A chef from Texas at Blacksmith Restaurant, Gavin McMichael, uses the term “cowboyed up” to describe the Western style cooking he does. The restaurant sits at the edge of downtown Bend in Oregon’s ranch country at 211 N.W. Greenwood Avenue in the Historic Pearson Blacksmith Shop. “Chuck wagon cooks traveled on cattle drives and they’d pick up on the ingredients we use here and create these kinds of regional cuisines,” McMichael explains. His blending of New World cuisines with Old World techniques has drawn praise from food critics nationwide.  True to his word, even his trout comes with “cowboyed up” caponata and a mound of barley simmered in stout until it resembles a dark slightly sweet risotto.

McMichael left Texas and cooked with chefs from Colorado to Cannes before opening his own restaurant in Bend in 2003. He first visited Bend on a ski trip in the winter of 2001 and returned three weeks later to stay for good.  “To me, it felt like getting in on the ground floor of Aspen or Boulder.” That’s when he began to hone what he now calls Blacksmith’s “new ranch cuisine,” a sophisticated update of Southwestern cowboy cooking that features American favorites with Native American and Mexican influences. 

Blacksmith regulars tout the Hanger Steak as a favorite, which is cured with fennel and sumac and is served with smoked white bean humus. Fish lovers relish the campfire trout, dredged in pinto corn meal and jalapenos and comes with a beer barley risotto.  “Not Your Mother’s Meat Loaf” is a combination of beef, veal and pork slow poached in veal stock. The restaurant boasts a new bar and cozy lounge and a popular private dining room for parties of up to 45. Special events are planned for Valentine’s Day, 2008. For information or reservations call 541/318-0588 or check online.