THE SPOKESMAN • TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2022 A11
RECORDS / COMMUNITY
FALLS RESTAURANT REVIEW
Initiative Brewing stands out from typical pub fare
BY THE FALLS
RESTAURANT REVIEWERS
More and more brewpubs
keep sprouting in the High
Desert. Most have similar fare,
making it difficult to identify
a point of difference.
Initiative Brewing in Red-
mond does so with atypical
menu offerings, homemade
sauces, and high quality local
ingredients. Oh, the beer is
also very good.
Initiative’s honey rose mar-
garita ($13) is delicious and
a nice way to start a delight-
ful evening with friends. Not
too sweet, it has just the right
combination of tequila, tri-
ple sec, fresh squeezed lime,
honey, and house-made rose
syrup. This cocktail just might
make you want to ask for an
encore — if you aren’t driving,
of course!
If you’re in the mood for a
refreshing and light appetizer,
do try the strawberry and feta
salad, $12. A mixture of wild
greens, thinly sliced cucum-
ber, crumbled feta cheese,
strawberries, and toasted al-
mond, this salad is served
with delicious black pepper
vinaigrette on the side. If
Where to find it
A variety of food is available at Initiative Brewing. The new brew pub
opened May 24 at 424 NW 5th Street. (submitted photo)
you’re into salads, this is per-
fect on a warm summer’s eve
An example of not-your-
parents-pub-grub is Korean
fries ($15.) These fresh cut
fries are covered in a very
ETC to bring back ‘Circle
Mirror Transformation’
BY DAVID JASPER
For the Spokesman
Craig Brauner didn’t neces-
sarily need a sign that the in-
dependent theater company he
cofounded had made the right
decision to take its first live pro-
duction, “Love, Loss and What I
Wore,” to Bend, Sisters and Red-
mond in February.
That’s baked into the compa-
ny’s mission.
“With our roadshow format,
the goal is to essentially broaden
our artistic reach to all of Central
Oregon, not just here in Bend,”
Brauner said.
Still, had he been looking for
a sign Ellipse Theatre Commu-
nity was on the right path, he
may have found it by way of the
Redmond widow who donated
$1,000 to the nonprofit theater
group to continue its roadshow
initiative.
“It was a really touching
story,” Brauner said. “Her hus-
band would always drive her
to Bend for performances, but
when he passed, she was pretty
limited as far as what she could
do, so she gave us a great do-
nation. That was really key for
me, personally, that we return to
Redmond.”
Brauner is referring to the
play “Circle Mirror Transforma-
tion,” which ETC will not only
take to Redmond but also Sis-
ters, Prineville and other Central
Oregon cities.
The play is a comedy about
five strangers who sign up for
an intro to acting class. Over six
weeks, the class cycles through a
series of theater games and emo-
tional catharsis.
Playwright Annie Baker
“has a specific style in her writ-
Initiative Brewing
424 NW 5th St.
Redmond
Phone: 541-527- 4380
Hours: Daily, 11 a.m. to
9 p.m.
Online orders: https://
www.toasttab.com/initia-
tive-brewing-424-north-
west-5thstreet
tasty but not killer-hot kim-
chi, Tillamook cheddar, hoisin
sauce, Asian chile sauce and
green onions. Wonderful.
The pork belly BLTA sand-
wich ($16) has roasted pork
belly, lettuce, tomato and av-
ocado on a Big Ed’s Bun with
crema and jalapeno aioli. Also
very good.
The Baja chicken sandwich
($18) includes a flavorful and
moist chicken breast, Tilla-
mook Swiss, roasted corn
salsa and avocado aioli. We
liked it.
We shared the Bavarian
pretzel from Big Ed’s Bakery,
served with house-made beer
mustard and cheese sauce.
Yum — enough for three of us
as a starter!
