If you thought Mount Bachelor was only a place for winter sports, youd be wrong.

If youve never taken the Pine Marten chairlift in mid-summer to its terminus, 7,775 feet above sea level; if youve never hiked across the snow-free volcanic cinder at the timberline, or played 18 holes of disc golf while descending the Skyliner ski run on foot you havent fully embraced Central Oregons best-known recreational attraction.

And you also havent enjoyed one of the finest dining experiences in the region.

Upstairs at Mt. Bachelor ski resorts Pine Marten Lodge the highest-elevation full-service restaurant in the Pacific Northwest the menu, served Friday and Saturday nights through Labor Day, ranges from Manila clams (steamed Thai-style with lemon grass and coconut curry) to juniper-marinated New Zealand lamb and Muscovy duck in a light Italian sauce with white truffle oil.

Downstairs, Scapolos bistro offers lunchtime counter service seven days a week, serving salads, pizzas and grilled sandwiches. And because the restaurants are 4,000 feet higher in elevation than Bend, the temperature (at least 12 degrees cooler than town, often much more) assures relief from summers heat.

The ride to timberline

Arriving for a 7 p.m. reservation, my companion and I parked in the West Village lot and purchased our lift tickets ($12 each) at a yurt near the base of the Pine Marten quad chair. Carrying light jackets for the return trip down the mountain after dark, we boarded the lift. In what seemed like no time, we disembarked.

With a nod to the bronze statue of resort founder Bill Healy pointing toward Bachelors summit, we entered the lodge. Scapolos (Italian for Bachelors), just beyond the espresso stall to our left, had closed for the day. But a sign announcing Sunset Dinners pointed us up a broad staircase to our right.

We had arrived a few minutes early. A smiling hostess explained that our table wasnt ready yet. So we picked up a drink at the cocktail bar and headed outside to enjoy the Cascade view from a large balcony. The snowcapped Three Sisters were lined up perfectly to the southeast. The crags of Broken Top rose in the nearer distance. Sparks, Todd and other lakes glistened with the reflection of the twilight sun.

Soon we were seated beside large windows that surround the restaurant like a fishbowl. Our server, as professional as any Ive met in Central Oregon, described the nightly specials and pulled the window shade to keep the falling sun out of our eyes.

Elk and gnocchi

To start, we shared a pair of appetizers: Oregon chevre and crab Rangoon dip. (Had we come earlier, we would have qualified for the half-price early bird special on appetizers, available to anyone who has a reservation between 5 and 6 p.m.) Both were presented in small casserole dishes.

The chevre, an Oregon goat cheese, was excellent. It was baked with caramelized onions and Black Mission figs, and served with a loaf of warm bread.

The crab Rangoon was overcooked, however, and much too salty. Pacific blue crab carries plenty of natural marine salts; in Pine Martens dip, its blended with three cheeses, and it certainly does not need the addition of soy sauce. The warm dip also included garlic and spring onions; it was served with crunchy wonton chips.

I was delighted with my wild-game entree: two elk steaks, served with tender young green beans and a red-wine reduction sauce on the meat and mashed potatoes. The elk was as lean and tender as Ive had.

My friend thoroughly enjoyed her gnocchi, which was not a typical vegetarian pasta dish. The potato dumplings were stirred with a pesto of crushed hazelnuts and a ragout of sauteed crimini and shiitake mushrooms. Im not a huge fan of gnocchi I generally find it too doughy, and this version was no exception but I liked the flavor of the nuts and fungi.

Neither of us was impressed by the desserts. Although I liked the home-made French vanilla ice cream, the chocolate molten cake with which it was served was very ordinary. And the New York-style cheesecake, made in a mold with a graham cracker crust, didnt exhibit particular creativity.

I would be remiss not to make note of the reason most weekend diners come here: the sunset. During my visit, a light haze that settled over the Cascade foothills to the west of the Three Sisters painted a backdrop of oranges and yellows. While no two sunsets may be exactly the same, cameras are absolutely essential.

SMALL BITES

Two new coffee houses have opened within a few blocks of one another on Bends west side. Sarayus (937 N.W. Newport Ave., Bend; 541-647-2459) serves up coffee, tea, art and snacks from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday. BomDia Coffee (1444 N.W. College Way, Bend; 541-306-3830) serves local Eleven Roasters Coffee, as well as pastries, bagels and smoothies, 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

The various bars and restaurants at McMenamins Old St. Francis School are now offering daily happy hours from 3 to 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. to midnight for drinks, and until closing for food. During happy hours, pints of McMenamins beer are $3, while house wines are $5; burgers are just $3 and Cajun tater tots are priced at $2. Other items are also discounted. 700 N.W. Bond St., Bend; 541-382-5174, www.mcmenamins.com.

RECENT REVIEWS

Sargents Cafe (B+): Homespun service and hundreds of menu options have given this traditional breakfast-and-lunch diner a steady clientele for decades. The food is only average in quality, but its hard to beat the value, with few dishes priced higher than $9. Check out the display case selling hobby crafts made by longtime employees. Open 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. every day. 719 S.E. Third St., Bend; 541-382-3916.

Joolz (A): Serving Arabic-style dishes with a High Desert edge, Lebanese-American chef Ramsey Hamdan has a winner at his new downtown Bend restaurant. A refreshingly creative and well-prepared menu is coupled with exotic ambience, casual yet attentive service, and fair prices. Open 4 p.m. to close Monday to Saturday. 916 N.W. Wall St., Bend; 541-388-5094, www.joolzbend.com.

Chloe at FivePine (A-): When Chloe, a fine Redmond strip-mall restaurant, found a spacious new home in January at Sisters FivePine Resort, it was a marriage made in heaven. Laos-born chef Silisak (Jerry) Phaisavath combines his Asian heritage and training in French cuisine to present fine steak and seafood dishes. Open 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. every day through Labor Day; then Tuesday to Saturday until Memorial Day. 1011 Desperado Trail, Sisters; 541-588-6151, www.chloefivepine.com.

Original Pancake House (B+): Serving only breakfast, these franchise restaurants still feel like the 1950s. Servers are identically clad in ruffled aprons; colorful porcelain plates line mantles. A pancake specialty on the ample menu is the Dutch Baby. 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. every day. 1025 S.W. Donovan Ave., Bend (541-317-0380); 3030 S.W. Sixth St., Redmond (541-316-2515), www .originalpancakehouse.com.