Serendipity. Waiting a lengthy time for prescription fill at my local Fred Meyer store, I noted a…read morebig sign near the produce area that said "Murray's is Coming". Wandering over, I found that actually Murray's, as in NYC based (since 1940) Murray's Cheese, has arrived. Now operating the specialty cheese section in several stores in the Kroger companies, of which Fred Meyer is one, the friendly staff behind the counter told me this Bend Fred Meyer store is only the 8th to have Murray's as cheesemonger presence inside a store. (In fact, the arrangement is so new that Oregon isn't listed as having any Murray's locations on the company's website.) It seems the Bend store is still getting the Murray's section fully stocked. But they had a pretty nice selection of cheeses and "go withs" (Beecher crackers and fruit pate as examples) and the staff offered cheese samples if I wanted to try anything. My hubby and I are selective about the cheeses we eat and typically buy them at Whole Foods, where the assortment of artisan cheeses can't be beat and we've come to know the friendly staff well, or at Newport Avenue Market for "ditto". But a big plus for this Murray's is they may be the only cheesemonger or specialty market in Bend to carry the remarkably, addictingly good Boat Street Pickles (a Seattle company) pickled fruit that is so wonderful with cheese (and other things). http://www.boatstreetpickles.com/index.html In fact, they were literally putting the Boat Street Pickle jars on the shelf yesterday as we plucked them off. These pickled delights are more chutney-esque in flavor but less sweet and more complex. On the shelf yesterday were pickled (whole black mission) figs, (golden) raisins, (whole) french plums and (chopped) apricots. The latter two went home with us and the apricot was the perfect "go with" for labneh and flat bread for a no cook summer dinner. Having tried all of these Boat Street Pickle products since first being introduced to them by a winery's tasting room staff some months ago and being smitten with them all, I am grateful to have a source for them in Bend. Just a heads up for Yeeps and other Peeps that there is are new reasons to brave the parking lot at Bend's Fred Meyer. Murray's Cheese and Boat Street Pickles. By the way, the latter make a lovely yet thrifty ($7.99) gift for any time of year. Hint.

Murray has cheese and knows how to cut the cheese as well. The smell can sometimes be overwhelming…read moreespecially when Limburger or Blue cheese is involved. I recommend a Stilton or a Münster. They even had a whole wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano for $1000! Get a hat while you're there.

What a feast Nancy prepared for our little picnic - we're still nibbling on what little we left!…read moreShe really knows her charcuterie and notes your likes/dislikes and makes great recommendations. Highly recommend for a great interaction and a fantastic board!

Ordered a charcuterie board from Nancy, and it was not only beautiful it was delicious. We will be…read moreordering again soon! Many thanks for making our steak night epic!

Called to order take out. Was told could only do that on a website…read more Ordered fish and chips. Window popped up to asked if I wanted cole slaw. Clicked yes. Picked up order, brought home and found a small cup of slaw but NO FRIES. Called and were told since I selected slaw I forfeited the fries. The website DID NOT say it was either/or. Very disappointed. Was told that after ordering on website I should have called back to verify. WHAT??????

Just got in to Bend Oregon and right now is the season for Dungeness crab, so I checked out on Yelp…read morewere they would have fresh Dungeness crabs and Sebastian's Seafood & Specialty Market came up. So after unpacking we left to check out Sebastian's Seafood and sure enough they had fresh cooked Dungeness crabs in the cooler case, besides different types of poke and smoked salmon and fish, besides other fillets of fresh fish. They also carry other grocery and ready to eat items in the cooler section, besides the restaurant which they serve different types of seafood sandwiches and clam chowder bowls and shrimp cocktails and many other menu items. Staff were friendly and helpful! Shared parking lot with other tenants

Truffleur is a goat cheese that contains Oregon white truffles. Made by Tumalo Farms, an artisan…read moregoat cheese maker in my neck of the woods,it is only produced in years when the truffle harvest is good and in years when it is produced, it is available only for a limited amount of time. (As in January and February.) The bad news is last year there was a poor truffle harvest and so no Truffleur was available. The good news is this year the truffle harvest is good and- WHOHOO - Truffleur has not only been produced but is available by mail order too. So I'll share information about "how to" here. How to access the Tumalo Farms main page. http://www.tumalofarms.com/ How to read about Truffleur. ( http://www.tumalofarms.com/Truffleur-overview.aspx ) How to order Truffleur as part of a combined cheese shipment (of at least 2 lbs total) or by itself. ( http://www.tumalofarms.com/tumalocollections.aspx ) How to order Truffleur as part of a packaged shipment for 10% off and reduced shipping.( http://www.tumalofarms.com/truffleur-trio.aspx ) And if you order the Super Bowl selection, although it does not include Truffleur, here's how to get 10% off your order and reduced shipping with that special package too. ( http://www.tumalofarms.com/SuperbowlXLV.aspx ) I know...who would think of goat cheese and football together? In fact, who would think of football, period? I know...I know...I'm one of sixteen people in the United States completely indifferent to the game. Back to the important thing, good goat cheese, if you're ordering your own custom box of multiple cheeses, you might also want to add to the order, along with Truffleur (with white tuffles), some others like: Remembrance (with rosemary), Pondhopper (using a local beer in the cheesemaking process), Capricorns (with peppercorns), Fenacho (with fenugreek) or Classico (and better yet the Classico Reserve). And if you order the cheese now so it arrives before February 6, the date of the "big game" my husband tells me, and do watch the Superbowl (the only reason I can think of to do that is for the commercials and the food at the party), while others are eating hot dogs and potato chips, you could be eating Fenacho stuffed dates, or Pondhopper mac n cheese, or grilled Poblanos stuffed with goat cheese raisins and hazelnuts. (Recipes on the Tumalo web site.) If you live in central Oregon or in the Valley area, from Eugene through Portland, you can probably find Truffleur in local specialty markets, or even perhaps in bigger markets, like Market of Choice, that normally carry other Tumalo cheese products. (Although looks like Whole Foods may not be carrying Truffleur this year.) But if you're outside the normal range of Tumalo Farms distribution, isn't the ability to "e order" a good thing? Unlike football. :-)

