Andy Tullis / The BulletinThe House Salad & Turkey Pesto Sandwich at Nancy Ps Cafe & Bakery in Bend.

Nancy Pfeiffer left Bend more than four years ago. But the bakery-café that she and her husband, Steve Morse, launched in 2001 is still going strong, long after they moved to Washington’s Methow Valley.

The popular west-side dining establishment still bears her name — even though Nancy P’s Bakery & Café is now owned and operated by Katy and Tommy Clabough, who bought it four years ago.

“Nancy P’s is a Bend mainstay, an awesome place,” Katy said. “Nancy and Steve had a lot of pride in what they created, and so do we. Bend is changing all the time, and we’re really proud to have one of the places that has remained, and will remain.”

Tommy, the former executive chef at Anthony’s, is now fully engaged in making breads and pastries. Katy runs the front of the house, which is indeed a house. It sits in a landscape of wildflowers and grasses opposite Newport Avenue Market on NW 11th Street.

“We love our sense of community,” Katy said. “I think that can get lost elsewhere. Our goal was to keep this a community place. We do have an older clientele, and I think they like it. It’s still cozy to them. It feels good.”

Open for breakfast and lunch daily, Nancy P’s seats about 20 diners indoors and many more on a garden patio. The work of local artists — in canvas, stained glass and mixed media — hangs on the walls and rotates every couple of months. The hardwood floor accents the café’s simple décor, although track lighting above the pastry counter adds some contemporary flair.

Breakfast pastries

Friendly smiles are abundant behind the pastry display area, where the day’s fresh muffins and croissants, cookies and pies are presented to patrons. But because personal attention is paid to each customer, the wait for service on busy days can seem quite long.

Counter orders are delivered directly to tables. It seemed to take forever, though, when I ordered a slice of quiche and asked that it be reheated. It turned out that the server had directed it to the standard oven rather than the microwave. “It’s so much better this way,” she said. But not only did it take 10 minutes rather than two for its delivery; its light crust had been slightly burnt during the reheating.

That said, the quiche itself was delicious, with silky, fluffy eggs, made savory with the addition of chopped link sausage.

My dining companion enjoyed a bacon-and-egg croissant, with the eggs scrambled and the bacon crispy. She appreciated the flakiness of the pastry, and said it was very good.

But as a brownie connoisseur, she was not as effervescent in her praise of the Big Bad Brownie. It was soft like cake, she said, not as chewy nor with the depth of chocolate flavor of the brownies she prefers.

Luncheon deal

On a subsequent visit, I ordered Nancy P’s lunch special, which for $8.50 offers a choice of two out of three items: a half sandwich, a half salad and/or a cup of soup. “I think it’s the best lunch deal in town,” Katy Clabough said.

I’d have to agree that it’s right up there.

My impressive house salad had green apple “toothpicks” extending above a mix of spring greens, tossed with ample portions of chopped hazelnuts, dried cranberries, red onions and Gorgonzola cheese. A cup of Italian dressing was presented on the side.

And my “half” chipotle chicken sandwich was the size of a small country. I shudder to imagine the full size. Served between two slices of ciabatta bread — made fresh daily, said Katy, like the bakery’s focaccia — were thick slices of chicken breast with a piquant chipotle-mayonnaise spread. Two large leaves of green lettuce, provolone cheese and sliced tomato finished the tasty meal.

My companion opted for an open-face ham, spinach and tomato sandwich with melted Swiss cheese, on house-made wheat bread. She found it delicious, especially accompanied by an iced “coffee toddy” brewed for 24 hours. She finished with an almond croissant.

Nancy P’s lists a dozen sandwiches on its daily menu, along with daily blackboard specials. They range from BLTs and roast beef to tuna curry and vegan options, such as the tofu salad and hummus veggie choices. Five salads can all be made with or without meat.

— John Gottberg Anderson can be reached at janderson@bendbulletin.com