Kokanee Café

+ click to enlarge Amy Thompson and Peter Lowes of Kokanee Café.photo by Kathryn Godsiff

By Kathryn Godsiff
Correspondent

Camp Sherman’s beloved Kokanee Café is opening for dinner on May 5 and will soon be taking reservations for their traditional Mother’s Day brunch.

Some changes are afoot, changes that owner Peter Lowes and general manager Amy Thompson hope will expand the restaurant’s client base.

An outdoor seating area at the front of the restaurant is planned, consistent hours are scheduled, a full bar will operate and in a new move, the café will serve lunch, starting June 1.

“We really want to appeal to the local community, and to fishermen, campers, cyclists and horseback riders,” said Lowes. (There is a hitch rail located just across the road.)

The restaurant has enjoyed a reputation for many years as an upmarket, serene dining experience, and will still serve in that capacity, but Lowes and Thompson want to ensure that everyone in Camp Sherman feels welcome. In an effort to do so, prices have been rolled back and the restaurant will operate seven days per week. Locals Night on Tuesdays includes specials and an opportunity to enjoy a quiet dinner with neighbors.

Head chef Roscoe Roberson is returning for his sixth year of creating fine meals with a Pacific Northwest theme. Roberson is a two-time Iron Chef winner and builds the menu around mains of salmon, trout, beef and lamb, quail and duck. He’ll include some vegetarian options this year as well as beautiful salads. He is assisted in the kitchen by Kokanee stalwart Pattyia Young, whose signature dish of Pad Thai appears on both the lunch and dinner menus.

Lunches also include burgers, fish tacos, rustic open-face sandwiches and salads. Reservations aren’t required for lunch but are strongly suggested for dinner, said Lowes. The restaurant stays open between lunch and dinner, with a happy hour menu from 2:30 to 5 p.m.

The bar specialties are house-infused cocktails, created by Rachael Karlin, a server at the restaurant the last three years. She comes by her cocktail experience by way of Scanlons and 28, well-known Bend restaurants.

Lowes isn’t new to the restaurant business. He’s been the silent partner in the Kokanee Café for nine years, and when his business partner Paul Mercer decided to explore some new ventures, Lowes became sole owner. He also owns the three Hola! restaurants in Central Oregon and the Lowes Group commercial real estate company.

Thompson is returning to the restaurant business after a 10-year hiatus in which she became a registered nurse and most recently served as a hospice nurse. Prior to that, she worked in restaurants for 15 years.

Both are looking forward to involvement in the Camp Sherman community.

The Kokanee Café is located on Forest Service Road 1419, at the Metolius River Resort. Call 541-595-6420 for reservations.