It’s the season of sun-warmed tomatoes and garden-fresh sensibility. Somewhere, someone just described a salad as “gorgeous,” and no one flinched. Summer does that. It gives food a certain glow. A slice of peach turns cinematic. A smear of tahini feels like a power move. And eating outside is its own kind of therapy.
So Fresh and So Green: This Summer’s Dishes are Cool, Crisp and Deliciously Unbothered
At Fix & Repeat, Maui roots and Bend spirit collide in nutrient-packed bowls and juices. The Summer Quinoa Bowl layers orange-scented quinoa with roasted chickpeas, lemon tahini, mint-basil pesto, pistachios, snap peas and arugula for a savory, tangy mix that co-owner Leila Carter calls “wholesome and deeply satisfying.” New to the menu, the Crispy Rice Salad plays with texture, baked rice bites, punchy greens, avocado, cucumber and herbs that crunch under a drizzle of peanut dressing. Cold-pressed juices like The Cure (pineapple, cucumber, kale, serrano pepper, sea salt) and Simple Detox (green apple, cucumber, celery, mint) offer peak refreshment on hot high desert days.
Summer comes alive at Jackson’s Corner, where heirloom tomatoes, pink radishes and bright herbs make their way into standout salads and unexpected garnishes.
“I love throwing a big handful of arugula splashed with vinaigrette on our pizzas,” said co-owner Anna Hall. “It adds a whole new dimension of flavor.”
The salmon tartine, made with wild-caught fish from Warm Springs, stacks capers, pickled onions and herbed cream cheese under a tangle of greens. On the cocktail side, Spa Water plays it cool with cucumber, mint, cilantro, gin and a splash of Greek mastiha.
From veggie rolls to citrus-bright smoothies, Salud leans into what’s ripe and ready. The Radiant Roll, a rainbow of basil almond paté, beets, carrots, purple cabbage, cucumber and tender greens wrapped in nori, is served burrito-style with a maple miso chili sauce that’s equal parts sweet and umami. The ever-popular Wontons tuck shredded carrot, red bell pepper, cabbage, cilantro and microgreens into romaine squares, ready to dunk into a zesty chili-lime. Smoothies get the same kind of vibrant love. The Topaz provides a sunny mix of citrus and ginger, while the Jade is green and grounding with cucumber, kale, spinach and summer fruit.
The Garden Party
Say hello to the laid-back, light-filled days of summer, best spent lakeside, fireside or lost in a coastal daydream. Long lunches drift into early cocktails, dessert tastes like someone else is doing the dishes, and the rest of the day sort of forgets to happen.
Lake House at Caldera Springs perfectly pairs lakeside leisure with a chef’s flair. The summer menu leans into Oregon’s greatest hits with watermelon salad, housemade strawberry shortcake and returning favorites such as grilled corn salad, fried green tomatoes and bourbon peach cobbler. Just beyond the patio, a glassy lake stretches under the wide-open sky and Mount Bachelor holds steady in the background. The Tajín-dusted Mango Tango—tequila, mango, fresh-squeezed orange juice—brings its own kind of magic to the moment.
Kusshi’s ceviche wasn’t meant to be a headliner. It started as a clever way to use up sashimi odds and ends, but quickly took on a life of its own. Inspired by Nikkei cuisine, the Peruvian-Japanese fusion of flavor and form, chef Ian Skomski builds each plate into an edible sculpture. Tuna, scallops and Oregon albacore are marinated in sun-kissed citrus, chilies and whatever fresh herbs are currently thriving. Each version is different, but always tastes like it drifted in on a coastal breeze.
It’s easy to sink into a seat at Portello Wine and Spirits and forget what time it is. Especially once the Ahi Crudo Tower graces the table (photo shown above). Stacked with ponzu-marinated tuna, pineapple and arugula between crispy wontons, it lands somewhere between a snack and an obsession.
“We wanted to create something cool and fresh,” new owner Rachel Fishman said. “It pairs beautifully with the Spicy Cucumber Margarita, made with our house-infused jalapeño tequila.” Among Portello’s fresh cocktails are riffs on the Old Fashioned, such as the subtly sweet and summery Blackberry Basil.
The Sweetest Sundown
There’s a slow unraveling as a high desert day winds down. Glasses clink and the world exhales, loosening its collar in the evening light. Nights don’t need a big plan, just something cold, something sweet and a little more time to enjoy it all.
At Canteen, the open-air bar at Campfire Hotel, summer unfolds in poolside snapshots: cocktails in hand, a DJ spinning vintage soul, flip-flops kicked under the table. Canteen’s cocktails shift with the seasons and lean into whatever feels fresh and far-flung. The Vera Aloysious, a mix of soju, aloe, cucumber and a dash of saline, is instantly soothing. The Frogoni is what happens when a Negroni stops checking its email and starts floating on a flamingo raft, unbothered and brain-freeze-ready.
Bonta’s gelato rotates seasonally, using local ingredients to create flavors that somehow feel nostalgic and brand-new: blueberry lemonade sorbetto, orange blossom honey with poppy seed, root beer that tastes like childhood. It’s a love letter to summer professing that gelato always tastes better outside.
“We love eating what we make, and I promise, no one is digging into gelato at the dining table,” said CEO Corey Owens.
Whether perched on a rooftop or gathering on a patch of grass everyone agrees is ‘the spot,’ this is gelato for lingering in the sun and not minding when Stracciatella drips down a knuckle.
And if the night still has something left to say, Dear Irene knows just what to pour. The cocktail menu shifts like a curated playlist that never repeats itself and always knows what’s next. Herb Your Enthusiasm is a sharp, botanical blend of gin, génépy, aquavit and chamomile. Tequila lays the groundwork in Moment of Treuse, with passionfruit bringing the brightness and green chartreuse humming in the background, herbal and electric. It’s a subtle nod to summer’s best secret: Vibes aren’t found. They’re made.
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