Staccato at the Firehall

Staccato's, Bend Oregon --






Staccato's, Bend Oregon --

No, they're not open. Not just yet.

However, I was invited to their "soft opening" last night. All of the food would be free, with only our beverages charged to the bill. Of course, I said "To Hell With The Diet" and dressed to kill, prepared to feast like a rottweiler on a bear hunt.

Staccato's is located in the old Firehouse on NW Minnesota Avenue, directly across from the ugliness that is the soon-to-be parking garage. The owners of Bend's newest eaterie spent bookoo dollars renovating the place, and it looks fantastic! All of the original brickwork still sets the tone, and they've added beautiful copper accents throughout the restaurant. The restaurant is three-part -- an open seating arrangement in the main dining room, a cozy side room that could be a private party room, and the intimate "fireplace" room in the back. The kitchen is open, similar to the Blacksmith's setup, and the place was PACKED with employees. I counted at least a dozen people in the kitchen alone. The setting is simple and elegant, with taupe linen tablecloths, simple glassware, and heavy place settings. I also loved the chandeliers and lighting throughout the restaurant -- very pleasing.

We arrived on time, and were escorted to our table for two. We were immediately welcomed by our server, and promptly offered beverages. Our server wasn't certain if they had sparkling water, and had to go and check with the bartender. After our drinks appeared, we ordered an appetizer to share: the Portabella Mushroom, marinated and grilled, layered with crispy eggplant, and served with a salsa criolla, pesto, and gorgonzola. The presentation was out of this world, and we enjoyed every bite. The only drawback that we both agreed on was that the portion was very small. We each had about four bites of the dish.

The menu was very unique, and full of items that I had never heard of. "Culotte" and "Criolla", "Lonza" and "Chiffonade" and "Sugo Sauce". I had questions. Our server fumbled for answers. He couldn't tell us if the sugo sauce was made of wine or stock, and his explanation of the culotte was "A type of steak, or roast, or beef". Hmmm. Let's stick to something we know, we decided. For dinner, I ordered the Trout, and DH ordered the Salmon. Unfortunately, when our food arrived, we were presented with two Trout dinners. We pointed out the mistake to our server, who was very apologetic while saying over and over "I heard you say two trouts" and "I even wrote it down". I explained that there is no way that DH ordered the Trout, because he hates trout. But instead of saying "I'll get a Salmon entree as soon as possible" he said, "Well, why don't you try it and see if you like it. If you don't, I'll go see how long it will take to get a Salmon out here."

Hmmm.

There was no way we were going to make him go back to the kitchen and explain that his very first table's order got screwed up. We both felt bad for the guy.... stammering his way through the menu, not being able to answer all of our questions, and then serving us the wrong meal.

I gave all of my potato croquettes to DH, and he gave me his fish.

The trout was good.

Yep. Just good.

It was cooked perfectly, but I was a bit disappointed in the really boring, buttery sauce it was in. The menu described it as carmelized onions, roasted garlic and slow roasted tomatoes. It was more of a buttery blend with stewed onions, boiled garlic, and stewed tomatoes. Icky. The fish itself was good, though, and again, the portions were very small. Each entree served two very thin, 4 inch square filets, and about 5 potato balls. DH liked his balls, though (no pun intended).

Another bad move on the server's part, and I just HATE this so much -- I was finished with my fish, and DH was still eating his balls (ha ha ha) when our server came by and took my plate. So here I am sitting, with nothing in front of me, watching DH eat his balls. It's really uncomfortable, so DH says to our server, mouth full of potatoes, "Oh, go ahead and take mine. I'm done, too" when he's really not done.

C'mon. It's like "Fine Dining 101". You never clear the table if someone is still eating!

Anyway, DH said that maybe we should stop at Taco Bell on our way home, which is code for "This place has small portions". Too bad.

We skipped on dessert, even though the menu was very enticing. I'm still trying to follow somewhat of a diet, kids!

I've posted the menus that I, BrENDa, borrowed from Staccato's, knowing that all of you would be SO interested in seeing them. The pains I go through for you all....

Cheers!