Staccato at the Fire House (Bend, OR)

Well, I'm posting on this juicy gem partly due to familial requests, and partly because I just ate there recently and it was damn good. Quite a find even. I almost feel like I just have to link to the menu to prove my point. With those fried gnocchi in pumpkin sauce...and pear-bruscetta...that pork shoulder in cab n' coffee...(drool)...boar ragout...and, oh, that elk ravioli with apple and blue cheese. What a good idea! Fruit and wild game are never a poor choice! Especially in combination as I have recently learned. The best part about eating upscale in the Pacific NW is all the use of local and wild ingredients. And they love that big game. Not surprisingly, so do I. This place has some other basics, not totally vegetarian friendly per se (yes, due to the increasing frequency of veg-head friends that I am maintaining, I have become more sensitive to the veggie side of high-scale menus. I mean, how hard is it to make a steak taste good? give me something with skill!: like cauliflower!), but the presence of the large, brick, pizza oven, displayed in both the douchiest and tackiest way I have ever seen (ie behind a large window in a giant, carved, painting frame) says one thing for sure: bring your kids! That is, of course, as long as you we're willing to spend $15-$25/brat-head. Then again, this is Bend, land of white, middle-class, retirees and vacationers who want nature with amenities. Hey, it's no crime. Staccato also boasts an entire page of West Coast wines, an act at which I will gladly tilt my imaginary porkpie hat. Oh, and best of all: an in-house pastry chef means delightful delectables to wash down the meaty meal. What more could you ask for?

Final Judgment: "City dining in a quiet Mountain town = surprisingly satisfying"