We had dinner one evening at Anthony’s At The Old Mill in Bend, Oregon. The restaurant is situated alongside the Deschutes river and is a delight to look at — both inside and out. Everywhere I looked I saw interesting snapshots of color, contrasts, and design, all picture-perfect.
Our waiter gave us really nice service. He brought me a kid’s plate of plain pasta with a thin white sauce and a generous side order of steamed broccoli cooked just right. I also had hot tea (with my own tea bag). Michael had their special Sockeye salmon with broccoli and a glass of wine.
After dinner we walked around the Old Mill District, enjoying the shops and the park on either side of the river, connected by a foot bridge with colorful flags.
Back in the year 1916, two lumber companies from Minnesota set up mills in this district upriver from Bend, which grew to become the largest pine saw mills in the country. As they grew, so did the town of Bend, and they remained in operation as the community’s largest employers for over 60 years.
As the needs for lumber changed in the country, the mills slowed down, consolidated, and eventually shut down. We could see a few of the buildings that are still standing (one has 3 smoke stacks) from the last mill that closed in 1993.
Here’s a link to Anthony’s dinner menu.
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