I was on a book thrifting adventure today before going to my local disc golf league and decided that I would give Sunriver Brewing Co. a shot since I’ve enjoyed a 6 pack of two of theirs throughout the year.
Seating
Walked right in & was greeted and seated promptly, it was busy but manageable & I was excited to peruse their menu which you can find below.
Yeah pretty disappointing menu isn’t it? I’ve noticed a lot of local menu’s lately have been small with strange offering that wouldn’t pair well, & seem to not be have a consistent theme, Sunriver Brewing Co. is just that. and we haven’t even got to the pricing yet.
The decor though is nice & shows off a local flair along with their beer can art as well.
Local ArtworkBeer Can Art
Lunch: Turkey Bacon Pesto Sando turkey, bacon, pesto, lettuce, tomato, herb aioli, cheddar cheese, on a hoagie choice of fries, fruit, soup, fresh veggies or field of greens and a pickle slice $18
Turkey Bacon Pesto Sando
Ok where to start, this isn’t really a hoagie roll, it’s more of French bread as it has a hard exterior, that is tough to bite through & has that texture that would cut the inside of your mouth. There was a good amount of toppings, but they didn’t really mesh well as the ratio of sauce to bun/topping wasn’t enough which makes the sandwich taste dry. The fried were palatable with Portland Ketchup Co Organic Ketchup to pair, it was the best part of the meal.
Let’s talk about the price before we move on, $18 for a small sandwich and fries is really robbery, I can’t believe the prices here. Maybe it’s a ploy to get you to buy more beer. Speaking of Beer…
Rivermark – Bohemian Pilsner
Rivermark – Bohemian Pilsner 16oz $7
As you can tell, I like a light or dark beer, and on a hot day like today, a Pilsner usually hits the spot. This one is crisp and clean, but $7 for a beer? Yuk 🤢 but I guess tourist will pay anything in Sunriver for a meal and a beer.
Overall the service was adequate, wait time was fine, seating options were good, but the prices and quality of food for that price is downright embarrassing. I’d go up the street to the Village Grill, look forward to a review on them soon.
Italian Comfort Cuisine Foodtruck in Redmond Oregon
Nonna’s Cucina offers authentic Italian food made from scratch that uses as many locally sourced and organic ingredients as possible. We offer both vegan and gluten free menu options. “Many of the recipes are from over three generations of my family; my Italian grandmother taught me our famous meatball recipe”. – Ashley Dolinar – Chef and Owner.
Well here we are out and about thrifting for books again and needing a bite to eat in Redmond, and after a successful trip to That Guy’s Bistro at General Duffy’s Watering Hole, we’re back with a new truck! Nonna’s Cucina!
The Truck
After looking at the menu we instantly keyed in on splitting the Chicken 🐓 Pesto Sandwich 🥪 & fries.
The menuChicken 🐓 Pesto Sandwich 🥪
Lunch: Chicken 🐓 Pesto Sandwich 🥪$16-Popular sandwich with chicken 🐓 , house-made pesto, fontina cheese 🧀 , fresh basil 🌿, fresh tomato 🍅 , and balsamic glaze on a Pandura roll 🥖 from the Village Baker. Served with your choice of fries 🍟, garlic fries 🧄 🍟, or a side salad 🥗.
Chicken 🐓 Pesto Sandwich 🥪 & garlic fries 🧄 🍟
We went with the garlic fries on their recommendation & I have to say, this sandwich was delicious & the fries were crispy & flavorful. The bread, like at Sunriver Brewing Co, was hard, but it worked well with the wet textures of the sandwich and sauce, it had a crunch to it, not chewy like Sunriver Brewing Co.. The cheese melted nicely keeping things mostly intact, and the balsamic glaze was an absolute game changer to my taste buds.
The garlic fries weren’t too over powering and packed with flavor and crisp, a nice side to the soft sandwich filling. You really get a good sized meal to share, as you can see we couldn’t finish, but that’s not a reflection on the quality of food, more so on the amount of coffee & beer we had prior & during. $16 is a little on the steep end for a one person meal, but if everything comes in this size a portion, a split meal comes at a nice price of $8 per person.
We are inside General Duffy’s Watering Hole & grabbed a beverage, I opted for another light Pilsner, the Ninkasi Pilsner. I can’t say this was a good pairing with the sandwich and fries, the tart crispness didn’t pair well, afterthoughts would lead me to go with a dark beer to pair here. You can see my full beer review on Untappd.
