Cobalt

We went here the day of the last Farmers Market. We sat outside by the firepit and ordered off the Happy Hour Menu: burger, Brussel sprouts and chick pea fries. All were delicious. We also had wine and beer. Loved everything. Wait staff is great, owner came out to chat with us and was super friendly. The inside has a really cool vibe. We will definitely be back!

7 o’clock on a Friday night, Bend Film Festival going on, there is not a lot of availability downtown. That said, Cobalt wasn’t a fallback position, just on the list of options.
Sat at the bar. Small and diverse menu. We got the grilled baguette with goat cheese and onion jam and the roasted brussel sprouts with a wine reduction syrup. First item out was the baguette, took fifteen minutes? Onion jam is already made, goat cheese is goat cheese, so really just the baguette needs to be grilled. Baguette was low on flavor and low on onion jam, a lot of goat cheese. Baguette was nicely grilled. I liked the brussel sprouts, nicely roasted, crispy and the sauce was tasty. I had a margarita, thought it was just fine and my friend had a glass of wine.
Service was so-​so. Not sure what to say, I know it’s a pet peeve of mine — people who work in service positions shouldn’t be on their phones when customers are in the establishment. If it’s that important, go in the back, get some privacy. But, being on your phone and showing others what’s on the phone doesn’t seem super important. Seems more like something on Instagram, Snapchat, etc. Continuing to show others what’s on your phone while I’m waiting to cash out isn’t awesome when I can see that’s what you are doing.
Restaurant was not busy, there was an opportunity for an uptick in service. Two bartenders, plus the manager/​owner wandering around. Us and another party (two guys) at the bar. The young men got all of the service from bartender and manager. No one was sitting the tables indoors, but the deck was busy.
There seems to be some confusion about this restaurant and whether it’s a new Dojo, or not. Maybe it’s the same owners, I don’t know, bottom line is this is not Dojo, this is a different restaurant.
So-​so food and so-​so service. There are so many other options in town, there is no reason for me to go back.

Great food, great service. The seafood was very fresh, the dishes came out quickly and the service was exceptional.

Great food, great prices, perfect all the way around! Very original food and drinks. If your tired of the same This is the place to come. The quinoa salad was amazing tasting and beautifully presented. the burger… you have to try, there are no words to express the taste.

Amazing happy hour was had by all! Great outdoor space, nice wine options and some incredible appetizers/​small plates! We tried the tuna poke which was prepared a bit differently than the last time and we loved it! Table next to us ordered the soybean dip and liked it so much that they offered us a bite– phenomenal! We split the sausage and polenta and both were prepared perfectly. Great new options on the menu although it’s been a while since I’d been there. I’ll be back!

Dojo became Cobalt. I don’t think transition was well advertised. Some of my friends thought Dojo was «closed» — yet it just changed it’s name and menu. I loved Dojo and thought the food was unique and yummy. Their small plates were so good. I know this is a review of Cobalt and not Dojo, but I am grieving. Okay, on to my Cobalt experience. When I asked the waitstaff why Dojo closed, he explained that Bend didn’t need two sushi places downtown. I wanted to say to our waiter after dinner «Bend doesn’t need to new American restaurants.» The brussels sprouts were good. 900 Wall brussels sprouts are good. I will go back to Cobalt because of the wait staff and ambiance. Our waiter made the meal a comfortable, fun experience. I like watching the action out on the breezeway outside of Crow’s Feet. I like the outdoor fire pit. The food was good — but not something I am craving to have again. I really hope Cobalt does well but I am concerned that Cobalt is no replacement for Dojo.