For all the great decorators of the world's finest restaurants, none of them can hold a candle to Mother Nature. And some of her finest work is on display at the Boathouse Restaurant, a recently upgraded dining establishment on the shores of Suttle Lake, about 15 miles northwest of Sisters.
The Boathouse has a rustic Oregon-lodge decor, but it's the view of the lake and the towering pines that will grab your attention. And that's precisely what co-owner Rhonda Sneva intended when she bought the resort and decided to rebuild the lodge that once stood by the lake.
"Rhonda wanted to bring the luxury of staying at a great place but being in a natural environment," says Julie Craft, events director for the Lodge at Suttle Lake. "That's really what this place feels like when you come in. It is really nice, but yet you feel like you're still part of the woods."
Rhonda and her husband, Gary, have been in the catering business for 20 years, providing meals for crews battling forest fires, as well as for other national contracts. However, the resort is their first foray into the lodging business. Suttle Lake's previous three iterations of the lodge - built in the 1920s, the 1930s and the 1940s - all succumbed to fire. The last burned down in 1974, only seven days before the newly remodeled lodge was to open.
It's no wonder that the Snevas invited representatives from the Warm Springs reservation to perform a Paiute ground-blessing ceremony before beginning construction on the new lodge. The lodge itself is worth a look, even if you're only coming up for a meal. Its wooden decor and hand-carved accents are bathed with sunlight from floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto the lake. The fully carved doors to the lodge are the creation of Sisters artist Skip Armstrong.
The resort also boasts six new luxury cabins, three historic cabins and a few rustic cabins.
The restaurant itself once featured decidedly more pedestrian offerings such as pizza or fish and chips. With the construction of the new lodge, the menu was substantially "upscaled" to fine dining, focusing on more creative choices and plate presentations, says Sous Chef Michael McGovern. He came to Bend after studying at the prestigious Cordon Bleu culinary arts school in Paris and working for a year and a half at a restaurant at the top of the Eiffel Tower. Executive Chef Carol Hosler brings years of experience in Los Angeles restaurants. Hosler says she is aiming to offer patrons the freshest, highest-quality food and to give them something they've never tried before.
"I don't care if they remember my name," Hosler says. "My goal for this year is to have people say, 'Have you tried her food?'"
The menu represents a marriage of their L.A. and Parisian approaches augmented with some Oregonian standards. Hostler, for example, brought her Rock Candy to the menu - shrimps with a spicy Asian sauce served in a martini glass.
"It's definitely our best appetizer," McGovern says. He's added more traditional French dishes such as lamb or French onion soup. Or you can stay closer to home with a classic steak or flame-broiled salmon.
"We're the only place up here, so you kind of need something for everybody," McGovern says. "You've got a wide variety in your menu so everybody will be pleased."
Reservations are recommended, particularly on summer weekends when the restaurant is at its busiest. The Lodge has weddings booked every weekend from August through October. Wedding contracts require booking all of the resort's lodging options, which can put additional pressure on the restaurant. Without a reservation, you may be forced to brave the weather on the deck overlooking the marina or on the lawn.
"Our deck is awesome," McGovern says, "but sometimes it's harder to sit out there."
The Boathouse also takes more of a resort approach to dining, meaning that parties often linger over dinner, enjoying the fresh air and the views.
"I feel like a lot of the restaurants in Bend want to turn people so quickly over on their tables," he says. "Here, if you drive a half an hour, you don't want to sit down for 45 minutes and then go home. So we plan on people coming out and having wine, and then you can go for a walk around the lake."
It's easy to make a day of coming out to Suttle Lake. Even if you don't stay at the resort, there are public campgrounds and hiking or biking trails all around the lake.
The resort rents mountain bikes, canoes, kayaks, rowboats and paddle boats, or 20- to 24-foot party boats that can seat eight people.
Every Thursday the resort offers an all-you-can-eat barbecue including ribs, sausages, cornbread and cobbler, for $17.95 for adults or $8.95 for children under 12. The barbecue, which features live music, is held on a 3,000-square-foot grass field between the lodge and the lake.
McGovern says it's not just the patrons who enjoy the views.
"I just get to look at the lake all day long," he says. "The past two restaurants I've worked in, I've been looking out the top of the Eiffel Tower and now looking out at this lake."
So which view does he give top billing? Suttle Lake.
"Just because I love the mountains," McGovern says. "I'd rather be looking at clean, crisp wilderness than the city. Even through Paris is beautiful. I love Paris. But I like it here. It's really nice."
Markian Hawryluk can be reached at 541-617-7814 or mhawryluk@bendbulletin.com.
ARTICLE ACCESS: This article is among those available to all readers. Many more articles are available only to E-Edition members. Sign up today!
