No one talks much about Merenda anymore. And that’s just the way the crew at 900 Wall likes it.

Fact is, the restaurant and wine bar in the hub of downtown Bend has established its own reputation for casual fine dining, quite apart from the chef-driven personality of its previous incarnation.

“It took at least three years to shake it off,” said bar manager Marcus Egge, one of several employees who partnered to rescue the popular restaurant when former chef-owner Jody Denton closed it abruptly in early 2009, days before filing bankruptcy then departing the Pacific Northwest.

Egge, chef Cliff Eslinger, general manager Katie Black Egge and head waiter Eric Adams, together with a silent partner, celebrated their fifth anniversary as 900 Wall in May. As each of the principals has a personal financial stake in the restaurant’s success, Marcus Egge said, “We’ve got to work hard.”

That employee-driven ethic (“We don’t want to let the others down,” Egge said) has resulted in an establishment with renewed popularity in a market that has no shortage of fine-dining options.

Sustainability

Although the affable Eslinger is not as high-profile as some other chefs, preferring to put his energy into food preparation instead of socializing, he consistently delivers a product that ranks in the upper echelon of dinner menus in Central Oregon.

Always a leader in the local sustainable-food movement — a few years ago, he owned his own piggery as well as a produce garden — Eslinger continues to emphasize farm-to-fork cuisine, although the pork now comes from Tumalo’s Piggyback Ranch.

He has become well-known for his charcuterie, much of which he and his staff make in-house. That includes delicious pork and chicken-liver paté, mortadella, nduja and country-style pork terrine.

Mondays, in fact, a $4 charcuterie menu (served with mustard, crostini and pickled vegetables) draws many other local restaurant-industry workers because 900 Wall opens at 3 p.m., a couple of hours before most dinner spots.

Fresh Northwest oysters on the half-shell with a champagne mignonette, smoky deviled egg halves with mustard and paprika, and slender green beans flash-fried in a tempura-like batter and served with aioli are longtime happy-hour favorites here, even if the beans were a little too oily on our last visit.

Starting out

Dining both early and late on recent visits to 900 Wall, my companion and I have been able to sample a wide range of dishes prepared by Eslinger, longtime sous chef Celena Christensen and their staff. That includes a choice of 15 small plates and another dozen vegetable side dishes, as well as soups, salads and stone-oven pizzas. The selection of entrees ranges from gluten-free and vegetarian quinoa and risotto plates to big, meaty beef and lamb dishes.

My companion is a big fan of the beef tenderloin tartare as an appetizer. Finely chopped prime meat, tossed in olive oil with parsley, chives, shallots and sea salt, was served on a crispy crostini and topped with a large egg. But the highlight was a silky Gruyère cheese and horseradish custard that provided the perfect complement.

The Caesar salad, sprinkled with dried capers and served (on request) with boquerones, white Spanish anchovies, was creatively presented upon a single crouton: a broad, thin slice of whole-wheat toast.

I preferred the seasonal heirloom tomato salad, the kitchen’s take on a traditional caprese. The red, green and purple heirlooms shared a plate with beefsteak and cherry tomatoes, all sprinkled with sea salt and dressed with olive oil but no balsamic vinegar. I paid extra for sliced buffalo mozzarella and made a special request (immediately granted) for additional ribboned basil to boost the modest amount served with the salad.

Entree choices

From the entree side of the menu, I was delighted with a rich lamb shank from the Imperial Stock Ranch near Shaniko. It was presented on a bed of rich and creamy polenta, and an accompanying arugula salad blended olive tapenade with capers and onions. The meat was rich and savory, and so tender that it almost melted off the bone.

My companion selected prime rib, offered as a special every Friday and Saturday night. She rated it among the best in Bend. With just enough ripples of fat to assure rich flavor, and perfectly cooked medium rare, it was served with salty jus and creamy horseradish sauce.

The beef was presented with smoothly blended mashed potatoes and a serving of green beans roasted with bacon.

One of our few disappointments in the 900 Wall menu was a prosciutto pizza that we ordered as takeout for lunch the next day. Its sourdough crust was flatbread-thin, crispy but not at all yeasty. More significantly, the anything-but-understated addition of truffle oil overpowered the flavor of the meat, even with toppings of peppery arugula and shaved parmesan.

Service and atmosphere

900 Wall ranks among the region’s most spacious restaurants. It seats more than 200 guests on the main floor and mezzanine level, reached by a handsome central staircase. Large booths against the north wall of the restaurant balance two- and four-top seating along the windows and in the heart of the room; there are also sidewalk tables outdoors.

On busy nights, the restaurant can be a bit noisy beneath its high ceiling, but soundproofing helps to diminish the effect.

A friendly and efficient staff of servers, many of them veterans of the Central Oregon dining scene, makes the restaurant especially approachable. Neither too casual nor too formal, these men and women are particularly able to describe food and wine selections: They are well-trained in what’s new on the menu.

I believe the wines-by-the-glass list to be the best and most extensive in Oregon east of the Cascades. There are dozens of choices — sparkling wines and rosés along with whites and reds, including international selections along with Oregon and Washington varietals. The restaurant has been honored three straight years for its list by Wine Spectator magazine.

“Our goal is to silently expose people to wines they may not have had,” said Marcus Egge.

— Reporter: janderson@bendbulletin.com