N.W. Greenwood Ave. (at Hill Street), Bend. 318-0588. www.theblacksmithrestaurant.com Baldy’s Barbeque (A-). Come for tender, fall-off-the-bone ribs from Chef Brian Dioguardi, who has spent 25 years perfecting his recipe. Also great is the beef brisket, smoked for 12 hours over hickory wood. You can enjoy them on a new outdoor deck with a full bar. Dioguardi’s rubs and house-made sauce, a tomato-and-molasses blend, are originals. Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. 235 S.W. Century Drive, Bend. 385-7427, www.baldysbbq.com. Club Pioneer (B+). This venerable steakhouse and lounge, charming and unsophisticated, may be Crook County’s best restaurant. A fixture on U.S. Highway 26 since at least 1950, its barn-like appearance shelters a handsome interior with historical photos on the walls. Come for steaks and fresh-frozen seafood, with good portions at fair prices. Dinner 5 p.m. to close daily, brunch 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. 1851 N.E. 3rd St. (U.S. Highway 26), Prineville. 447-6177.

Lodge Dining Room

Location: 12930 Hawks Beard, Black Butte Ranch

Hours: 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. to close daily.

Price range: Lunch $5.50-$14.50, dinner starters $6-$12, entrees $18-$30

Credit cards: American Express, Diners Club, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

Children’s menu: Yes

Alcoholic beverages: Full bar

Reservations: Recommended

Contact: 595-1260

SCIRECARD

OVERALL: A-

Food: A-. My choices were almost but not quite perfect.

Service: A-. A little slow to start, but then top notch.

Atmosphere: A+. With this view? What could be better?

Value: A-. It’s a bit of a drive, but well worth the trip.