You can’t go wrong with a
classic cheeseburger in a pub
and you won’t be disappointed
with Initiative’s. The 7-ounce
burger is $17 and for another
$3 you can add bacon. It is
served with Tillamook ched-
dar along with tomato and
lettuce with a hous-made beer
mustard aioli. Onions and
pickles are standard fare. The
Oregon beef was cooked to
perfection. Big Ed’s brioche
bun added a terrific touch.
The burger does come with
fresh-cut fries as a standard,
but there are other options
available.
If you’re not madly hungry,
order the peanut shrimp ($16)
an appetizer that is more than
enough for a light dinner.
Nine pan-fried shrimp sau-
téed with garlic, ginger, and
scallions are served over green
onion slaw, drizzled with pea-
nut sauce, and topped with
green onion and black sesame
seeds. Very yummy and more
than enough for an entrée.
Would order again.
The peanut butter ba-
con burger ($18) may sound
a bit “exotic” to the more
health-conscious, but don’t be
dissuaded. The “peanut but-
ter” is actually a delicate pea-
nut sauce that adds a light,
bittersweet hint to the burger.
This is a 7-ounce Central Or-
egon beef patty topped with
Tillamook Swiss cheese, crispy
bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion,
pickled Fresno chilies and the
aforementioned peanut sauce.
Delicious.
There is plenty of covered
seating outdoors.
█
The Falls Restaurant Reviewers are
René and Steve Boone, Louise and
Marv Kaplan, and Susie and Renney
Senn.
PET OF THE WEEK
Meet Bruce!
Bruce was brought to BrightSide as
a stray and now is waiting for his for-
ever home.
Not knowing Bruce’s history, we are
still working to learn everything about
him we can. Bruce is a very sweet, ac-
tive and adorable boy who enjoys his
walks and play time with staff. Bruce
loves to give kisses and its hard not
to let him with his adorable and huge
smile. As he spends time here, Bruce
will continue his basic obedience
knowledge as well as learn more about
leash walking.
At this time we are not sure how
Bruce does with cats, and we require a
meet and greet between him and other
dogs in the home to ensure a good fit.
Submitted photo
Cast members rehearse a scene from Annie Baker’s “Circle Mirror Trans-
formation.”
Plan your 2023 Getaway!
If You Go
What: ETC presents “Circle Mirror Transformation”
Details:
2 and 7 p.m. Sept. 10 at Sunriver Public Library, 56855 Venture Lane,
Sunriver
2 p.m. Sept. 11 at Crook County Public Library, 175 NW Meadow
Lakes Drive, Prineville
7 p.m. Sept. 17 at Love Bird Yoga, 418 SW Sixth St., Redmond
2 p.m. Sept. 18 at Sisters Public Library, 110 N. Cedar St., Sisters
ing where she really plays a lot
with pauses, silences,” director
Brauner said. “For an audience,
you really get to observe more
of what’s not being said. There’s
the lines that the actors are say-
ing, but then there’s what’s being
communicated within those si-
lences and those pauses.”
Performances will take place
in Sunriver, Sisters and Prineville
libraries, as well as Lovebird
Yoga Studio in Redmond and
Scalehouse Gallery in Bend.
The show is an easy one to
tour, Brauner said with a small
cast and a simple set consisting
mostly of props.
“It involves a yoga ball, a
Hula Hoop and five of the ac-
tors,” Brauner said. “The way the
show’s going to be staged, it’s a
very intimate show, and more of
a smaller scale, so the audience
is actually going to be right in
on the action. I staged it in a way
that the audience is circling the
action of the play.”
█
Reporter: 541-383-0349, djasper@
bendbulletin.com
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APRIL 30-MAY 6, 2023
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Tour
Lunch at Goulding’s Lodge
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Post
Colorado Wine Tasting
5 Night Stay in Moab, Utah
Admissions per Itinerary
Comprehensive Sightseeing
Baggage Handling at Hotels
Hotel Transfers
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On some dates alternate hotels may
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