Jarod Opperman / The BulletinThe Greek Chicken with Orzo at Pangea International Cuisine in Bend.

Francisco Canó is a native of the South American country of Peru, but the eclectic nature of the food he prepares and serves at his new Bend restaurant, Pangea, would lead one to believe that he is truly a man of the world.

The full name of the business — Pangea International Cuisine — underscores his mission. Indeed, the everyday menu features recipes not only from Peru and Mexico, but also from Argentina, Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean; from England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy and Spain; from China, Japan, Thailand and Morocco.

And just to make sure his adopted land isn’t left out, Cano even has cedar-planked, Native American-style salmon and a good old American cheeseburger on the menu.

Named for the mythical, prehistoric land mass theorized to have been the genesis of modern continents, Pangea was born as Bienvenidos (Spanish for “welcome”) when it opened in April at Franklin Avenue and Bond Street.

As Pangea’s executive chef and co-owner, Cano has found a location that allows him to display his considerable culinary talents. They were misplaced at his previous stop, the Rat Hole Brewing Company, whose kitchen didn’t offer the size and facilities of a full-service restaurant.

Creative ambiance

A spacious kitchen is essential to a restaurant this large. Pangea’s dining room seats about 100 guests beneath a high industrial ceiling, and there are several additional tables on an outdoor patio. Colorful and creative images by Casa Bay Photography adorn the walls, most of them painted a rich burgundy to complement the red brick on a rear wall.

Flags of many nations of the world are threaded along the top of the outer front windows, and the music is as diverse and international as the food.

Service is very friendly and knowledgeable, but only as efficient as the kitchen enables it to be. I write this with the experience of having dined at Pangea when Cano was in charge in the back of the house — and when he was not. On one of my three visits, the chef was ill and was forced to turn responsibilities over to his line cooks.

That occasion produced my least favorite of three visits. The pacing of service was way off and the food was so-so at best. Experiences like that make me glad that I make multiple visits when I review: Pangea is a distinctly better restaurant when Cano is in the house.

Dinner pros and cons

The menu is the same at lunch or dinner, with the exception of a “quick bites” listing of $10 dishes available only until 3 p.m. We passed on that in favor of sampling a greater variety of dishes.

At our evening visit, we were presented a basket of lightly toasted and buttered bread, served with four different dipping sauces. Our server identified them by country of “origin,” but they were much simpler than that—an herb butter, a dish of olive oil with a splash of balsamic vinegar, an Argentine chimichurri mix and a plate of pureed tomatillos.

It seemed that we waited 30 minutes after we finished our bread before our starters appeared. Mine was a soup du jour, which our server said was “Romanian lettuce.” It appeared to be a potage of Swiss chard and onions with too much salt and far too much lemon juice. I had a few spoons and pushed it aside.

My dining companion chose prosciutto asparagus, the green spears wrapped in thick Italian bacon, drizzled with a balsamic reduction, roasted and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. More thinly sliced meat would have complemented the vegetables better, but an accompanying house salad was excellent.

We were only halfway through our starters when our entrées arrived. I had a grilled chicken breast with Greek seasonings. It was served on a bed of orzo with black olives, bell peppers and onions. Grilled lemons, feta cheese and yogurt-based tzatziki sauce accompanied, along with grilled broccoli. The dish was properly cooked but otherwise unremarkable.

My friend’s Moroccan lamb, marinated in a chermoula blend of North African herbs with lemon and cumin, was a better choice. The meat, grass fed at a local farm and cooked medium rare, was tender and delicious. But a generous mound of couscous looked like beige-colored grits, and she had to dig to find the “infusion” of fruits and nuts promised on the menu. The broccoli with mint sauce, also promised, only arrived after her request.

Lunch dishes

Among four lunch dishes that we tried at two different meals, two were outstanding.

A Caribbean-influenced “tropical stuffed avocado” was particularly memorable. Half an avocado, removed from its skin, was filled with shredded chicken and pineapple chunks and covered with a delicious yellow curry mayonnaise. It was served atop a small salad tossed with raspberry vinaigrette and topped with toasted almonds. I’d return just for this.

A bowl of Mexican posole was excellent, even if it had less hominy and more pork than I might have expected. The broth of green chilies and cilantro wasn’t overly spicy, and the sliced radish and avocado additions boosted the overall flavor.

An Italian pasta dish, linguine pescatore, showed promise. A variety of seafood — halibut, scallops, shrimp and a quartet of clams — were flambéed in Sambuca liqueur and served in a marinara sauce that would have benefited from a little more spice and herbs.

The disappointment was, ironically, a popular Peruvian dish, lomo saltado. Sirloin steak should not be this tough, especially when stir-fried with yellow and red peppers, red and green onions, and roasted tomatoes. It was served on rice and accompanied with French fries, certainly overkill for anyone watching their carbohydrate intake.

— Reporter: janderson@bendbulletin.com