Thursday, april 15, 2021 • ThE BullETiN
GO! MAGAZINE • PAGE 13
FOOD
TRUCKS
& CARTS
p.14
bendbulletin.com/goeat
Continued from previous page
Fifteen types of pancakes are offered, with
the choices presented in a graphic of cir-
cles in an iron skillet. It’s almost the same
graphic used in Monagon’s menu.
Laurie’s pancake options include bacon
and buttermilk potato pancakes, buckwheat,
blueberry, gluten-free and several more.
Monagon’s Famous French Toast is also
available.
The extensive breakfast menu is served all
day, including classic breakfasts, breakfast
burritos, omelets, eggs Benedict, and bis-
cuits and gravy. Along with pancakes and
French toast, there are a variety of Belgian
waffles and crepes.
My dining companion and I met at Lau-
rie’s Grill, which is the former Kayo’s Dinner
House and Lounge. Inside the restaurant
looks much as it did when it was Kayo’s,
only a little brighter during the day, and the
artwork has a farm-animal theme. Padded
dividers between booths also use a printed
farm calico fabric with extended ribbed
plexiglass for COVID safety. Fresh alstro-
emeria flower arrangements sit on each ta-
ble.
From the moment our cheerful, unas-
suming server greeted us (with her mask be-
low her nose), it was clear this was a casual
family-style restaurant. My friend ordered
a blintz because she’d never had one. By
definition, a crepe and a blintz begin with a
paper-thin pancake. Blintzes are filled with
cheese, rolled and often served with fresh
fruit. My friend chose blueberries. Laurie’s
blintzes were filled with cottage cheese and
honey cream cheese. The flavor was accept-
able, but the cream cheese made the filling a
bit runny, and the crepe was thick and eggy.
I chose the eggs Benedict. The menu lists
traditional eggs Benedict with meat or an
Avocado and Tomato option, but you can
create the Benedict you want. I asked for av-
ocado and tomato on a bacon and egg Ben-
edict. The hollandaise sauce was smooth,
without lumps, and plentiful, as it covered
half the plate. While very thick, I could
still taste all of the typical elements: butter,
lemon, egg yolks. It tasted like a basic recipe
for eggs Benedict should taste. It was also
a bit too rich. The hollandaise spilled over
on top of the accompanying hash browns,
which benefited from the sauce as they were
a bit dry.
We also got some pancakes. The banana
pancakes did not disappoint. Fluffy butter-
milk pancakes were piled high with banana
slices and served with butter and real maple
syrup. The pancakes were my favorite.
I returned to try dinner at Laurie’s. I opted
Laurie’s Grill
Laurie’s Grill
415 NE 3rd
Street, Bend
541-330-8955
Eggs Benedict smothered in hollandaise sauce
for the 12-ounce ribeye steak and chose a
baked potato and a salad. The dinner also
came with a tasty, soft rosemary dinner roll.
The dinner salad was fresh with crisp baby
greens, slices of cucumber, chunks of to-
matoes, sliced mushrooms and red onions,
shredded cheddar, and shaved parmesan.
I was glad to have a fully packed salad that
came with my meal. Many restaurants in-
clude salads that are often not much more
than lettuce and one or two other ingredi-
ents.
The steak was a good cut. There were
no visible chunks of fat on the ribeye, yet it
was very tender. Nicely charred on the out-
side and perfectly cooked medium-rare.
The seasoning was a simple salt and pepper
combo. The server asked if I would like any-
thing to go with it, offering A-1 sauce. The
plain steak benefited from the horseradish
I requested. The foil-wrapped baked potato
served with the dinner might have been bet-
ter with a little more time in the oven. It was
lightly buttered and served with a stainless
steel ramekin of sour cream. The dinner
also came with perfectly roasted slender as-
paragus.
Our other meal was pork chops. For a
starter, we chose the soup of the day: potato
Pork chops served with a side of tender asparagus
and mashed potatoes smothered in brown gravy.
and ham soup. The thick, creamy soup felt
like comfort food with chunks of ham and
simple seasonings.
Two huge bone-in pork chops were
served with potato and asparagus. Like the
steak, the outside of the chops were nicely
charred, searing in the juices which filled
the plate as I cut into the pork. Again, it was
simply seasoned with salt and pepper. There
was no apple sauce, gravy or other flavor ac-
companying it. Nonetheless, it was cooked
well and was a satisfying pork chop.
If you enjoy simple, satisfactorily cooked
food in a family-owned restaurant, you’ll
like Laurie’s Grill.
e e
Reporter: barb@barbgonzalezphotography.com