The Pine Tavern is a restaurant in
Bend, Oregon
Bend is a city in and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is the principal city of the Bend Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bend is Central Oregon's largest city, with a population of 99,178 at the time of the 2020 U.S ...
, United States. Opened in 1936, the restaurant is located in downtown Bend and is one of the city's best known landmarks. The main dining room was built around two large
ponderosa pine trees for which the restaurant is named. Both the main dining room and the restaurant's outdoor garden dining area overlook the
Deschutes River Deschutes River may refer to:
*Deschutes River (Oregon)
The Deschutes River in central Oregon is a major tributary of the Columbia River. The river provides much of the drainage on the eastern side of the Cascade Range in Oregon, gathering many ...
. Today, the Pine Tavern is the oldest restaurant in the city of Bend.
History
In 1919, Maren Gribskov and Eleanor Bechen opened a restaurant in downtown Bend called the O.I.C Cafeteria.
["Bend Business Changes Hands", ''The Oregonian'', Portland, Oregon, 7 December 1967, p. 55.][Morris, Elizabeth, and Mark Morris, "Bend", ''Moon Handbooks Oregon'' (seventh edition revised by Judy Jewell and Bill McRae), Avalon Travel Publishing, Emeryville, California, p. 432.] In 1936, the two partners decided to move to a new location overlooking
Mirror Pond on the Deschutes River. They named the new restaurant the Pine Tavern because of two large ponderosa pine trees that grew in the middle of the restaurant's back patio.
["History of the Pine Tavern Restaurant"](_blank)
''Pine Tavern Restaurant'', Bend, Oregon, 15 March 2014.[Anderson, John Gottberg]
"Restaurants: Best outdoor dining"
''The Bulletin'', Bend, Oregon, 1 June 2012.["The pine in Pine Tavern At more than 150 years old, famous tree is in reasonable health"](_blank)
''The Bulletin'', Bend, Oregon, 9 November 2013.
Despite the economic hardships caused by the
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
, the Pine Tavern was a success, especially popular with local
timber workers and their families. During
World War II, the restaurant became popular with soldiers from nearby
Camp Abbot
Camp Abbot was a Military education and training, military training center in the Pacific Northwest, northwest United States, located in Central Oregon, central Oregon south of Bend, Oregon, Bend. Active for less than sixteen months, the United Sta ...
. After the war, word-of-mouth recommendations brought tourists, travelers, and skiers to the Pine Tavern. In 1957, a major renovation expanded the dining area, incorporating the two giant pine trees into a new dining room.
In 1967, the Pine Tavern was sold to Dallas "Tex" Carter, a retired furniture manufacturer from
Tacoma,
Washington.
In the early 1970s, Carter sold the restaurant to Winifred Roley. She operated the Pine Tavern for a decade before selling it to Bert Bender and Joe Cenarrusa in 1982. Bender was an experienced restaurateur, having operated well-known dining establishments in
Sun Valley Sun Valley may refer to:
Places Australia
* Sun Valley, New South Wales
* Sun Valley, Queensland, a suburb of Gladstone
United States
* Valley of the Sun, a region that covers the Phoenix metropolitan area
*Sun Valley, Arizona
* Sun Valley, Los A ...
and
Ketchum Ketchum may refer to:
Towns, cities, and, geographic features
* Ketchum, Idaho, United States
* Ketchum, Oklahoma, United States
* Lake Ketchum, Washington, United States
* Ketchum Glacier, a glacier in Antarctica
* Ketchum Ridge, a large ridge i ...
,
Idaho, before taking over the Pine Tavern. In the 1990s, Bender and Cenarrusa redesigned the garden and patio dining area that overlooks the Deschutes River. Cenarrusa was killed in an airplane crash in 1997. However, Bender continued to operate the restaurant until his death in 2009.
[Doran, Tim]
"New owner knows restaurant well Pine Tavern's Justine Bender Bennett has been involved since childhood"
''The Bulletin'', Bend, Oregon, 7 December 2010.
After Bender died, his wife, Christine, and his daughter, Justine Bender Bennett, took charge of the Pine Tavern. In 2010, the front dining area was remodeled, removing a large booth and replacing it with tables to open up the interior space. In the following year, bathrooms were renovated and the interior was updated with new carpet and upholstery.
