Any time from May to October, when Justin Maurice Brown isn’t in the kitchen, you’ll find him scaling the cliffs at Smith Rock State Park. That’s almost a given.

But the Kokanee Cafe chef isn’t climbing walls in Camp Sherman. Instead, he’s comfortably ensconced in the heart of a log-cabin village in a near-wilderness ponderosa pine forest at the foot of Black Butte.

It’s a perfect place for a man who loves the outdoors. “I love the idea of cooking in a little cabin,” Brown said. “I love just being able to be out walking into the woods among the big trees. It smells so good.”

Those aromas are as memorable inside the restaurant as they are along the banks of the nearby Metolius River, whose land-locked salmon gave the Kokanee its name when it was established in this remote location — 15 miles northwest of Sisters — in 1991.

Owned by commercial Realtor Peter Lowes, the Kokanee is open only from May to mid-October. Despite its seasonal schedule, the restaurant has a record of attracting outstanding chefs — including, over the past dozen-or-so years, Steven Draheim (now owner of Barrio in downtown Bend), Roscoe Roberson (now head chef at Cooper’s Hall in Portland) and Matt Neltner (formerly of the Deschutes Brewery and Blue Pine Kitchen).

Brown, a Western Culinary Institute graduate who has cooked at several Bend-area restaurants in recent years, is now in his third year at the Kokanee helm.

“I’m trying to make food that I want to eat,” he said. “My goal is to be unique, to make the menu entirely my own.” To that end, he said, he is working closely with Central Oregon farms, locally sourcing his ingredients to the greatest degree possible.

Creative ingredients

Our recent dinner at the Kokanee illustrated Brown’s creativity. Arriving a few minutes late for our reservation, we were promptly seated on the screened patio at the rear of the restaurant. No sooner had our drink order been taken than we were presented a basket of warm, house-baked sourdough bread with olive oil and du’ah. The Middle Eastern blend of crushed cashews and walnuts with cumin and brown sugar made a marvelous dip when it was stirred into the oil.

We shared an appetizer of several local mushrooms — morels and shiitakes among them — sauteed with a mirepoix of carrots, onions, celery and sliced garlic cloves. Parsnip and parsley purees accompanied on opposite sides of the plate.

Our salad, also shared, was a summer beet salad. Red and golden beets were presented with white peach slices, honey-infused crumbles of goat cheese, spiced walnuts and almonds, nasturtium blossoms and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

A few service glitches surfaced around this time. We were promised smaller individual plates to serve ourselves salad from the larger bowl, but they were never delivered. And our water glasses, quickly drained, were not refilled until we attracted a busser’s attention after our entrees had arrived. She finally placed a full bottle of water on the table, leaving it to us to pour our own glasses.

Delicious entrees

Our entrees were slow to arrive, but they were mostly delicious. My companion ordered pan-seared steelhead trout, the closest thing to kokanee that appeared on the menu. Served with orecchiette (“small ear”) pasta and marionberry coulis and beurre blanc, it was cooked medium rare, to order.

Accompanying vegetables from local organic farms included Swiss chard, broccoli, roasted carrots, baby onions and a quartered grilled avocado — “a really good combo,” my companion commented.

My wild boar tenderloin was delicious, too, but on the second try. I had ordered the game dish medium rare, but on first delivery, it was almost still bleeding. I sent it back, and it was soon returned lean, tender and cooked to order. Grilled and nicely seasoned, I enjoyed every bite.

The boar was served with sauteed faro, or wheat grain, and many of the same veggies that had accompanied my companion’s meal, with the addition of shaved fennel.

For dessert, my chocoholic friend ordered a flourless chocolate cake with caramel on the side. It was like a brownie and was one of the favorite parts of her meal.

As much as we enjoyed the entrees, I frankly didn’t feel they justified the prices — $38 for the boar, $32 for the steelhead. The flavors were good but not remarkable: There was no “Wow!” factor here. As the summer season progresses and more fresh herbs and vegetables become available, I expect that will improve.

— janderson@bendbulletin.com.