Aquariva Italian Kitchen and Wine Bar

10/06/2008 Posted by ScubaCarl

I fly to Portland often for work and usually stay down town but occasionally stay at the Avalon. After work I didn't feel like taking a cab to a restaurant so I walked to Aquariva next door. Big mistake. I ordered the flatiron steak with tomato-horseradish vinaigrette & arugula as well as a glass of cabernet and a side of mashed potatoes (didn't come with the steak). When it arrived I couldn't believe it; the steak was about the size of a silver dollar pankcake but sort of square. On two sides were bone and the other two sides were 1/4 inch of fat. When I cut it away I was left with 3 bites, each about the size of a thumbnail. No joke, that was it. Underneath it was a dozen or so large lima beans and maybe 4 leafs of wilted arugula. I called the waitress over, showed her what was there and asked if this was normal. She said yes then walked away. The mashed potatoes were just plain potatoes with melted butter. I honestly can't remember a worse meal in a restaurant and I won't be going back. I try to give a restaurant where I've had a bad meal another chance and this was the second time I've eaten there (I don't remember what I had last time but I do remember it wasn't very good). After I paid the check I went back to my hotel room and called a delivery service that picks up food from restaurants and had it delivered. The restaurant is associated with the Avalon, so if you're staying there and ask for a recommendation the first thing they're going to do is send you over there. DON'T DO IT! Take the complimentary shuttle car downtown and find a decent place.

Pros: It's on the river, so if the weather is nice you can sit outside.

Cons: Terrible food, interior decor not appealing. Did I mention terrible food?

09/29/2008 Posted by PDXFolks

We were excited to check out Aquariva as the reviews were quite good and we were staying at the Avalon Hotel and Spa. We arrived on a Saturday night at about 8:30pm to find the entire place completely empty. We sat at the bar and were literally 2 of 4 patrons. There was not one single guest in the dining room. The bartender was friendly and helpful with the wine list which I found to be quite small for a 'wine bar'. Cold and stark is how I'd describe the decor - black and gray. I did notice some red drapes back in the dining room. I'm sure the view is beautiful during the day since it's on the river. We began with a Caesar salad which was average and a fresh mozarella salad. This was 3 slices of not so fresh tomatoes topped with a small, rubbery piece of old mozarella, fresh basil and what they claimed was 30 year old balsamic. It was no different than the $3.00 brand which I purchase at Trader Joe's. My husband ordered a pasta dish which was the smallest portion I've EVER seen in a restaurant - it was about 1/2 cup of noodles, topped with 1/2 cup of sauce and 3 meatballs which were so tiny - about the size of a marble. We could only laugh! The whole thing was smaller than the size of my fist! I chose seafood risoto which I sent back because the pasta was raw (crunchy) and the fish was 'fishy'. The bartender was very nice about it and immediately offered me the opportunity to select something else. I chose a pizza which was tiny but pretty good. I do understand how it's difficult to offer fresh, properly cooked food in an estabishment which does very little business - it was a shame. The small portions would lead me to suggest that they simply offer the entire menu as appetizers. This way, people would expect 'taste' sized portions.

Pros: The service was the only positive thing!

Cons: Small portions of overpriced, old tasting food.