On the Road: One Eyed Sisters Coffee Trailer (Bend, OR)

Are any of you fans of Anthony Bourdain?  I am.  I may have even mentioned it before.  I guess it doesn't matter, pretty much everyone has watched some travel TV, yeah?  You notice that often when the host gets to where he's going, there's someone there to drag him around.  Sometimes a friend, sometimes a colleague, sometimes just a local.  Well for those of you who don't know, those people are called fixers.  Not the kind who clean up crime scenes for the mob, but the kind who make arrangements, grease wheels, plan itineraries, and so on.  I've always wanted a fixer, but I've never had one.  However, I might have a suitable candidate for future visits to Bend...

It was chilly and drizzling out the morning I left Bend.  I had a couple of breakfast options in mind (though I was a little gun shy after the previous night's epic meal), but either because there was so much going on in town that weekend or the good people of Bend just really like their brunch, the lines at every place I went were ridiculous.  I remembered reading about a vendor called Cascade Kolaches that peddles their wares out of the One Eyed Sisters Coffee Trailer, and yummy stuff in a pastry shell with coffee sounded doable to me.  Unfortunately, the kolache guy chose that weekend to be out of town.  At this point I accepted that the universe didn't want me to have breakfast, but since coffee is always good (especially on a cold, rainy morning), I ordered a latte.

Rather than taking my coffee and hitting the road, I somehow struck up a conversation with Tiphane, one of the two proprietors and by far one of the coolest and most interesting people I've ever met.  I stood outside the window of her trailer for an hour or more chatting away.  Of course we discussed her business in depth: the locally roasted beans, the partially solar powered trailer, the fact that even their "plain" coffee is French pressed, and also that the name of the trailer has nothing to do with the nearby town of Sisters but is actually a reference to the two one-eyed cats that that she and her partner Amy own (sorry, steward...nobody owns a cat).  We discussed the places we've lived and traveled (she even recommended a coffee spot for my next trip to the Oregon Coast), the restaurants I've tried in Bend and the ones I should try on my next trip, and the town itself.  We discussed her OTHER business that is getting underway, a boutique specializing in products that benefit a number of global causes when you buy them.  Oh yeah, the coffee.  This is a food blog, after all.  It was delicious.  I didn't get a picture because a paper cup isn't very exciting.  But by this point my coffee was gone and it was still chilly out, so I ordered a plain espresso so I could really try the coffee on its own merits.

Let me just say this: the good folks at Lone Pine Coffee Roasters know what they're doing, and Tiphane knows just what to do with their beans.  It was strong, it was rich, it was almost creamy in the way it coats the mouth.  If I was one of the people who talked about those sorts of things, I'd say it was chocolaty with bright citrus notes or some such crap.

If you find yourself in Bend, and you should since it's close enough for a quick road trip and there are some interesting things to eat and see, and you have some time to kill on a morning or early afternoon (unless it's a Monday or Tuesday, then you're screwed), stop at the little trailer at Galveston and Federal.  You'll not only get an amazing cup of coffee, but you'll probably walk away with a better idea of where to go, shop, and eat during your stay.  Hell, YOU might even be lucky enough to get a kolache.  *grumble*

Food Drink: Damn near perfection.
Value:  Very reasonable.  Even more so if you bring your own reusable cup and get the discount.
Service:  With a smile, and a whole bunch of info.
Atmosphere:  It's a trailer, but it's a cute trailer on a cute corner.
Final Grade:  A+