Why the Eastside Rocks: #5 Diners
You can read the general introduction to this series here.
Why the Eastside Rocks #5:
Diners
This might come as a shock to some, but the fact is that Bend still has cheap places to eat that are unpretentious, casual, and colorful slices of classic Americana. These are the places that offer homestyle, down-to-earth comfort food more in tune with giving you a good hearty meal for your money than worrying about how it’s presented and what $12 glass of wine best accompanies it.
Places like Black Bear Diner, Jake’s Diner, Sargent’s Café, Palmer’s Café, The Breakfast Club, and even Shari’s and Denny’s. These are the places you go when you want those biscuits and gravy with a side of greasy sausage for breakfast, or a giant chicken-fried steak and coleslaw for dinner. And the best places for this—maybe the only places left in Bend—all live on the Eastside.
(Okay, I’ll grant you that the Shari’s locations should probably be classified as north side and south side rather than east… but I figure if you’re going to point to Denny’s then you have to point to Shari’s and I’ll make the exception.)
(Image courtesy of raindog808: Flickr, CC)
Yea, this is where you and I differ. I don’t like the greasiness and heavy feeling after leaving a diner. I also like a glass (albeit not a $12 glass, hopefully) of wine or two.
I can’t imagine anyone taking pride in the Black Bear. Worst food on the planet, well, at least on the eastside.
Nah, I’ve never had a reason to complain about the Black Bear: food is decent (I’ve had much, *much* worse food in Bend–east OR west), portions are HUGE and the kids LOVE it. I rather like the diner feel of it myself.
Diner’s having good food or not…thanks for this series of Why the Eastside Rocks….I’m a faithful Eastsider and am so very tired of this New Bend which is all about the westside atmosphere