Staccato's

Staccato's, Bend Oregon --

Alright.

We went back.

It was just for cocktails and appetizers, though, as I didn't want to "waste" my money again. And guess what? I was pleasantly surprised.

The Staccato's cocktail menu is fancy and unique, so I felt obligated to try the most ridiculous of all of the drinks on the menu: the Framboise Balsamic Martini.

It's made from a raspberry puree and a tablespoon or so of balsamic vinegar, shaken hard with vodka, poured into a traditional martini glass and garnished with basil.

It was strange, but good. I eat all of my salads with balsamic vinegar, so I felt like I could just toss it with a bag of lettuce at lunch and call it dressing. I wonder how the boss would feel about that.

The gals in my party had other varying cocktails, each happy with their decision.

For appetizers, we tried the bruschetta and a mushroom pizza, hand-fired in the traditional brick oven. Both were of good portion size and very tasty.

I had a second cocktail, recommended by our server, the Italian Job. It was Tuaca, Amaretto, Cranberry juice and something else bubbly. Very, very good. Not so good when we left, though, and I tried walking in the freshly fallen snow, though.

So based on this experience, we may go back again for lunch or dinner. Our first experience was a drag, but we'll give it another try in a month or so.