Tastebud Dining Room: Restaurant Guide 2010

5-9:30 pm Wednesday-Sunday. $$ Moderate.
[PIZZA AND BAGELS] Thank goodness Tastebud found a brick-and-mortar home after all those years carting around that tiny wood-fired oven to all those farmers markets. Those days spent slinging pizza and bagels outdoors paid off in a big way—no matter what comes out of this kitchen’s dome-topped hearth, you’re in for a treat. High heat makes pizzas with bubbly, crisp and slightly charred crusts, and you can design your own pie or try combinations of housemade and local ingredients. Salads and starters are equally delicious, from whole fava beans roasted in their skins and peeled at the table to a lightly dressed mound of greens with beets and goat cheese. As you walk into the sparse dining room, you’re greeted with a basket of the bagels that made Tastebud famous—compact, yeasty rounds sprinkled with leeks or sesame seeds. Perfect for tomorrow’s breakfast. Service is friendly and knowledgeable, and an outdoor garden makes summer nights a perfect time for pizza. DEEDA SCHROEDER.
Ideal meal: Caesar with bagel croutons, pizza with oil-cured anchovies, tomato and fresh mozzarella.
Best deal: All-you-can-eat pizza Sunday nights, $15.
Chef’s choice: “We only have a few recurring items daily or weekly. I always love the salad greens from Gathering Together Farm in Philomath, with just oil, lemon and salt. Our peach pancetta pizza is on the menu now. We rotate through that with the great fruit we get from Oregon farmers: peach, apple, pear, cherry.” (Mark Doxtader)