Restaurant review: Pronghorn Resort

Published 12:00 am Thursday, November 3, 2016

Let the rumors be laid to rest: Pronghorn chef Kevin Linde is not going anywhere, certainly not to a soon-to-open, high-end, downtown Bend steakhouse. He’s happy right where he is, thank you.

That said, it’s understandable why a fine-dining restaurant would pursue a professional with Linde’s talents. In four years as executive chef (and now also as assistant food-and-beverage director) at the Pronghorn Resort, Linde has elevated the dining program to a new level, putting it unquestionably on the short list of the best places to dine in Central Oregon.

While Pronghorn’s location, more than 12 miles northeast of central Bend via the Powell Butte Highway, may disqualify it for consideration in a discussion of Bend’s finest restaurants, it surpasses nearly every other local dining establishment in the quality of its food, professional service and considerable ambiance.

The primary dinner house, Chanterelle Signature Dining, is front and center for Linde’s outstanding preparations. Cascada, the three-meals-a-day restaurant, offers excellent morning and midday meals as well as the dinner menu of its sister establishment. Both are located in the Clubhouse.

A third, seasonal outlet, the Trailhead Grill, in another building, is closed until spring. Additional dining is planned at the Huntington Lodge, a residential hotel under construction with a planned opening next summer.

A step above

A level of service and atmosphere absent from a majority of Bend, Redmond and Sunriver restaurants immediately sets Pronghorn dining apart.

My dining companion and I are charmed by Chanterelle. It occupies an elegant room with a central, floor-to-ceiling fireplace beneath a cathedral ceiling. Open rafters, stylish drapes and chandeliers give it the feel of “a den in a mansion,” as my companion describes it. A soundtrack of smooth jazz adds to the mood.

At our recent dinner, our server was one of the best we’ve had in Central Oregon. From the moment we were seated — from the moment she delivered warm, sesame-crusted bread with olive oil, enhanced with shaved lemon zest, rosemary and sea salt — we were impressed by her friendliness, efficiency and overall expertise.

We began our dinner with the Burrata and Brussels appetizer ($12). Crispy fried Brussels sprouts shared a plate with creamy burrata, a mozzarella-based cheese. These were drizzled with high-end lemon olive oil and sea salt, and garnished with chrysanthemum blossoms.

A pear and pomegranate salad ($14) followed. The pears were a mere half-dozen thin slices, hidden beneath fresh greens dressed with balsamic vinaigrette. But the salad was enhanced by a generous serving of pomegranate seeds with candied pancetta-style bacon, crumbled chevre cheese and warm croutons, straight from the oven.

My 8-ounce filet mignon ($38) was perfect. It’s no wonder a steakhouse would crave Linde’s skills. Cooked medium-rare and served in a cabernet wine reduction sauce, the beef was presented on a bed of whipped potatoes made with herbed Boursin cheese. Three savory cipollini onions and eight delicate asparagus spears accompanied.

My companion initially complained that her braised duck confit ($25) had not been fully boned before plating. She got over it, quickly. Served with large gnocchi dumplings and arugula, with candied walnuts and a sauce of pumpkin and roasted butternut squash, this was an ideal dish for chilly autumn evenings.

As a chocolate lover, however, she was disappointed in a chocolate lava cake dessert that didn’t immediately ooze molten goodness. Accented with mint leaves and with strawberries, blackberries and blueberries, the cake was merely gooey.

Save a table

Several days later we returned for a breakfast at Cascada, Pronghorn’s casual cafe. But even this establishment is nothing like a normal resort coffee shop. With elegant, dark-wood decor, large windows on a golf layout and smooth jazz music playing in the background, it feels like a fine-dining restaurant in its own right. Only the silent televisions, broadcasting sports in the corners of the room, suggest otherwise.

I ordered the Pronghorn skillet breakfast ($15). It was delicious. Two eggs, over easy, were served upon pan-fried country potatoes with ground chorizo sausage, green and red bell peppers, onions and kernel corn, blended with melted jack cheese. My only grievance was that three corn tortillas, served on the side, were cold.

My companion had an egg-white frittata (also $15) with zucchini, mushrooms, spinach and tomato. She found it very good, but whatever healthy goals were realized in ordering this yolk-free dish were negated with the addition of buttery-rich Brie cheese!

Diners who make the trip to Pronghorn’s restaurants, especially in evening, are well advised to call ahead for a reservation: You’ll need to tell the attendant where you’re headed when you arrive at the gatehouse, a 4-mile drive off the Powell Butte Highway via a winding blacktop road.

And if you’ve never been to Pronghorn before, it’s always easier to find the Clubhouse before skies are pitch-black.

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