Landmark
The Pine Tavern is the oldest restaurant in the city of Bend.
According to the ''
Bend Bulletin
''The Bulletin'' is the daily newspaper of Bend, Oregon, United States. ''The Bulletin'' is owned by EO Media Group, which prior to January 2013 was named the East Oregonian Publishing Company. Over the years, a number of well-known journalists h ...
'' newspaper, the restaurant's success is the result of its unique character, picturesque location, and long-standing reputation for good service and quality cuisine.
[Johnson, Julie]
"Pine Tavern dishes up taste of Bend history"
''The Bulletin'', Bend, Oregon, 31 December 2002.[Anderson, John Gottberg]
"Bend's Pine Tavern still going after 74 years"
''The Bulletin'', Bend, Oregon, 27 August 2010.
The two large ponderosa pines in the restaurant's main dining room give diners the feeling of being in an outdoor terrace with a view of the Deschutes River from large windows on three sides. The smaller of the two pine trees that are the centerpiece to the Pine Tavern's main dining room, was killed by
mountain pine beetles in 1983. The lower part of that tree's trunk still rises through the dining room roof, giving the impression of a living tree. However, the upper part of the tree has been removed. The larger pine tree is estimated to be up to 300 years old. It is healthy and still rises through the roof of the main dining room to tower above the restaurant.
The Pine Tavern's garden overlooks Mirror Pond, an impoundment of the Deschutes River. The garden's brick patio is open for dining in the summer. The garden area is covered by
maple and
birch trees and landscaped with
hostas and
geranium
''Geranium'' is a genus of 422 species of annual, biennial, and perennial plants that are commonly known as geraniums or cranesbills. They are found throughout the temperate regions of the world and the mountains of the tropics, but mostly in ...
s. There is also a large birdhouse built to look like the Pine Tavern in a corner of the garden.
Dining in the garden area is very popular with both tourists and local guests.
Over the years, the Pine Tavern has been a popular venue for special events. It has hosted local civic groups, wedding receptions and anniversary dinners,
political gatherings,
museum fund raising events, and art shows. Because of its history and location on the Deschutes River, the Pine Tavern remains one of Bend's most popular restaurants.
["Pine Tavern Restaurant Review"](_blank)
''Visit Bend'', Bend Visitor Center, City of Bend, Bend, Oregon, 15 March 2014.
Menu
The Pine Tavern's menu is based on locally produced foods and ingredients. For example, prime rib and the flat iron steaks served at the restaurant are from ''Oregon Country Beef'', a
Central Oregon ranching operation that raises
hormone-free cattle. The restaurant's lamb is from a sheep ranch near
Shaniko, Oregon
Shaniko (, ) is a city located in Wasco County, Oregon, United States, on U.S. Route 97 and about north of Antelope. The population was 36 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Shaniko is in Wasco County, in north-central Oregon, at the intersection ...
, north of Bend. Their salmon is line-caught
chinook from the
Columbia River
The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...
. The chef uses Oregon
hazelnut
The hazelnut is the fruit of the hazel tree and therefore includes any of the nuts deriving from species of the genus ''Corylus'', especially the nuts of the species ''Corylus avellana''. They are also known as cobnuts or filberts according t ...
s for the crust on
brie appetizers while pears, apples, and
marionberries served in various dishes are from
Pacific Northwest orchards and berry farms. As a result, the Pine Tavern's menu helps to support local ranchers and farmers as well as serving dinner guests.
Location
The Pine Tavern is in downtown Bend, Oregon. It is at the end of Oregon Avenue with Brooks Street passing in front of the restaurant. The front of the Pine Tavern looks directly up Oregon Avenue while the back overlooks Mirror Pond.
[Pratt, Gerry, "Bend Finds Winner In Recreation Boom", ''The Oregonian'', Portland, Oregon, 7 March 1967, p. 16.]
References
External links
''Bend Visitor Center'', Pine Tavern restaurant review
{{coord, 44.0600, -121.3141, type:landmark_region:US-OR, display=title
1936 establishments in Oregon
Buildings and structures in Bend, Oregon
Companies based in Bend, Oregon
Restaurants in Bend, Oregon
Restaurants established in 1936