Where is the Best Steak in Portland, Oregon?
I?ve eaten here twice in the last six months and I have not been disappointed either time. Yes, it is pricy. Yes, the wait staff can be snooty at first. And, yes, it can be hard to get a table. However, the menu has a wide rage of items and not all of them are expensive. The portions are generous enough so, you can share a meal with another person (if you are not starving). The quality of the food is excellent, and with every item I have eaten there, nothing has been substandard. During my most recent visit, I had the crab cakes and my partner had the spinach beet salad. The crab cakes were really good, not too much filler, crisp on the outside, tender on the inside. The salad was fabulous; sweet, spicy beets, crunchy walnuts, and spinach. If you are one of those people that says, ?I don?t like beets.? But have never actually tried them, try this salad ? it was the highlight of the meal! Jakes is located in a beautiful building with rich woodwork, tile, and in the lobby, a beautiful mu
Our reservation was at 5:30. We got there and they had rose petals one the table. Nice touch. We felt very welcome. We had the restaurant largely to ourselves for the first half of the meal. I recommend eating early if only to avoid the noise level of the 7-8 o’clock crowd. We had: 2 glasses of 14 Hands cabernet—-Barbecue Shrimp —-Ceasar Salad and Gumbo—-Petite Filet and Lobster with side of au gratin potatoes—-Creme Brulee and Fresh fruit with cream sauce—-Chilled Baileys–2 glasses of Sparkling wine–$202 all together. The meal was excellent except for the somewhat bland potatoes (other reviewers seem to corroborate this complaint). The barbecue shrimp was flavorful and just enough to whet the appetite and not fill us up. The ceasar salad was typical, nothing to rave about. The gumbo was the best I’ve had–just spicy enough, nice, complex flavor–I’ll go back if only to have this at lunch. The filet was cooked perfectly and quite tender and was perfect
My husband and I prefer this location. We normally eat at the bar. The dinning area is for older people. We ate there as a family but our parents thought it made them felt old. Older people tend to cut in the bar too. Even though they see you waiting for the next available table, they still walk pass you for a table. We liked the previous waitress better. She was there for awhile. She always remembered us and even saved us the best table in the bar. We brought our friends there several times. They loved the food, but felt the atmosphere was too old for them. We feel the same way, but the service is a notch better than the other location.
WHY? Maybe it’s the fact that the food is ALWAYS delicious. Maybe it’s the fact that the staff is competant and genuinely interested in creating a wonderful dining experience. Perhaps it’s the fact that the menu changes seasonally and is created with local, organic and free-range foods. You can taste the quality in the dishes that they serve. If you go in the Fall, try their pasta stuffed with butternut squash. In the Winter, try their gnocchi. I usually avoid gnocchi at restaurants but Pazzo gnocchi are amazing, light and chewy. When Halibut is in season, you will find the best Halibut you’ve ever had at Pazzo. Oh, and did I mention the extensive wine list. For those longing for some authentic italian wines, you will find Pazzo’s wine menu delightful. The servers are knowledgeable of the wines that they serve and can help match your wines to the entrees you have chosen. We have a server that we really like and when we sit in her section,
