Ponderosa Public House. Family Restaurant and Lounge — Restaurant in Sunriver

Wow! I was suspicious about a 5.0 star place with 100 reviews in Chemult, but this place is the real deal.

The "World's Greatest Reuben" is definitely in that tier. The meat is done in house and is just delightful. Nicely toasted bread and dressing bring it home. I was also pleasantly surprised by the "wood chips". They are a cross between crispy chips and potato wedges. At first they were jarring because I expected crispy and they are somewhere in-between crispy and soft, but with a great BBQ-style seasoning they quickly won me over with their range of crispiness. A must try side with whatever you order.

The French dip was similarly wonderful with in-house meat and au jus that must be homemade with the drippings. The chowder was hearty and clearly has a lot of potatoes mixed in. It won't drip off your spoon like some watery styles do.

Add in some draft beers and bottle/can beers, some great service from owner's family, and it is easy to see why this place has a perfect rating. I would highly recommend it if you are looking for forward in your way to/from Crater Lake or passing through...

Ponderosa Public House is the saving grace diamond in the rough, or in this case, diamond on the mountain side.

Brad is the kind of person you want to run into at an establishment like this. He's got the southern hospitality vibe but he's from the Pacific Northwest.

His thirty years of culinary expertise absolutely shines with his home crafted chips. Perfectly cooked to be just the right consistency between french fry and potato chip. Glazed with his home-made barbecue rub, they are the perfect starter and compliment most meals he offers here.

With my stroke luck, I scored the fish and chips special he was running this week. Delicately battered in an exceptional Guinness batter then fried to absolute golden brown perfection. Paired with a Dijon mustard based coleslaw and a Cajun based tar tar sauce spin off, it was the perfect warm meal inside after a long rainy day.

So if you're looking for the savior on the mountain side, Brad's humble tavern is the perfect spot to stop in and cheer up those dreary bones. Don't forget to get a drink and try...

This restaurant showed me what potato chips could be.

I'm not a potato chip person. I find most to be too dry, too salty, and generally not worth the calories. But Ponderosa Public House's "Wood Chips" are one of the best foods I've ever had the pleasure of eating. Potato slices baked to a just-barely-crisp perfection, slathered in a homemade barbecue rub made with smoked paprika. These chips are a culinary experience.

These chips, of course, came as a side to my Philly. Well-cut meat with delicious fresh cheese, peppers, and onions. You'd expect a Philly cheese steak to be heavy and greasy, but this one is very well balanced. It comes with au jous, and my only nitpick with my meal is that I wish it had just a touch more flavor, but it still added a wonderful butteriness to the sandwich regardless.

My mother, who was with me, had their daily special of fish and chips. Overall we were very pleased with this restaurant. There's a reason it has the rating it does. Anyone driving along the highway should stop by and check this place out if they...