Merenda

Merenda Review

With its menu forever in flux, Merenda chef Jody Denton is constantly exploring new ways to bring Bend the very best. The showroom kitchen with a tiled wood-burning rotisserie, polished hardwood floors, and large bustling bar is almost as hip as the dining room with its 20-foot redbrick walls covered with modern art. Whether you want lunch, light appetizers, a late-afternoon happy hour, or full dinner, Merenda is at your beck and call with French/Italian influences. Nightly wood-fired specials are offered as well as handmade pastas, vegetarian dishes, and seafood complemented by a wine list critics call "the best in Central Oregon." Note: If you love sushi, Chef Denton has recently opened the nearby Deep, which is getting as many raves as Merenda.