Ninkasi Pilsner
So the verdict is, grab a friend, split a meal and get a beer and enjoy another great offering at General Duffy’s Watering Hole, a great place to kill time in a layover at RDM.
Located in the heart of The Village at Sunriver. Village Bar & Grill has been serving great food & drinks for over 40 years!
Vbag as they like to call themselves is a staple eatery in Sunriver that aims to meet your needs with an array of food options, drinks, and indoor/outdoor seating.
We were on our way down to Sunriver again on the hunt to fill up our Amazon Bookstore at ResellerRex, and narrowed our search for chicken tenders or burgers down to two spots, here and Big Belly Burgers & Brew, and we came here for the chicken tenders that actually turns out to be a photo of fish and chips 🤦🏻♂️, but oh well, we’re here let’s see what they got.
Now the menu, like Sunriver Brewing Co. is just a little small for my liking in a place like this, again, no chicken tenders (although looking at the table next to us, it looks like they are on the kids menu), and we were looking for smaller plates, or something to share, as thrifting on a full stomach is not ideal. The menu again does not flow well with options, and is pricier than a local would really like to pay. I settled on the Hazey BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich with a side of fries (other options are coleslaw or cottage cheese). Fresh Haze (Deschutes Brewery IPA) braised pork with our house BBQ sauce, fried onion straws, and pepper jack cheese.
Now I usually don’t do this, but I’m starting with the fries 🍟 . These were the best fries I think I have ever had. They were a great temperature, crispy, seasoned, and flavorful. I had some malt vinegar on them & a side of ranch and that was all I needed. Best fries 🍟 in C.O so far! As for the pulled pork 🐖 sandwich 🥪, I was a little hesitant with the pepper jack combo with the pork, but I’ll tell you that small amount of heat paired with the crispy fried onion straws really elevated this sandwich to another level.
I really like this sandwich at $15 instead of $17, but I guess inflation is something we can’t really get around. On to the beer 🍺.
Beer: Three Creeks Brewing Mexican Lager $x
This thing was clean and crisp with a lime wedge to balance it out. A solid Mexican lager with a kick. Check out my review on Untappd.
Overall the food was good if not a little under seasoned, the deck atmosphere was nice except there was some event going on that day where an annoying noise happened most of our meal, but of no fault of Vbag, but beware The Village is usually packed with people and activities. They were “understaffed” with two servers, but they had 4 different food runners, so I’m not sure why the server thought they were so understaffed, but alas I just review, I don’t manage. I’d rexamend this as a stop if you are in Sunriver for sure.
After a long day of hunting books and thrifts, we decided to have a nice sit down dinner at Bangers & Brews Eastside. We’ve been wanting to check out one of the sausage places in town & decided a trip to the Eastside location was a great place to start.
You start out at a cafeteria style line ordering first & then choosing a place to sit.
MenuDrink list
There is inside seating,
and a split patio seating shared with Hablo Tacos.
The Hablo side
Winter set up with heaters, and open air flow in the summer.
You can order the traditional 1X2X1 or off the specials menu, and lastly have sides.
After ordering we took our beverages out to the patio and found a table, and old whisky barrel with a new top & high bar stools and we were set.
I opted to get the Reuben’s Lager which was a solid lager option from a Seattle brewery. Besides on tap, there was a cooler as well stocked with alternative drinks & fountain sodas as well.
Reuben’s Lager
We opened up with the 12” Pretzel and cheese for an appetizer, but before we received that we were brought out some warm bread and chimichurri. honestly the bread fell apart easily, and was not easy to dip in the sauce. And this will be the last complaint you’ll hear from me.
Weak bread
A warm buttery pretzel with a nice hot creamy cheese sauce with a good salt to pretzel ratio. A good opening once we got passed the bread fiasco.
I went with a (1) Elk/Pork Brat (2) Caramelized Onions & Sauerkraut (1) and Chimichurri. There is also an option to go bundles which I did choosing to have mine on a bed of mashed potatoes.
Elk/Pork Brat
The chimichurri is nice with a cilantro kick, gravy is semi sweet & pairs well with the slightly gamey sausage, carmelized onions are a little under cooked and gives a nice texture difference to the sausage and potatoes. The sauerkraut portion is a little lacking but flavorful & melds well with the rest of the components.
