FILE - The variety of food available at Initiative Brewing when it opened in 2019. Since then, the restaurant has branched out into a wide variety of foods that push past standard bar fare.

More and more brewpubs keep sprouting in the High Desert. Most have similar fare, making it difficult to identify a point of difference.

Initiative Brewing in Redmond does so with atypical menu offerings, homemade sauces, and high quality local ingredients. Oh, the beer is also very good.

Initiative’s honey rose margarita ($13) is delicious and a nice way to start a delightful evening with friends. Not too sweet, it has just the right combination of tequila, triple sec, fresh squeezed lime, honey, and house-made rose syrup. This cocktail just might make you want to ask for an encore — if you aren’t driving, of course!

If you’re in the mood for a refreshing and light appetizer, do try the strawberry and feta salad, $12. A mixture of wild greens, thinly sliced cucumber, crumbled feta cheese, strawberries, and toasted almond, this salad is served with delicious black pepper vinaigrette on the side. If you’re into salads, this is perfect on a warm summer’s eve

An example of not-your-parents-pub-grub is Korean fries ($15.) These fresh cut fries are covered in a very tasty but not killer-hot kimchi, Tillamook cheddar, hoisin sauce, Asian chile sauce and green onions. Wonderful.

The pork belly BLTA sandwich ($16) has roasted pork belly, lettuce, tomato and avocado on a Big Ed’s Bun with crema and jalapeno aioli. Also very good.

The Baja chicken sandwich ($18) includes a flavorful and moist chicken breast, Tillamook Swiss, roasted corn salsa and avocado aioli. We liked it.

We shared the Bavarian pretzel from Big Ed’s Bakery, served with house-made beer mustard and cheese sauce. Yum — enough for three of us as a starter!

You can’t go wrong with a classic cheeseburger in a pub and you won’t be disappointed with Initiative’s. The 7-ounce burger is $17 and for another $3 you can add bacon. It is served with Tillamook cheddar along with tomato and lettuce with a hous-made beer mustard aioli. Onions and pickles are standard fare. The Oregon beef was cooked to perfection. Big Ed’s brioche bun added a terrific touch. The burger does come with fresh-cut fries as a standard, but there are other options available.

If you’re not madly hungry, order the peanut shrimp ($16) an appetizer that is more than enough for a light dinner. Nine pan-fried shrimp sautéed with garlic, ginger, and scallions are served over green onion slaw, drizzled with peanut sauce, and topped with green onion and black sesame seeds. Very yummy and more than enough for an entrée. Would order again.

The peanut butter bacon burger ($18) may sound a bit “exotic” to the more health-conscious, but don’t be dissuaded. The “peanut butter” is actually a delicate peanut sauce that adds a light, bittersweet hint to the burger. This is a 7-ounce Central Oregon beef patty topped with Tillamook Swiss cheese, crispy bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickled Fresno chilies and the aforementioned peanut sauce. Delicious.

There is plenty of covered seating outdoors.

Initiative Brewing

424 NW 5th St.

Redmond

Phone: 541-527- 4380

Hours: Daily, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Online orders: https://www.toasttab.com/initiative-brewing-424-northwest-5thstreet