Beaker and Flask

Stellar. Have been meaning to review the place. We made reservations for NYE and got there on time. We were welcomed at the door and were seated right away. The service was friendly and festive, also professional. I would not say fast and one drink was forgotten for a bit, but such courtesy allows you to overlook the occasional mistake.

The atmosphere was urban cool--real nice. The food was great. We especially liked the sweetbreads, the soup and the pork belly special. The gnudi was not as good, but it was fine. The drinks were good.

I would recommend this place and am in fact taking colleagues from Slovakia there tomorrow night. It's a nice example of the best of Portland…

This place should be on an episode of Portlandia with its menu descriptions taking minutes upon minutes to describe. ...And that's just the drinks! Okay, so they've been published in a foodie magazine. And yes, their food seems to be of a top-notch nature. But it's expensive and I still don't feel any cooler by dining there.…

Fancy-ish. The food here changes regularly and has a seasonal focus. The service is consistently spot on (or so I'm told. I've only been here once but this is my friend's 4th time.) Kinda fancy-ish drinks accompany good food. Can't go wrong with a meal here.…

UPDATE 8/19/11 Say it ain't so!. I've got to alter my glowing review. We've been here twice in the last month and it seems to be a different place. The energy is very different - a little sad even. Where before I saw a unified team working as one, now everyone seems tired and over it. The food has taken a serious nose dive. What's up? I carry salt in my bag for under flavored dishes and I had to use it both times. It's like the chef took up smoking and can't taste flavors anymore. Also, where is Jill? She was our favorite server - non obtrusive, professional and efficient. I hope she is only on vacation. We will give it one more shot, but there are too many great places to spend our money. I hope this is only a lull for Beaker and Flask.

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My husband and I go here at least once a month. Not once have we had a bad dish or poor service. The cocktails are always lovely and perfectly mixed, the wine list rarely disappoints and husband seems to always find a beer he loves. I'm grateful that the cocktails are not sickly sweet, rather homages to classic cocktails like the ones your Grandparents likely enjoyed. The food is always spot on and absolutely delicious. Don't miss the pretzels!…