Overall I’m impressed with both the price point & amount of food provided in the portion. I think this place is great (I ended up taking my dad to the Westside location a few weeks later. Smaller venue, longer wait times, go to the Eastside.) and am excited to try out some other combos & sausages. 💯 Rexamend this as a go to while in town!
Wood fired pizza is what caught our noses today in Tumalo at The Bite. We are on our way to Sisters to go Thrifting and needed a little bite and a beer to hold us over on the drive so we hit up the Bite.
After scanning the menu here on a 91 degree day the Pear & Prosciutto pizza stood out as something light & right for this afternoon.
The crust was A light, buttery, and crisp crust topped with thinly sliced prosciutto, pear chunks which were solid and sweet. The basil compliments on the back end nicely and it’s topped with a sweet balsamic glaze that really rounds out a nice pie.
For our beverages I went with the Van Henion Kolsch which I had a taster glass at Bend Brewfest and was excited to have a nice cold pint. It compliments well as it’s nice and light with a full malty flavor, perfect for a hot summer day and a pizza pie for lunch.
What can I say, this was a successful adventure on our way thrifting, and I know I haven’t posted as much as I once was, but with Fjord being wrecked, Mitsu in the shop for repairs, I’ve been focusing a lot on my book selling business, where I’ve had a chance to visit many Thrift Stores in the area & will start posting them soon!
So after my first foray into thrifting in Sisters, I had to come back the very next day and finish what I started as they closed the store on us yesterday before we even got 25% through their inventory. I knew I had to get there with enough time, and after filling up my box with books & having 30% of the store left to source, sweating on a 92 degree day, I knew I needed to seek shelter, AC, and provisions.
My familiarity with Ski Inn from our last trip
& the 2 blocks walking distance made this an easy although unsettling choice. As I had driven by a few hours prior & the place was absolutely jammed packed, and as I walked up I could tell by the fact that every table sat un-bussed and empty, they were short handed and in need of a reprise. There were only 2 other people there post lunch rush, and so I made it easy on them with just an appetizer and a brew.
Chili con Queso -Fresh fried chips, and our house. chili con queso $8
OMG! Look at the size of those chips!!!!!!
Gigantic Chips!
The queso was spicy, but not a tongue burner, just enough heat to pair nicely with a few brews, obviously filling with the chips the size of your hands, I thought I’d run out of dip before finishing the chips, but paced myself nicely at the end and had just enough to finish.
Beer: I believe this was a Chapman Brown Ale, besides that the waitress didn’t know which Chapman Brewery it was (There’s 2) not it’s actual name. After doing some research on Untappd after the fact I believe it to be Still the One Chapman Crafted Beer (Orange County, Ca). Anyway, it was delicious, crushable, and thirst quenching malt light for a brown ale.
All in all nice friendly fast service, good food, and cold beer, worth a stop in Sisters when passing through.
Wow what an experience with That Guy! Friendly smiling faces right off the bat ready to give you a great dining experience. I was impressed, then I saw their ordering sign and it all made sense.
Ordering guideThe menu
I went with the Basil Chicken Filly ($13) a marinated and grilled chicken with melted provolone, pistachio basil pesto, and spring mix lettuce with a balsamic glaze drizzle. It also had 2 slices of tomato that were not featured on the menu.
A gracious portion of food to begin with filled me right up. The flavors blended and complemented well, the only issue was there was slightly too much food for the pita to hold it’s structural integrity, but if that is your main issue, I think you’re doing just fine.
The only downside is you can not get drinks at the food carts, you’ll need to go into Duffy’s Watering Hole to quench your thirst. I was greeted by smiling faces and friendly service, so if you are looking to kill time before or after a flight at RDM, this is a close location that will treat you well!
I went with a Pelican Kiwanda Cream Ale ($6) and let me tell you this is a superior cream ale and hit the spot on a nice sunny Central Oregon day.
Pelican Kiwanda Cream Ale
You can find my review here on Untappd!
Overall a Rexamendation for the combo of That Guy’s Bistro & General Duffy’s Watering Hole!
Well I can finally announce the addition to the fleet for Lexi our 2019 Lexus UX 250h F Sport! And what a journey it was to get her here in Central Oregon which is why this post is 2 weeks late.
