Above: Joe Kline / The Bulletin

Jon Weber has no illusions about what his new downtown Bend bar and grill is and isn’t.

“I want this place to be where locals come for good comfort food at a good price,” Weber said of J-DUB, a play on his own name.

“I want them to come here repeatedly. I tell my staff to get to know the customers by name, and to remember what they eat or drink. That will keep them coming back.”

After 17 years tending bar at the Pine Tavern and six more as bar manager at 10 Barrel Brewing Company, “It was time to have my own place,” Weber said. He opened J-DUB in the former Giuseppe’s restaurant, with its backstreet patio, on Bond Street in early March.

Two months of remodeling the space, which most recently had been Soba Foods of Asia, preceded the opening. Most improvements were made in the kitchen and back bar, where they aren’t obvious to patrons, Weber said. The recreation-themed decor that now adorns J-DUB’s lounge — skis, snowboards, bicycles — and the colorful sports-action photography in the front dining room came later.

This isn’t a restaurant that offers fine dining, although its blackened rib-eye steak, served only on weekends, could almost qualify. Mostly, chef Nate Montgomery’s menu is heavy on burgers and gourmet sandwiches, along with salads and a variety of bar snacks.

Weber, 47 and a University of Oregon graduate, moved to Bend in 1993 from Park City, Utah, where he skied and taught golf. He and his wife, Tamara, human resources manager at Robberson Ford, are parents of children ages 18 and 16.

Meat on a bun

The restaurant opens at 10:30 each morning, Weber said, to serve “hangover-cure hamburgers.” For early arrivals who need more than a standard burger spread with garlic mayonnaise, J-DUB offers a High Speed Quad — four stacked quarter-pound patties with cheese and all the fixin’s.

It’s good, but on the right day, I’d turn my attention to a couple of daily specials. Tuesday’s Cuban meatloaf sando is especially memorable. The recipe for the house-made meatloaf is outstanding. A thick slice is served stacked with multiple slices of ham, Swiss cheese and sliced dill pickles on toasted sourdough bread dressed with mustard. It’s one of my favorite sandwiches that I’ve had in Bend.

Thursday’s Reuben nearly keeps pace. Presented on marbled rye bread, also toasted, it has all the essentials — chunks of slow-roasted corned beef, juicy sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and a tangy Thousand Island dressing that lent an extra zing to the sandwich.

The rib-eye, as previously noted, is excellent. My 12-ounce steak was prepared medium rare, as I prefer it, and it was juicy and delicious. It was served with “smashed” potatoes, blended with garlic and herbs, and a Bond Street side salad.

Creative salads

That light salad — with iceberg and romaine lettuces, chopped tomatoes, sliced cucumber, pickled red onions, candied bacon and croutons — was one of three salads my companion and I tried at J-DUB, in our continuing quest to eat more healthily.

My friend chose a crispy chicken Caesar, breaded Draper Valley chicken strips laid upon a bed of romaine with croutons and shaved Parmesan cheese. It was offered with a lemon wedge, but there was clearly no anchovy paste on the greens or in the dressing. To my way of thinking, that’s a must for a Caesar. And both of us would have preferred grilled chicken to anything deep-fried.

Another J-DUB twist was given to the classic crab Louie salad. Traditionally, this features Dungeness crab meat, removed from the shell and served upon iceberg lettuce with tomato, hard-boiled eggs and asparagus. J-DUB substituted cucumber for asparagus and added croutons. The dish was finished with the grill’s spicy Thousand Island dressing, similar to the original Louie dressing of mayo and chili sauce.

But the big difference was in the crab. Instead of sweet Northwest Dungeness bites, J-DUB topped the salad with a pair of soft-shell crabs, battered in buttermilk and deep-fried. I loved the creative touch, but I found the crustaceans hard to eat without their slender arms falling off my plate. A broad bowl might be more appropriate.

My favorite bar food is chicken wings, so it was almost a necessity that I sample Weber’s Wings, as they’re known, before my departure. Eight tender wings — four wingettes, four drumettes — were doused in barbecue sauce, served with ranch dressing and presented with carrot and celery sticks. They’re just what I’m looking for when I’m sitting with a beer for the big game.

— janderson@bendbulletin.com.