New restaurant: Pono Farm & Fine Meats
I got this in email the other day and wasn’t as timely with it as I would’ve liked:
New restaurant; Pono (meaning “righteousness” in Hawaiian) Farms & Fine Meats opened yesterday, Wed, March 16th on the corner of Cooley & Hunnell. Farm to table, they grow Wagyu (Kobe) & Angus beef as well as ‘Heritage Breed’ pork, mainly Berkshire and a rare Red Waddle breed locally in Culver, OR. All grown slowly & naturally; hormone & antibiotic free, drink water sourced from Opal Springs, all butchered and processed in house.
They specialize in fresh cut fine meats and also have a deli w/a Southern inspired menu emphasizing their beef and pork. Their sample menu consists of items such as
- Texas Style Beef Chilli,
- Micro Green Salad with Steak Tartare
- NY style Pastrami w/Kraut & Russian Dressing
- Wagyu Cheesesteak
- Braised Oxtail Gnocchi
- Sides including Southern Style Grits
- Collard Greens w/Smoked Ham Hocks
- Brussel Sprouts w/Pancetta.
Each entrée is made-to-order and averages at around $10.
They are in the process of getting an Alcohol Service Permit and intend on serving beer in the near future. Their farm also houses egg-laying chickens and they plan to start serving breakfast in a few months.
This [past] Sunday, the 20th, they are having a Grand Opening celebration and are serving up 250 free burgers and an entire bbq-ed hog. All proceeds from meat sales that day will go to the disaster victims in Japan.
(I’ve reformatted the message to make it more readable.)
Beyond this there’s really nothing I know about this new restaurant; the corners of Cooley Road and Hunnell Road—essentially directly across from the Lowe’s entrance on Cooley—were empty lots last I knew, so my guess is they’re at the western half of Hunnell that runs south of Cooley (behind the old driving range and Les Schwab) as there’s a business building that’s been mostly empty there.
This KTVZ story looks to bear that out. Otherwise, there’s not much else online that I can find right now.
Interested in checking this out; I’m always curious about restaurants at the extreme north end of town.
I’m always on the lookout for places that use humane methods for raising and slaughtering. Maybe if you get a chance, you could interview them about their practices.
Was at Pono Farm & Fine Meats on Saturday. They had a grand opening and were offering free burgers and pulled pork sandwiches along with inexpensive sides (fries and chili). Everything was really delicious. Obviously top quality meat. All proceeds on Saturday also went to Japan Relief funds.
I took the opportunity to also buy a few Wagyu New York steaks from Pono. They weren’t exactly cheap, but I can honestly say that they were as good as any Wagyu beef that I have eaten in restaurants in Japan or US. Which means that they were the best beef I have ever eaten. It’s awesome that they are local and offering such a quality product.
With all due respect, who in the He*ll would open a restaurant in this dumpy, out-of-the-way retail area of town (and kind of a poor retail area, at that!)??
I guess the downtown/Galveston/Newport Ave area rents are just too damn high, huh? How very sad.
Mike- The ODA (Oregon Dept. of Ag) and the Bend City Council would not allow a local butcher shop in Bend. And yet, the big guys can come in. Yes, we are the “local” farmer. We were not allowed the same priveladges as Safeway, Albertsons, FM. we are local at Pono.
I wish these folks all the best. Locally grown, butchered and packaged product is terrific. However, I agree with Mike, the location is not great for true success here in Bend. I had their pork loin sandwich today… Unfortunately, for the ten dollar price, I was underwhelmed. Hopefully, the smoked bacon ($8/lbs) will leave a better taste in my mouth.
Stopped in to check out PONO last week and was not disappointed! Had been driving by for a while waiting for their open. I guess COB made it really tough for them to open in a timely matter. Purchased some of their Berkshire sausage and bacon. The bacon was out of this world! Will be returning for some of that awesome looking Wagyu beef.
We went to Pono today and were very impressed. We had the braised short ribs and it was the most tender beef I have ever had. You could cut it with a fork. Delicious sides of grilled asparagus and Southern style collard greens. Yum.
There are many “Locavores” here in Bend that will be excited that this wonderful business is here. Best wishes to Pono!!