Art on the plate: Staccato’s Seafood Risotto Among Bend’s fine-dining elite, Staccato lives comfortably in the upper
stratum. But a few things set it apart from its neighbors. First, it’s
an upscale restaurant that cannot be classified as New American,
Pacific Northwest or, my favorite, “eclectic.” Most dishes have a
contemporary twist, but Staccato’s roots are firmly planted in northern
Italian flavors and preparations. Nor does it have that pristine New
American feel. Just as the menu blends the old with the new, so does
the space. Housed in the 100-year-old fire hall downtown, the
4,500-square-foot building has been converted into four dining areas
that have retained much of the old brick-and-stone detail, but have
been doused in a distinctly modern wash and dotted with rustic Italian
accoutrements and racks of Italian and regional wines (Staccato’s list
includes over 250 bottles). You could probably apply that description
to nine out of 10 dishes on the menu: equally influenced by local
ingredients, contemporary flair and traditional Italian recipes.
Starters ($8-$15) are impressive. Were it not for decorum’s sake I would have picked up the bowl and drank what remained of the sauce after finishing the clams and mussels steamed with Pernod, tomatoes and sausage. And I did, despite decorum’s sake, pick out every last little piece of sausage with my tiny clam fork. The calamari, my litmus test for Italian restaurants, was superb. Lightly breaded and pan-seared, tossed with red cabbage and served on a pool of roasted tomato coulis, the dish had all the familiar flavors of classic calamari fritti, but the cabbage provided a welcome change of texture, chili-pepper flakes gave a touch of heat, and the coulis was a lovely alternative to marinara sauce. Salads ($6-$11) are all attractive, but I chose the Caesar Roulade, hearts of romaine stuffed with goat cheese, topped with Caesar dressing and served with an ancho-parmesan tuille. It was as rich as it was flavorful, and may have been a little too much were the creamy goat cheese and the crisp romaine not so evenly layered.
Larger courses include pizzas ($11-$13), pastas ($13-$25) and a list of meat, chicken and seafood entrees ($24-$33). The chicken pesto pizza with tender chunks of grilled chicken, fresh pesto, toasted pine nuts and a blend of Fontina and Asiago cheeses had great flavor and a nice, chewy crust. The risotto of the day, featuring sausage and red peppers, was tasty if not a little monotonous. But to be fair, I often feel that way about risotto. The only slight disappointment was the braised boneless beef short ribs. The meat itself had a nice crispiness on the outside and was perfectly cooked. The dish overall, though, was a bit busy. Plated with Madeira demi reduction, beet mousse and saffron cauliflower, too many powerful flavors were competing for attention. And the hazelnut-paprika mashed potatoes were whipped into a nice consistency, but again the hazelnut and the paprika seemed to work against each other. I wouldn’t, however, change a thing about the bacon chip on top. I’d eat a bag of those.
Desserts, like everything else on the menu, are largely a modern take on Italian favorites – cannoli, tiramisu, crรจme brรปlรฉe -made in-house by a full-time pastry chef.
Besides the cuisine and overall feel of the restaurant, Staccato stands out from Bend’s high-end crowd in another important respect. Not only is it open all week (people who can’t cook need to eat on Sundays and Mondays, too), it also has a new late-night menu daily. I’m not sure whether it’s because Bend’s restaurants close so early that diners have turned into early birds or whether diners don’t show up after 9 p.m. so restaurants don’t bother to stay open, but either way, there are few dining options for night owls. The brewpubs are always a good standby as are bar-restaurants like the Astro Lounge and Bo Restobar, but it’s nice to have an alternative downtown. No longer serving brunch, Staccato is now fully focused on evening. The lively bar and late-night menu of mostly salads, soups and pastas will hopefully prove that if you stay open, they will come.
Staccato at the Firehall
5 NW Minnesota Ave., 312-3100
Happy hour, starting at 4 p.m. (Mon.-Sat.); dinner daily, starting at 5:30 p.m. (5 p.m. on Sun.); late-night menu, 9 p.m.-close.
This article appears in Mar 26 โ Apr 1, 2009.
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Fooled me once. Shame on you. Fooled me twice, shame on me. A third time? I don’t even know what to say, but the service there has become so terrible that I refuse to give them another dollar.
I was a regular when they opened. I have written letters and e-mails, imploring the owners to pay attention (no responses, by the way) but I can’t do it again. Sad, there was not a better meal in Bend than the Wild Boar.
Kudos to “The Source” for an insightful review of this most deserving restaurant. I have been a steady customer since they opened and have always had a wonderful experience both with the food and the service. The skill and the warmth of the staff perfectly compliment the spectacular food.
Great place about two years ago, but the quality all around has gone down. Canรข โขt wait for Zydeco to open up downtown and am excited for Merendaรข โขs reincarnation as 900 Wall. If youรข โขre looking for tastier Italian try the meatball sandwich at the new downtown Subway.
What a great review of a superb restaurant. I’ve experienced exemplary service to complement the delicious courses every time I’ve eaten at Staccato’s, and it’s a pleasure to see the innovative dishes praised in print. (Seriously, if you’re going to compare it to Subway, you don’t deserve to eat at Staccato’s, because obviously you can’t tell good food when you’re eating it.)
Excellent review for a fantastic restaurant! Lovely food and service; I can’t wait to go back!
it was Grrrrrrreat. Je vous dis….Great!
Without a doubt, it is the finest food I have eaten. The food “blends” without various ingredients blatantly displaying themselves. His sauces are rich and homemade–none of the canned stuff. I challenge you to find better food anywhere!
Staccato: Always deliver pleasant and consistent experiences for my business or family dinner.
Food: Caesar roulade, bolognaise, veal breast, crunchy chocolate barre and especially Calamari are along my favorite executed to my expectation.
Service: Not many restaurant manager I believe could have follow up on our party with such grace and apology manner after we spend one evening last September close to some รข very loudรข ย patrons.
Overall: 3 thumbs up for not being a รข fine dinningรข ย but a family run restaurant that offer deliciousness and friendly atmosphere.
Keep up the good work Staccato. DC Robert
Thanks for the review of my favorite Bend restaurant. For several years I have been joining my husband on trips to Bend. We LOVE eating at Staccato when we are in town. The delicious food, excellent service and inviting, warm atmosphere are always something to look forward to. Kudos to your reviewer, but even more to the folks at Staccato who make us WANT to return.
Good Italian for Bend – but their goat cheese ceasar does not even compare to the one at citrus (in LA) – I know Iรข โขm not in LA (sigh) – but back in bend for the season. After reading the great review in the Source we tried it out. the service was fine as was the food. Wine selection was ok – good for bend, what happened to that italian restaurant on the corner? maranda? it looked closed that was our fav italian a bit noisy though – the noise level was similar here too, either place would not be a great choice for an intimate dinner. what is that huge building going up across the street?