Kim and I had dinner at Merenda recently. It was a very good experience. Jason, our server had good timing and made good suggestions for food pairings and drinks. The rest of the staff did a nice job of supporting Jason as well, from water and drink refills to delivering food to the table in a timely fashion.

We chose the onion and garlic soup and the heirloom tomato salad as a first course. The soup had a light, refreshing flavor that went beautifully with the rustic bread already at the table. The tomato salad was a visual delight with several varieties arranged and seasoned with just a bit of olive oil, basil and sea salt.

Our main courses were gnocchi with prosciutto and fava beans and Friday’s rotisserie special, the suckling pig with sautéed green beans and polenta. The gnocchi were soft and pillow-like, just the perfect comfort food. The fava beans were firm and an excellent complement to the texture of the gnocchi. The prosciutto tied them together. Choosing the suckling pig was not much of a risk, but it exceeded my expectations. It was sweet, tender and made just that much better when paired with the polenta and mellowed with a sip of Silver Moon’s Amber Ale. The sautéed green beans were crisp and tasty as well.

Desert consisted of beignets with semi-sweet chocolate and caramel dips and whipped cream, and the artisanal cheese plate. Merenda’s Beignets show some modification to the traditional New Orleans variety but are really nice in their own right. Three cheeses were served with flat bread nuts and dried and fresh fruit. All there were tasty and I would be happy to have this desert again. A note of warning, both deserts were huge and could easily have served two if not three people.

Bend Fish Company

Bend Fish Company recently opened its sushi bar with Adam its helm. Current hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 12pm - Close. The menu is simple, inexpensive and super fresh. I ordered a small 4 piece salmon roll. It was prepared quickly and it was delicious.