Great place. Took the family for a tour. Very interesting and entertaining. Their soap, deodorant…read moreand creams are amazing and make great gifts

We decided to check out Sister's smoke house in Redmond not the main branch in Bend…read more First time going there we were amazed as soon as we walked in the store the wonderful aroma of the smoke beef that lingered in the store. We went there to try the smoked pastrami sandwich, because there are not many places that serve a good smoked pastrami, so decided it's a smoke house it should be good! Also the beef jerky looked delicious. and I asked the girl helping me how is the beef jerky? Do you folks make your own? She replied yes do you want to try a sample? So I asked to try the peppered beef jerky and it was tasty and not overly dried, I ended up buying some, which I plan to buy more before heading back home. Also we tried the smoked dark chocolate with hazelnut which also was very good and tasty and need to bring that also back home. The smoked pastrami sandwich was very good and tasty everyone enjoyed it! And it came with a bag of chips and also chocolate chip cookies that was still warm and chewy with a crispy edge. They also have a wine sampling once a month for wine tasting, beside they sell draft beers there it you like to have a drink with your sandwich or item they are selling. The staff there were very friendly and nice!

Wow! As soon as you walk in you breathe in this amazing sweet smokey aroma that just starts your…read moresalivary glands. You know it's going to be good. I got the roasted turkey sandwich which came with a bag of chips, a cookie, and great service for $18 The sandwich came with fresh sliced turkey, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and onion on fresh sliced bread. Everything was fresh and light. I cant wait to try something else on their menu

Atmosphere: Nice market-style store…read more Food: Food here is great. They have some of the best jerky in Oregon, sandwiches are good. Price: Prices are fair for the quality you get. Service: Good service, they are willing to give you samples of certain things Parking: Street parking

Just a little wait on Monday at noon. We ordered Tri tip supreme & Ruben sandwiches (both were…read moregood) plus the chocolate chip and chips included with lunch. Nice selection of smoked goods like spices, dressing, and other items. The weather was nice so we ate on outside on the deck. Indoor has a counter along the window.

Lovely grocery store we stop at every time we visit sisters! Grab and go deli selection and all my…read moreorganic fruits and veggies. Kind and helpful staff.

Last month, on a very hot day, my son was feeling sick and we stopped at Oliver Lemon's to buy a…read morecold drink. The woman behind the counter could not have been kinder! Without us even asking, she wet some paper towels for my son to put on the back of his neck and got some crackers for him to eat since he was feeling light-headed. She took such good care of him, you would have thought we had known her forever! I have been thinking about her generosity every day since then. I just wanted to say thank you to her, and that we are both still marveling at what a kind person she is.

Death by chocolate should be pulled out of stores as this flavor is more than bad tasting it's…read moredisgusting. Who ever thought chocolate should taste like this abomination should be ashamed of themselves. I thought with the hot weather it would be a nice treat but it got tossed. It has such a terrible taste and texture that I will not try any other of the concoctions. Folks just walk on by this terminal mistake

As I lie there, awake, my stomach has wrenching pains. It's hard for me to breathe. My heart is…read moreracing. A second and separate time l, had one more sip. Why? I love eggnog. I purchase this one pint in Madras Oregon. Two hours ago. I opened it up and I took a couple sips. It reminded me of my sister, Evonne love eggnog. At that time something, as it went down, it didn't feel right. A couple minutes pass. I felt nauseous so I went upstairs to lay down and it started, my stomach worsened, tied up in knots. My bowels felt like they were going to fall out. I laid there for two minutes and all of a sudden my body wanted to throw up whatever was in my stomach. I did and it felt so much better. I don't recommend this eggnog. There's something wrong with this batch. I went downstairs and tried it one more time bout two minutes ago. It was the same feeling there was pain flattery feeling like there was a substance in there like a metal substance. I do not recommend this product. I could not believe I drank that eggnog again. What's wrong with me? Why did I want to torture myself again? It was THE strangest feeling. I wonder how many other people got sick? Ok

This is a great place to go to happy hour and enjoy a drink and their happy hour menu…read more The kids like coming here as well. They also have space for meetings.

Stopped by this modern steakhouse in Bend to celebrate my partner's birthday! We had a reservation…read moreand were quickly seated. Our server was not personable at all, which was a bit uncomfortable at times. Inside is very chic and it felt like the right setting for an intimate birthday dinner. We started our meal with the hush puppies, and we each ordered a steak and side. I opted for the hangar steak while my partner went with the Kansas City, both of these cuts were new to us. The hangar steak was nice and tender with a meaty flavor. It was delicately topped with finishing salt and each bite was decadent. For our starter and sides, we both raved about the hush puppies and corn ribs - so creative! We'd skip the papas bravas next time - nothing special. I also ordered the cowboy butter but honestly the steak was plenty flavorful on its own. No enhancements needed. Overall, I'm glad that we got a unique steakhouse experience. RBC will nickle and dime you for everything on the table, which is understandable for the quality, but the service is so lackluster and stall. No birthday acknowledgement at the end either.