The Grove

The Grove, Bend Oregon --

Mmmmmm... so happy to be back at the Grove! I'm now officially an old lady -- now that I prefer The Grove BEFORE it gets dark! After 11pm, this place is a 'rockin! Hence this photo ---->

The Grove is the most underrated restaurant in town, and it's most likely due to the fact that it's a nightclub after hours. Old people are afraid of those "crazy kids bumping and grinding", and probably feel that the restaurant is an afterthought to the owners. Au contraire, my senior friends! The menu is eclectic, original, and absolutely tantalizing! The food presentations are always stunning, and the portions are perfect.

Tonight, DH and I arrived and were greeted by the bubbly server who recognized us from our last visit. How nice. She sat us in the same cozy booth, and immediately asked us if we would like to wet our whistles. DH ordered a beer, and I had "The Eve", which is a virgin mojito made with TONS of mint leaves, apple cider, sparkling water, and some other secret ingredients. Delicious!

We started with the "Sydney Party Cakes", which (forgive me) I forget all of the ingredients. They are basically similar to crab cakes, but made with white fish and crunchy onions and exotic flavorings, served with a sweet and spicy chili sauce. Five "Party Cakes" were the perfect portion for this appetizer.

I ordered the Polenta Lasagna, and DH decided on the Pasta Puttanesca. The polenta lasagna was served as a leaning tower of beauty -- three firmly grilled polenta slices intermixed with perfectly roasted red peppers, eggplant, zucchini and carmelized onions, topped with a very unique parmesan cream sauce, and surrounded with the most AMAZING homemade marinara. The marinara was unlike anything I'd ever had before -- I could've eaten a soup bowl full of it!

DH's dinner wasn't as awesome a presentation as mine, but how does one doctor up spaghetti? The pasta was tossed with a flavorful puttanesca sauce -- chunky, freshly sauteed tomatoes, pungent kalamata olives, capers, and olive oil. We opted to add grilled tofu to the dish, which was a nice treat as well. The portion was very, very generous, and I now have a leftover box in the fridge, soaking up the rest of the sauce to make for a very nice lunch tomorrow.

If you get the chance to try the Grove, I highly encourage it. It's the Blacksmith, Cork, Scanlon's, and Marz all rolled up into one menu, with lower prices!

Party Cakes appetizer: $7
Pasta Puttanesca: $10
add tofu: $2
Polenta Lasagna: $14
1 bottled beer: $3
1 virgin mojito: $2.50

Bill: 38.50
Tip: 8.50
Total: $47