I'm coming up on my 25th year as a resident of Bend, and as great as the food scene is here in 2024, there are still some spots that have closed over the years that I still miss on the regular. Colors was, to this day, the best breakfast spot ever in Central Oregon and they've been gone for well over 20 years. Cheerleaders? I miss you. Townshend's Tea? I miss you. Joolz? I miss you. Kebaba, Birdies, Westside Bakery, Bethlyn's Global Fusion, Alpenglow, Cafe Paradiso, SuperVillain, Ronin, Letzer's Deli, Ernestos, The Downtowner, Taco Stand, El Burrito... I miss you all.
But one spot that never found the audience it deserved was the absolutely incredible Wild Oregon Foods (over in the Outlet Mall). Its farm-to-table menu with primarily locally sourced deliciousness was to die for and the brunch menu is still something I think about when I'm deep in the feels. When the place shut down during COVID, a little piece of my heart went with them. Sometimes, when the sun is just right in the sky and nostalgia has me by my throat, I can still smell their flawless elk burger or their Mini Reubens.
So, imagine my surprise and delight when I found out the new Italian street food cart, Cotto, was the new project by the team behind Wild Oregon Foods. Chef James Fink, his partner Sarah Fink and his brother Michael have taken some Italian staples and added their unique Northwest-inspired flavor profiles to them, creating something wholly original to the Bend food scene. James Fink's experience as chef goes back decades, with some of his local work including Deschutes Brewery, Pronghorn, Brasada Ranch, Jackson's Corner and much more.
First of all, let's talk about arancini. In case you're not familiar, they're basically fried risotto balls filled with rice, cheese and some other delectable treats. They're gooey, they're crunchy and addictive to the point of ridiculousness.
"Michael had the original idea of opening a food truck and serving arancini," explains Sarah Fink. "Italian street food was something that Bend didn't have, and an arancini bar was something totally unique and in contrast to the numerous pizza and pasta options. Both James and I really connected with the idea given James' longtime experience as a classic chef and working in Italian-focused restaurants and myself having grown up around South Brooklyn. After a lot of research and more than eight months of experimentation, Cotto was born and launched in January 2024 with a full menu of Italian Street food delights from arancini to zeppole."
I don't have a ton of experience with arancini, but after trying the cheese one and the carnitas one... I am in love with them. Just as with Wild Oregon Foods, the Finks are experts at making their dishes taste truly handmade and patiently crafted. The carnitas arancini with smoked porchetta, green chilies, four-cheese rice blend and a chimichurri lime crema were so delicious that I was sad to have only ordered one. The spice on the porchetta was perfectly balanced with a surprising amount of heat that blended with the smokiness expertly. As with everything I tried, the combination of flavors was consistently incredible and surprising.
Even the marinara had its own distinct flavor profile, somehow completely avoiding the acidity of the tomato base and instead leaning more into the lighter side of the sauce. "Less is more when it comes to any recipe," says James Fink, "and we purposely sought to connect our flavors using a family of ingredients to tell a story of Italian street food that we thought would be approachable, light and flavorful, and crispy without the weight of a greasy spoon. These flavors also inspire people's nostalgia for Italian food and flavors from wherever they are from. We have customers from New York, Chicago, Italy and Boston that have all shared how our food reminds them of home in some way although you'll never find a chicken parmesan in Italy!"
Seriously, though, the chicken parm is out of this world. Gently breaded and with a light marriage of garlic oil and pesto aioli, it sits on the stomach like a handcrafted treat instead of the typical gut bomb you find in these parts. Same with the hot beef. The recipes that they're using are unlike any this West Coast boy has ever tried. This isn't Cotto making a hot beef because it's trendy after "The Bear" came out; they're making it because James Fink and company have a genuinely original take on a classic dish.
I thought about using this entire article just to talk about the complexity and astonishing balance of flavor in Cotto's giardiniera, but it's not something I can really quantify. That's the thing about everything at Cotto: James, Sarah and Michael have the confidence of artists. They aren't doing a riff on a Chicago giardiniera, instead they're inventing Cotto's giardiniera from the ground up and making it their own. Cotto is made up of a team of forward-thinking foodies who don't need to lionize their inspirations since they're constantly innovating and pushing the high desert food scene into new territories.
Catch Cotto while you can at their spot next to the Ale Apothecary, especially since they have plans for the near future. Sarah Fink explains: "We have big growth plans, so with a few months under our belts and positive feedback from our customers we got the opportunity to join the crew at the Dogwood at the Pine Shed on Second and Hawthorne in the Bend Central District. The Dogwood has been an incredible cocktail experience in Bend for more than a decade and our concept and the Dogwood's fit really well together. We are so excited to be a part of its next incarnation!"
Honestly, it doesn't matter where Cotto ends up to me. They're a destination food truck for me now. Anything else is just a bonus.
