10/18/08

Never judge a book by its cover!

by robsfood

I have lived in Bend for 3 years and have seen this restaurant time and time again. A couple fellow co-workers have repeatedly told me how great this place was. I thought they must be crazy because the restaurant is along a strip mall and next to blocbuster. How good could that be??? Well, one day I was asked to go for a work function and I accepted. Boy, am I glad that I did! It was the best restaurant here in Bend. It was so delicious. Everyone at the table was exclaiming how fantastic their food was. The service was great too and the wine perfect. I am a firm believe now, Never judge a restaurant by its cover. I have been shown the light, so to speak...ha,ha.. Go there and let your taste buds stand in awe!!

• Pros: amazing food and service!
• Cons: outside is not to inviting

09/14/08

Here's the beef!

by anoneater

We came from several hours away and picked jackalope for dining because the bend oregon restaurant reviewer on the web raved about it. We had clams for an appetizer. It was well-prepared but I found the unsubtle addition of tarragon distracting. The spouse had filet in a peppercorn cream sauce with mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables. He mopped up the plate and savored every morsel. I ordered the seafood (manila clams, shrimp and scallops) pasta in a tomato-based sauce. My penne pasta was very, very old and the shrimp was overcooked. The scallops were fresh. For $23, that was a big disappointment. Mentioned it to the waitperson but nothing came of it. She presented us with the bill without asking us for coffee nor dessert.

• Pros: great filet dish
• Cons: service

04/24/08

First rate fine dining in an unlikely location

by ben2e

We were visiting Bend from Seattle and wanted to find a restaurant for a nice night out. I did a few searches and found Jackalope grill mentioned for "Best Find Dining in Bend" in a 2006 guide.

When we first pulled up we were a bit worried as it was located in a strip mall next to a Blockbuster video but the food more than made up for the location.

The menu is not huge but everything we ordered was first rate. We met the chef, Tim Garland, who trained in Paris and it showed in the food. We ordered the Filet and Halibut Cheeks. Both were mouth watering. The filet was perfectly cooked which is so uncommon.

We ordered a "Death by Chocolate" torte for desert which was satisfying and not too rich (we were pretty stuffed).

We consider ourselves at least minor "foodies" and this place was exactly what we were looking for.

• Pros: Food food food ! Great wine list as well at decent prices
• Cons: The location but you'll get over it when you start eating