Make a pit stop at Jackson’s Corner in Bend for killer sandwiches

Okay—this is beyond our usual scope of food coverage, but the people must know. The sandwiches at local Bend institution Jackson’s Corner (east-side location) are worth a detour on your next road trip south. A damn fine meatball sub is anchored by super beefy rounds strung through with melty mozzarella. Spicy arugula pesto and a robust tomato sauce soak the beautifully burnished baguette for a sloppy-good time. The BLB comes on sweet, pillowy soft bread, slathered in honey aioli, and stacked thick with crunch layers of bacon, fuchsia beets (subbed for tomatoes in winter), and butter lettuce. Let’s just say it gives Portland favorite Meat Cheese Bread a run for its money. The best part: like any good Portland player, Jackson’s is slavishly local, with a stellar in-house bakery program. Jackson’s Corner? We’re coming back for you. 

Brunch on the secret menu at Heart Coffee's Woodstock location

While the two other Heart outlets have more standard coffeehouse baked goods, neighbors know the local roasters’ Woodstock location hides a surprisingly thoughtful, delicious menu—homey porridge, loaded toasts, and silky, apple-bobbing squash soups—available at no other Heart outpost. A mug of Ethiopian jipat pour-over tastes even better alongside a big slab of Tabor Bakery bread slathered with tart labneh and addictive housemade carrot-rose jam. 

Wolf down Catalonia’s answer to cannelloni at Ataula 

If Spain’s Catalonia region has an eternal contender for the comfort food hall of fame, surely it’s the canelón, a version of cannelloni that stuffs roasted chicken into long noodle wrappers bubbling in béchamel sauce. Ataula chef/owner Jose Chesa ups the ante, putting juicy, flavor-jacked lamb neck inside while tapping aged manchego for the sauce. Meanwhile, local mushrooms rise on top for a forest-y umami finish.