05/29/09

Worst PDX Food Experience

by Foodie26

This is my first review, and I feel compelled to let people know about my experience at Park Kitchen. I specifically made this reservation to take my mother who was in town for the weekend. I am a complete foodie, and have been to the best of the best in Portland (Beast, Bluehour, Paley’s, etc.). Park Kitchen, regardless of everything I heard about the menu being wonderful and focused on local ingredients, was unfortunately a huge disappointment. We ordered a bottle of wine to start, and then ordered the $50 small/large plate sampler, thinking we would get to try a wider variety of rather than ordering individual entrees. The menu was chosen by the chef, which is a fun idea, I give them that. The portions, however, were ridiculously small (two cold salads were eaten in five bites, the cracker dish had three crackers), and every single one of the dishes delivered had the same rhubarb sauce, making every dish taste similar (I was completely surprised that the chef chose to do this). Ugh. Despite all of this, the worst part of the while night was that each extremely small course still took 15-20 minutes to get (on a slow Thursday night). On top of that, no bread/crackers or anything is served complimentary. That is a huge mistake with the miniscule portions and hefty prices. In the end, I left Park Kitchen still hungry, with a pounding headache from drinking 2 glasses of wine before they even served the first course.

With all of the outstanding restaurants in Portland, I will not be visiting Park Kitchen again. They just are not trying hard enough, and will never be able to keep up with the competition in this wonderful "foodie" city of ours.

• Pros: Great location in the Park Blocks
• Cons: Prices/Portions/Service Style

04/10/09

Great Location, Great People, Great Food...

by boleary

We had a phenomenal 10 person dinner and it was unbelievably fun with great food and, as always, great people at Park Kitchen. The pork: unreal. The lamb chops: great. The flank steak salad: as typical, on point. The bld orange salad: crisp, clean and refreshing. Oh, and how was the Sticky Date Pudding? Ridiculously good, maybe the best dessert I've had.

I never post on sites like this, but I wanted to give credit where credit is due.

Park Kitchen is a first class place with an easy-going atmosphere. With the great people and the seasonal menu changes, we always keep it on the top of our list.

• Pros: Great Location, Great People, Great Food
• Cons: What are the drawbacks?

02/19/09

A Sorry Disappointment

by charlottevale

Park Kitchen turned out to be the biggest disappointment of our trip to Portland. Indeed, my expectations were high due to the reviews I've read on Citysearch and the recommendations of friends who have dined there. Perhaps it was just an off night, or perhaps we ordered the least interesting entrees, but the food was mediocre at best. Our waiter was knowledgeable and recommended a delicious bottle of syrah. The terrine appetizer was good but not great, and a signature salad suggested by the waiter turned out to be far from innovative; it was frankly bland. But I was shocked when my lamb entree arrived, and the lamb, hidden among tepid sauteed potatoes and turnip croquettes, consisted of one--ONE-- four-bite chop. One of the reasons I ordered the dish was that the gentleman sitting at an adjacent table had ordered the same entree earlier, and his portion of lamb was immense. I called the waiter over who apologized but did nothing to correct the problem except bring another slice of the terrine I had earlier as an appetizer. Been, there; done that. I dine out often and never complain about the cost of food in a restaurant, but the dish was overpriced and a huge disappointment, not only from the small portion of lamb but by the pedestrian seasoning and preparation. Nothing interesting, delicious, or innovative here. Would I dine there again? No. Will I recommend the restaurant to friends? No. Not when there are so many other restaurants in Portland that are far superior. If you decided to go, I hope your experience is better than mine; it has to be.

• Pros: Friendly staff, intimate setting, good wine list
• Cons: Mediocre food