My journey started off in the Carvana App where I was searching for a new vehicle to add to my Turo Fleet, we looked at a lot of different types and models of cars and SUVs. Being in Central Oregon we knew we had to take advantage of both the Winter tourism season as well as the Summer. With how well Mitsu has performed for us this winter (She pretty much lived at Mt. Bachelor since December) we knew an AWD vehicle was in the picture. We looked at some older Tesla’s but the price just wasn’t quite right, we looked at another Ford Escape Hybrid, but they were just too hard to get, and prices were higher than we wanted them to be, I tried really hard to get a Kia Sorento Hybrid, but finding an AWD one within 1000 miles was difficult, and when I did, the dealership was hard to work with online. I didn’t want to put another Subaru on the road in Bend, there’s already enough of them. Then we saw Lexi, and we knew, she would be ours, and I just can’t turn down an Orange car!
I went through the process through the app, and I have to say it really was as easy as they say it is, the last part was a $699 delivery fee but I knew they had those Car Vending Machines so I I explored that option. The vending machine this car would be delivered to was in Lehi Utah so I checked plate tickets and gas prices and I could fly out to Salt Lake City and drive back for less than half of what the delivery was, total no brainer. I set up the pick up date and had to wait until the end of March for my appointment date.
The night before pickup I was sent a text to upload a selfie holding my license, a copy of my insurance card, and sign the digital paperwork, so I sent that off and went to bed. We woke up and I got dropped off at the airport and I quickly got through TSA, go a cup of coffee and a muffin, and sat down to listen to a podcast while I waited for boarding. And then… it happened.
Ring Ring went my phone, it was Turo, an hour before take off something was wrong with Lexi, her headlights didn’t turn on. I was stuck, do I get on the plane and risk it? Do I stay home? I can’t waste this plane ticket, I have to push on. So I did.
I landed in SLC, great Airport, awesome Art.
Took the Train to the train station. The App worked really good to get me to the next hub, then it stopped working, and I missed the connecting train. Unbelievable, 30 minutes to the next train, so I called a Lyft to get me to the AirBNB.
Art at the Train Station
Got to say, had a great AirBNB stay, if you are ever in the Salt Lake City area, check it out.
I woke up the next day and headed to Carvana to see what was going on, was it just the bulbs (Which Carvana didn’t have the tools to fix), or was it the electrical? But first, I needed to charge my devices, and myself which I did at Beans and Brews Coffee House. Decent Coffee, fast chargers.
Back to the car. I get there and explain to Carrie at the front desk what was going on, she said she’d get Ash who was assisting me to come talk to me. I got to say, this Ash guy came at me super sideways from the start, saying that they took it to a dealership, but they haven’t had a chance to look at it, and I shouldn’t have flown out here, and they won’t pay for me to stay in a hotel while they diagnose it, and it could be weeks for the to happen, and I shouldn’t have flow here and I should have got delivery.
I was absolutely aghast at how poor his customer service skills were, but remained calm and listened to what he had to say before he said he’d go back and check on if there was an update.
Carrie IMMEDIATELY apologized to me for his tone and behavior, saying to pretty much ignore everything he said, I could tell why she was the face of this Carvana as soon as he left. She called whoever was in charge there and let him know what was going on, and how Ash treated me and told him she was going to call the dealership and find out what was going on. The dealership pretty much told her they’d get to it when they got to it, but that wasn’t going to be any time soon. She called a Lexus dealership close by, explained to them the situation, and got them to agree to do a diagnosis within the hour of delivery. UNBELIEVABLE CUSTOMER SERVICE! Carrie got her co-worker to drive her to the dealership, picked up Lexi and took her to the Lexus dealership for the diagnostic. Kinda awkward sitting there with the dude waiting on Carrie to get back.
Defiantly was cool, but defiantly wasn’t easy.
Bad news, it was the electrical housing. Good news, Carrie’s boss put me up in a hotel for 2 days while Lexus got the parts and fixed the headlights. Whew, what an experience. Here’s a good look out my hotel window at the Utah Mountains.
They also had a social so i got to check out some of the local beers.
Well, they re-set my appointment up for 3:30 & checkout was at 12, so thankfully the hotel let me chill in one of their lounges and I listened to some podcasts while I waited to walk down to Carvana and then it came. The text, it’s ready, it’s working, I can go home! I started my walk down to Carvana.
And I arrived.
Do you see it? It’s in the upper right corner.
Signed the paperwork and now it’s time to drop my giant Carvana Quarter into the vending machine and GET MY CAR!
FINALLY! Big shoutout to Carrie and team for making this happen!
Time to get some Culver’s and drive home!
This post has taken too long to upload, so I’m ending it now. Book Lexi here! Do it now!!!!
Rideshare Rex 