Portland
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Pazzo Ristorante
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Highly overrated-overpriced, in many respects.
Downtown with my wife and daughter to watch the Christmas tree lighting. Afterwards we looked for a good place to eat nearby. Were not interested in the club atmosphere of the trendy Urban Farmer or
the Departure restaurants. I was up for Habibi, but the girls kept walking. Ended up at Pazzo Ristorante and was expecting some decent Italian. I risked ordering the "special" crab risotto and I have eaten better chicken and rice soup! I like risotto, but this wasn't anything resembling good while the crab was barely visible, yet practically tasteless.. My better half had a ravioli dish and my daughter a veggie pizza. Tried theirs and I am not sure it wasn't something they microwaved that they bought from Costco.
Just okay food. The service was good, but the atmosphere was a little too much of the "aren't we cool" style and clientele. And the price was far too much for what we received. I've eaten at plenty of high-heeled restaurants, and I must say that very many of Portland's restaurants are highly overrated and over-priced.…
Buyer Beware Before You Order. Don't order any of the specials of the day unless you find out the price first! We were there for lunch -- lunch, mind you, and ended up paying $44 for two plates of risotto. Lunch-size portions, nothing special, no unique or expensive ingredients. That doesn't include drinks or tip. Crazy! Diner beware!…
Great lunch spot for delish food + good value. The three salad deal cannot be beat! You choose three salads, they serve up generous portions of each, along with a roll. All three were delicious, especially the beet salad!
Pazzo Bar --warm & cozy --unwind & enjoy fine Italian food.. It was a rainy, cold and windy night when my husband and I dropped into the bar at Pazzo. We walked several blocks to get there so when the warm air surrounded us upon arrival, we knew we would be comfortable. The mood was mellow and relaxed. We found a nice cozy table with a view of the street. The room was dimly lit; so it was easy to look outside at the stormy weather as people passed by. We laughed as we saw a guy walk by with an umbrella completely inside-out. But he kept walking along as if he had no idea that his cover had been compromised... It's a great-place to people watch!! Additionally, we had two delicious meals, great wine and fantastic service. Jackie was our server; she had great menu and wine suggestions. The Natalino salad (or Ceasar) was fresh and flavorful with long 'spears' of romaine. I had the Gnocchi (which was more food than I expected), it was a rich savory dish which paired nicely with the Paul Dolan Zinfandel. My husband had the Pollo; a pan roasted chicken breast --it was very flavorful with a wonderfully crunchy skin. After dinner we were tempted with spirits and gelato (there's a pisatachio gelato dessert that is quite yummy). Plus the bar tender's recommendation; the Germain-Robin alambic brandy is well worth trying. We look forward to our next visit.…
Disappointing on all fronts. I've long been a fan of Pazzo's but after my experience last night I will never return. We went for a festive Christmas dinner with friends and it was awful. We waited 45 minutes to an hour between our salad and main. The waitress kept coming by hoping we'd order another round (we did not). No apologies, just a statement "there's a big party" when we finally complained. Well, that's not our fault; be more prepared! The risotto was bland, the spaghettini pedestrian, and the gnocchi overcooked. All in all, an awful experience that made all of us not want to return.…
