(Photo by Linden Gross)
Does Bend need another steakhouse? Maybe not. But a steakhouse that spans the gap from hot cornbread served with smoked butter and honey to a splurge-worthy “Meat Market” menu featuring wood-fire-grilled beef along with add-ons like bone-marrow gravy and fried oysters? That’s another story altogether.
Welcome to Hawkeye & Huckleberry Lounge. Conceived by owner Brian Malarkey and located in Walt Reilly’s old space on Century Drive, Hawk & Huck is a ranch-to-plate eatery with a modern cowboy aesthetic. What does a celebrity TV chef who has created 15 wildly different and wildly successful restaurant concepts — ten of them in San Diego — know about cowboys?
Plenty.
It turns out that Brian is a former rodeo champ who was raised along with his brother and restaurant co-partner, James, on a ranch in Tumalo. Today, on that same property, the Malarkeys are growing lettuces, microgreens, sunchokes, and onions — and raising chickens and beef finished on hemp and beer mash — for Hawk & Huck. A shipping container behind the restaurant will function as an onsite butcher shop, so they can break down entire animals and utilize every element. No wonder they’ll be able to offer a $10 happy-hour Smashburger.
The Marlarkeys are serious about exclusively sourcing from Oregon anything that doesn’t come from their ranch. Brian would love to have a shrimp cocktail on the menu, but since he can’t find locally sourced prawns, he’s offering fried bay shrimp toast with traditional shrimp cocktail flavors. Early thoughts about serving game meats have also been nixed until, when, and if the Malarkeys can find in-state farmed options that work.
They’re also serious about creating a space that invites people to hang out. “I don’t want this to be a special occasion restaurant,” says Brian. “I want it to be a repeat restaurant.”
Part of that equation involves creating options that allow you to have a wood-fired pizza and beer and get out for $30 a head (less if you’re sharing the pie) or go over the top and spend 20 times that much on fine wines and the 32-ounce porterhouse.
The other part of the equation is the space itself starting with the outdoor patio that features a firepit for marshmallow roasting (with round-tipped skewers), a bubble machine, and a clear plastic glamping tent for kids to play in. In the vast restaurant — with its Shou Sugi Ban walls, dramatic pendant lighting, and a twinkle-star ceiling — you’ll find a cozy living room area anchored by a fireplace, a generous bar with a long communal table, and a dining room in which leather couches serve as banquettes. A stage will showcase live bands a couple of times a month as well as a drop-down projection screen for streaming past and present concerts.
Two semi-private areas, made to look like glamping tents, and a conference room with AV equipment offer dining options for larger groups. In addition, an 80-person private event space with AV can be accessed through a vintage trailer from Sisters named Dolly, which serves as a dividing wall. Or, as Brian puts it, “you can be boring and use the doors.”
Can you say fun? I sure can.
Hawkeye & Huckleberry Lounge
225 SW Century Drive
Hours: Sunday-Thursday, 4-9pm; Friday and Saturday, 4-10pm
Happy Hour: Monday-Friday, 4-5pm
Reservations are available through OpenTable.
