Brian Malarkey Serves His Own Brand of Refined Rustic Food, With a Touch of Glam

Tumalo, 1983: Nine-year-old Brian Malarkey is riding a skinny-tired 10-speed down a rocky dirt road to school. He’d already cleaned out the horse stalls at the family’s 90-acre cattle ranch and in winter, he’d have broken the ice in the animals’ water troughs. An entrepreneurial kid, he’d earned a small bundle selling Scottish terrier puppies he’d bred and was splurging on taking his family out for a steak dinner—at Beef and Brew. It was the only restaurant more exciting to him than Bend’s first McDonald’s, which opened when he was six.

It wasn’t the Central Oregon experience that draws people here today. “It was down and dirty,” said Malarkey. The first chance he got, he was off—at 17, to Portland, then Seattle, Santa Barbara, L.A., Minneapolis, and San Diego, working his way up from a chef to a serial restaurateur. After selling his first restaurant group for $25 million, he launched a second group with 10 San Diego-based concepts, including the acclaimed Herb & Wood.

Simmering on another burner throughout this time: Television — Food Network shows, Bravo’s “Top Chef,” ABC’s “The Taste,” appearances on “Good Morning America” and “Today.” While the world learned about Malarkey, he learned about the culinary world.

Coming back to Central Oregon a couple of years ago, he saw it anew. “I finally looked around. I was like, oh, my God, this is paradise. It took me a lifetime to realize I was born in paradise. I’ve been running from it my whole life.”

His brother, entrepreneur and business partner James Malarkey, piqued the restaurateur’s interest, telling him about the ways the City of Bend encouraged new businesses with programs such as opportunity zones, that offered tax incentives. The celebrity chef said he never would have considered opening a restaurant in Bend before the pandemic. But watching the success of Rancher Butcher Chef, Bosa and Bos Taurus, he thought the timing might be right. “Those are big, loud, fun restaurants.”

The pair landed on the location of a former eatery and mini-golf center on Century Drive. The name Hawkeye & Huckleberry Lounge popped into Brian’s head, a synthesis of favorites, from ranch raptors and Hawkeye Pierce of TV’s “M*A*S*H,” to his dad’s dog named Huckleberry. Plus, it’s a favorite summer fruit. “And then, of course, the greatest Western of all time, Tombstone,” he said. In the film, Val Kilmer, as gunslinger Doc Holliday, has the memorable line, “I’m your huckleberry.” The brothers let Kilmer be their spirit guide. A larger-than-life, black-and-white poster of Holliday with his trademark line, blazes in pink neon and greets guests at the door of Hawk & Huck, which opened in June.

More than 450 guests packed the grand opening, sipping everything from “rhinestone cowgirl,” concoctions involving vodka, Cocchi, strawberry, apricot, lemon and glitter to Coors Light. Large canvas tents created glamp-styled dining and lounge areas, with faux-shearling and bourbon-colored, tufted velvet swivel chairs. Each tent was named for local towns, with tables big enough to hold an entire stockyard laid out in the form of charcuterie. James wielded a flamethrower for the one-of-a-kind ribbon-cutting, and local band The Shining Dimes played Patsy Cline.

Second-hand guitars and old cowboy hats line the walls, waiting for patrons to grab them, get in the spirit and, of course, post photos on Instagram. A vintage trailer named Dolly, formerly owned by one of the players in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which the movie A League of Their Own is based on, is tucked between the stage and a spacious event room.

Malarkey recruited longtime industry collaborators and chefs Tony Torres and Carlos Anthony to carry out his ranch-to-plate culinary vision in Bend. He roped them in from endeavors in Las Vegas and San Diego respectively, letting them discover their inner cowboys while living at his family’s P-B Hawkeye Ranch. Learning what it takes for cows to go from graze to glaze is eye-opening for Torres and Anthony, self-described urban cowboys, and it’s inspiring them.

For Torres, that means menu items ranging from Oregon beef tartare and ranch aioli with hand-cut chips, lime chili rub, house pickles and roasted poblanos, to P-B Hawkeye Ranch 32-ounce porterhouse steak cooked over Oregon hardwood with a variety of sauces, from bone marrow gravy to horseradish cream. Add Dungeness crab hollandaise or fried oysters for a nod to the coast. Or, order a whole, roasted local pig two days in advance as a feast for eight.

The secret sauce, though, is engaging the entire staff in championing the story of local ranchers through every aspect of the dining experience.

“It doesn’t take a celebrity chef, it takes great people in every area, and that’s what Brian does better than anybody — he empowers you to be great — the best chef, the best bartender, the best restaurant,” said Anthony, who has competed against his mentor on Food Network’s “Superchef Grudge Match.”

Hawkeye & Huckleberry Lounge helps boost the neighborhood as a culinary zone, from The Flamingo Room and Hook & Plow to the old-school Cascade West Grub & Alehouse — Brian Malarkey appreciates them all. “And, the world’s greatest restaurant is right across the street from me — McDonald’s,” he said.

Learn more about Hawkeye and Huckleberry Lounge and schedule your reservation here.

225 SW Century Drive Bend, OR 97702 | 541-728-2802