Among the many benefits of camping is the food. Despite the limited food options (try finding a well-stocked grocery store in any popular camping area) and the lack of proper tools, there’s something special about preparing and eating a meal in the wild. And over the previous couple of weeks we ate well (my Father’s Day Jalapeno/Quinoa Scramble could have been a $20 brunch option in any restaurant), plus the steak, tacos, sloppy joes, hand-mashed potatoes, etc. I honestly could go on.

But with Bend, Oregon on the horizon and pizza being both a family favorite and something that is nearly impossible to prepare properly on a grill, we were looking forward to food built from the crust up.

The Sugar Pine Café, a Yelp find in LaPine, Oregon helped whet our appetites. If you’re headed North on US-97 in Oregon and are thinking you should wait until Bend for some good grub, don’t. Hit the Sugar Pine Café instead.

Yelp also helped us find Pizza Mondo in Bend. Despite its small interior dining area, pinched sidewalk tables and the cramped process for ordering, it’s a pizza joint big on the unexpected. Unique combinations, great crust and high-quality ingredients–not to mention a well-selected craft beer menu–made for a strong re-entry into civilization. Also I was fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of and document a rare appearance of the Pizza Shark.