Where is the Best Lunch Spot in Portland, Oregon?
Chef Chris Thompson has done an incredible job of presenting excellent Italian Food that compares with the East Coast Italian Dining Experience. We were asked when making our reservation, if anyone in our party had a food allergy the chef should be aware of. A huge bonus before we even arrived. When arriving, we were greeted by a delightful hostess who seated us right away even though our dining companions were running a little late. Erin, (our charming, beautiful, intelligent, and personable waitress was marvelous) assured us not to worry and we had wine and some of the best calamari ever while waiting. When our friends arrived, they were seated immediately and had wine and salad, after which our orders were taken for entrees. Two lasagnas, one catch of the day, and one pasta specialty of the house with Italian sausage. All four, perfectly prepared, served eye appealingly, and delish beyond words.I was invited to come back to the kitchen to meet the chef after offering our co
I hosted my husband’s birthday party at Sweet Basil recently. There was a group of 12 of us plus one toddler. We started out the evening on the patio which was wonderful, a great outdoor dining location. It started to rain though and they moved us inside very quickly. The food was awesome (we love the crab wontons!) , the service was great and we really appreciated how hard they tried to make this a great night for my husband’s birthday. They helped me get his cake ready and even dimmed the lights when the candles were lit. We were a loud , rambuncious crowd and they took it all in stride. Thanks! We highly recommend this location for a special occasion.
My wife and I attended La Traviata at the Zeller Auditorium last Friday night, and we dined at Carafe both before and afterward. We have eatten at Carafe numerous times the past 4 years, and we have always found the food and service to be excellent (my wife is a professionally trained chef, and we dine out often). We arrived at the restaurant, prior to the show, without reservations, and we were quickly seated. We told our server we would be attending the opera that evening, and that we were looking to have a small bite before the show. Our server suggested a couple of dishes, and my wife and I shared the tureen of rabbit- it was tasty; served with a small dish of tomato relish that was a perfect compliment to the rabbit. We set a reservation for after the show before we left the restaurant, and once again upon our return, we were promptly seated. The menu after the opera was a limited offering of classic Bistro fare, and my wife and I each dined on the steak frites. The food w
On a repeat visit to McMinnville and surrounding wine country, we decided to check out Bistro Maison, based on reviews we’d read on this site. On a mid-week night in September we arrived for our early evening dinner reservation. With the weather still pleasant, we chose the lush patio/garden seating where tables were covered in warm yellow and blue cloths and candles. Overhead, were strings of lights with reflectors that cast a romantic glow. The wait staff was attentive, friendly and knowledgeable, and the owner personally attended to our wine selection. We started our meal with a cheese and pate board, followed by an entree of crusted pork chop with huckleberry sauce, mash potato, and roasted green beans. The starter was varied, and piqued our anticipation of the main course. The chops (at least 1-inch thick) were perfectly done, and the sauce was rich and piquant. We finished our meal with molten chocolate cake with homemade vanilla bean ice cream, and coffee of locally roasted bean
