Being a restaurant owner in Bend is not easy. From tight food margins to difficult customers, building a new business to a place people talk about and come back to is no easy task. Bend's newest restaurant is on track to follow that challenging path. Salute' Bend is an Italian restaurant in Bend worth remembering. 

This cozy restaurant is located in the old High Tides location, or more recently the old Citizen location on Bond in Downtown Bend across from Deschutes Brewery. This space has a strange hallway entrance that looks more like the beginning of a bad horror movie with unique lighting and a sterile feel than the entrance to a wonderful Italian eating establishment. Make your way past the elevator to a glass doorway on your right and you will find the entrance to Salute' Bend. 

The ambiance in Salute' Bend was exactly what we were looking for in fine dining. Cool mood lighting set the scene, the waiters were all in dark clothing, and friendly faces greeted us from the bar area. We loved that the menu was clean and simple and only two pages long and the wine list was uncomplicated and easy to read. In fact, everything seemed to be very reasonably priced too with many items under $20.

To start, we ordered the Beef Carpaccio for $12. This beef literally melted in our mouths with a smooth flavor that was not harsh in any way. The arugula salad was a great acidic complement to the richness of the beef and a nice crusty bread finished off this dish perfectly. 

For entrees we decided to go with the homemade cheese ravioli and bolognese sauce for $18 and the Ragu ala Cinghiale for $22. The ravioli was near perfect! A sweet/savory bolognese sauce a top wonderful pillows of perfectly cooked ravioli was only compromised by a slightly too salty cheese filling. The unfortunate saltiness was not enough to leave any bite behind though.

The Ragu has perfectly al dente pasta and a wonderful pork that brought this dish together. Although not my favorite Ragu of all time, this dish still did not disappoint. 

For dessert, we ordered a wonderful Rose Champagne Pannacotta that was the perfect balance of smooth and sweet. With three raspberries on top and a sprig of mint to finish, this was the perfect finale to a wonderfully rich Italian meal. Light and delightful is the only way we can describe this tastefully done desert item. 

For ranking we give ambiance a 5/5, service a 5/5 and food taste a 4/5. 

We will absolutely go back!

Sincerely,

The foodies of Bend Premier