Looking for a chill, lodge-style lounge with a touch of swank? Enter 805 NW Wall and Velvet, where 40oz PBRs are chilled in a champagne bucket or served trashy in a brown bag, and an array of homemade infused drinks left me rather whoozy. A cozy duplex setup featuring "somewhat healthy" (quoting the staff) Tapas foodstuffs - flatbread pizzas, quesadillas, caprese salad, soup and sliders - Velvet fills a void downtown, with a friendly staff (tell Jill and Nolan I said, "Howdy!), a nouveau yet rustic air, and a Happy Hour running from 5-9pm Tuesday-Saturday.
Word-of-mouth has already made Velvet a hot spot after hardly a month in biz, and the attention to detail - flat screens bordered by rough timber, velvet couches where George Costanza would be proud to place his derriere - is what makes Velvet truly unique. Consider the Beer Baller: An invention to rival the pacemaker, which Velvet partner Sky Pinnick discovered while shooting for his Rage Films in France - ice-chilled drafts with a self-serve tap, brought to your table in a quantity to satisfy a Rugby team. Drink up, eat well, and don't miss DJ Moksha every Thursday night.
You know a restaurant has rediscovered its soul when "Miller High Life, 'The Champagne of Beers,' Milwaukie WI' appears on its sparkling wines list. So it is at 900 Wall, which has been liberated finally from the "M" word. While comparisons will no doubt linger, the new restaurant is charting its own course with a modest makeover and a pared-down menu from Executive Chef Cliff Eslinger. The pizzas still rule but a rotisserie chicken at downtown Bend's higher-end eatery? Yes. Start with the potato and chorizo fritters and forewarn your palate of the grilled shrimp ceviche - a zing of spice, like every time VP Joe Biden steps to a microphone. 
Happy hour can mean many things in this town, from your standard $2 tacos and half-price drafts to special small plates at some of Bend's finest restaurants. But of all the happy hours I've taken advantage of (and there have been a few) the one at the Wine Shop & Tasting Bar on NW Minnesota is perhaps most unique. Because it's a shop, the setting is distinctly different from a bar or restaurant and, it turns out, a very nice alternative. On quieter days, this is the perfect spot for a nice glass of red with a book or a pre-dinner Belgian beer on special, but later in the week it can get lively. With high ceilings, dark red walls lined with paintings and racks of beautiful bottles, and clusters of festive patrons chatting around little black bar tables, it'd be easy to mistake the scene on a Saturday for a cocktail party or an art opening. The space, down to the long wide wooden bar that's lower than normal and reminiscent of a rustic dining room table, really lends itself to socializing. Even the music, generally lounge-appropriate and at perfect background volume, enhances the mood. Adding to that, of course, is the ultimate menu for a wine-and-cheese affair-a long list of cheeses and charcuterie, great beer specials and over 40 wines, ports, sakes and champagnes available in tasting portions and by the glass. And the best part is that the party doesn't have to end there. Because it's a wine store first and foremost, you can buy a bottle or two of your favorites and keep it flowing wherever the night may take you.
