Dinner at Anthony's in Bend, Oregon:

Last night, I got invited out on a date.  I was to make the decisions; come up with the ideas.  The pressure was on.

Where did I want to eat?  We still have our Christmas gift certificates for The Olive Garden and the movie theater, but decided to wait to use those at another time.  We were both in the mood for seafood.  What about McGrath's?  Well, we have been there several times, so let's try something else. Okay. What about that place in the Old Mill District, where Mitzi takes us for lunch?  Whatever you, want, honey, it is your choice. 

So that is where I chose for us to go, to Anthony's.  Here is my little review of our experience.  

It was early, around 6:00.  As Cary was finishing up his cigarette outside, I went in to see if there was a waiting list for a table.  The hostesses swooped me right up and were ready to seat me that second.  I was a bit unnerved.  I said, but wait, my husband is still outside.  I ran out to tell him to hurry up, they had a table for us.  He said that he would be in soon. 

I went back inside and said, he'll be here in just a second.  They said, that is okay, we can go ahead and seat you.  We will tell him where you are.  Whatever.  This set the tone for the whole experience, really.  Everybody was very nice and professional, but I felt rushed the whole time that we were there.  I know that the staff would be surprised to hear me say that, because they were only trying to provide the best service possible.  An exception, our waiter didn't make me feel that way, he was a sweetheart.  There was just so much action around there.

Because we were early, there were many tables available.   I have worked in restaurants over the years, and I know that you have to divvy people out among the wait staff so that they can do their job well.  It just happens that our waiter had tables right across the isle from the huge, open and noisy kitchen.  The whole restaurant was very noisy (it is built like a warehouse), but a table closer to the windows with a view of the Deschutes would have been preferable. 

Still, we hadn't made reservations nor asked for anything extra special, so I decided to just go with it and see how things panned out ... and then blog about it later.  It is kind of like being a secret shopper.

This is my date.  Cary easily found me; they probably said oh, we stuck you guys right across from the kitchen, you can't miss her.  Nobody can miss the kitchen in this place, it is the centerpiece!

Our waiter was a nice young man, and he brought me a delicious glass of Merlot.  It was $7, tasted like grapes and I really liked it.  At home I drink my wine out of Jimmy Buffett mugs, and spend $7 for a whole bottle, so this was a treat.  I felt like a grown up, holding that dainty wine glass.

It came time to order.  The prices were very expensive, but perhaps this has to do with the freshness of the seafood.  Bread comes with your order, but not salad.  Cary chose the trout for $18 and I chose the seafood fettuccine for $21.

As we were waiting for our meal to arrive, I began to get used to the noise.  Or perhaps the wine was having its desired effect.  This place is full of staff, and is run like a well-oiled machine.  It was kind of like watching t.v., so I took a few pictures without the flash.  I didn't want to tip them off about being a spy.  Our waiter noticed, but nobody else did.

Cary was observing the young woman with the apron.  He said, look at her, look at her what her job is.  She makes sure that the food looks good, puts grass on it, and adds the sauces.  (I think that she was actually adding garnishes such as parsley instead of grass, but he knows how to make me laugh.)

What I noticed about her was that when she was done with making things pretty, she'd say, "Anna!  You're up!" or "Kristin! You're up!"   For some reason, I never noticed her having to call for one of the guy waiters.  She was really good at her job though.

This was Cary's dinner.  He said that it was very, very good.  It sure does look good:

This was mine.  Mine came with a little metal bowl and tiny fork so that I could get the shells off of the muscles.  I had to work a bit to eat my dinner, but it was delicious:

We were in and out of there quickly, and the two dinners and one glass of wine came to $46.00.  Our waiter was great, and the food was too.  I don't know if I will want to go back soon though.  It is so loud in there, and wasn't very relaxing. 

So, there you go. Take this review for what it is, a description of our experience at Anthony's in Bend, Oregon.

~ Kathy M.

To read about our lunch experience at Anthony's with Mitzi, please "CLICK HERE".

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