Red Star Tavern & Roast House

Doesn't Recommend

capitan_kirk

Joined 6 years ago

old time customer, not coming back. My wife and i have been coming here for the last couple of years for many reasons. Those that still apply after our last outing; the waitstaff is friendly and insightful, ambiance warm and romantic, & we were able to enjoy the bar now that there is no smoking. However, what kept us coming back was the food! My wife asked our server where our favorite items went and she let us know there was a new chef in the kitchen. Change can be good right? not in this case. we ordered the "crab cakes" which was just ONE salty something stuffed in an onion, no crab to be found. I had the NY steak which alone was wonderful, but it came with what the menu called a souffle, it was more like a muffin made with sawdust and bluecheese totally inedible. My wife had the halibut, presentation was beautiful but it was so over salted she had to send it back. Our server gave us some dessert to make up for it but the flourless cake she brought us was soggy and undercooked, the rootbeer float it came with was wonderful though, then again how can you muck that up. Sorry Red Star we will miss what you once were, but we will not come back

Doesn't Recommend

doeeyes2u

Joined 6 years ago

Not impressed. A group of girlfriends and I visited the Red Star last night...what a disappointment! The waiter was inattentive and dismissive, the food was tasteless or prepared poorly, and with six girls we were forced to pay 18% gratuity. Our waiter even told one girl when we were paying for the bill that she was "making things to difficult for him." That is not good customer service. To our surprise when the "crab cakes" came it was more of a stuffed onion...and it was one cake if you can call it that. Needless to say, none of us plan to go back, and we now have our own "stuffed onion" private joke.

Recommends

krislyn81

Joined 6 years ago

Great atmosphere, interesting menu, great service. With our first trip to Portland, we took a chance on the Red Star, as it was located on the same street we were staying. The atmosphere was great. The service was excellent and everyone was very conversational and nice. The menu was very interesting with a lot of unique choices. We dined on the scallops and ahi tuna. The dessert was a flourless chocolate cake with homemade ice cream and a rootbeer float. The menu also offered a wide selection on wines and drinks...our favorite was the Red Star martini. We would definitely return on our next trip. It was well worth the money for this dinner.

Recommends

terribashkingy

Joined 6 years ago

Lousy new menu. My husband and I loved this restaurant in the past. We loved the atmosphere and food. Last night we dined there with 7 business acquaintences. There was only one small breadbasekt on the table for 9 people. It took 2 requests to get more bread.

The menu has changed. Few choices and too exotic of a menu. One of our guests just asked for steak, fries and a veggie. He loved his meal the most. Several of us ordered the scallops. What a shock...the meal included only THREE small scallops. Hungry men cannot be satisfied by this. The potatoe that came with it (mushed and green) was tasteless and it came topped with sunnyside up, undercooked duck egg on top it. What is that about? It was awful.

The dessert menu did not have a few "average" sweets. No cheesecake, choc. cake, ect. No one was willing to order after a dissapointing dinner. The men were ready to go out for pizza. We were hungry!

The wine was good and the atmosphere nice as usual. Our waitress happily gave us a comment card. She told us that the chef is new and the menu changed. We will NOT go back. There are too many great options for dinner in Portland.

Recommends

carrot31

Joined 6 years ago

looks cool, but flavors don't match. Fun to try something new, but wouldn't go back again. 1 of the 4 meals our table ordered was worthy of a repeat visit. food lacked flavor. the atmosphere was neat, but that pull isn't strong enough to get us there again. service was a little slow. server admitted that she spaced on bringing us beer. even our pre-dinner drinks in the bar took a long time to get to us. i think i'd rather eat at home for what i got.

Recommends

nswords

Joined 7 years ago

I wil be going back. Since we were staying at the 5thavenue suites we decided to try this place. The decor was very cool and with it being election night that was a lot of people bustling about. We had the crab cakes, buffalo slider burgers, and onion rings. It was late when we arrived so I will have to go back and try the main menu. Everything was excellent. the drink menu was top notch, and they have the largest collection of Bourbons. you can even do a flight of bourbons which I thought was really cool. Didn't get a chance to try any new ones, but I will be back.

Recommends

andynoun

Joined 7 years ago

good breakfast, and amazing service. I had a really good breakfast here and amazing service from our server "Chad". The place was packed, and I was amazed at just how much business was being handled by seemingly just two servers! Good Staff!

Recommends

gregkrsak

Joined 7 years ago

Never a bad experience here.. This is one of my favorite places. The atmosphere is classy, yet the menus aren't overly formal. For breakfast, try their corned beef and sweet potato hash with poached eggs, if it's still around. A great place to go, from corporate to family moods (They even have free WiFi).

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Set in a historic building, diners enjoy inspired versions of new American classics at this convivial restaurant.. In Short
Modern taupe leather booths, distressed wood floors and antique glass fixtures give this dim lit tavern an Old West-meets-contemporary American design feel. In the open dining room, diverse clusters of clientele gather, ranging from groups of girlfriends and business diners to tourists who've wandered from the adjacent Hotel Monaco to sample the restaurant's new American cuisine. The menu is heavy on meat and focuses on the rotisserie, with dishes like pork loin with spring onions, fingerling potatoes and a cherry jus. For dessert, expect classic favorites with electic twists, such as the flourless chocolate cake with root beer float and cashew ice cream.

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rainyday

Joined 8 years ago

Aroma is delicious.... The wood fire aroma is just so inviting and gets your tastebuds ready. Yum!