Wild Abandon

Mundane, Pricey Food Served by a Kind, Polite Waiter. First I'll start off by saying that the waiter was very kind, and the atmosphere here is very cozy and somewhat romantic. This was our second time here, going on a strong recommendation from our friends. The first time we went, we were underwhelmed, but we thought we'd give it a second chance. Well, the second outing was equally as unimpressive.

It is not as thought the food is bad, it just isn't good. Some other reviewer questioned whether any of the people giving this restaurant great reviews can cook, and I guess I resonate with that response. I can't imagine anyone who knows and understands cooking being impressed with this restaurant.

We started with the mushroom appetizer, which was kind of good, but something one of my football buddies would be capable of crafting. My wife's risotto ($17.00), while again, was not terrible, tasted like it came out of a box, albeit perhaps one of the better instant risottos that one can get at Whole Foods. I had the deep fried oysters. Imagine a plate with 6 or 8 deep fried oysters (yep, something any talentless cook could make) with plain steamed rice and vegetables on the side. It was completely, entirely and thoroughly uninteresting. Not bad, just lacking in any intriguing qualities whatsoever, and pretty steeply priced at $20.00. The veggies and rice were literally just steamed, no seasoning, nada. Something I expect to see next to my chicken balls at a hole-in-the-wall American-Chinese food joint.

I guess the real stinger was the bill, which came to $67.00; $44.00 of which was for the food. There are so, so many places one can eat in Portland that will serve much better food at much better prices, just throw a rock in any direction and you'll find one. The food at the Wild Abandon is along the lines of hotel convention food, or something you'd get at the Elk's Lodge. I guess I would have been cool with it if it cost $25.00, instead of $44.00.…

Very very slow!. My 3 friends and I went to eat at Wild Abandon on a recommendation from a friend, but she did mention the service was bad. We thought we would give it a try anyway. Yikes, she wasn't kidding. We sat inside while waiting for a patio table and realized it smelled like dirty wet towels. Gross! We asked to order drinks while we waited and were told a bus boy might get to us. Finally a waiter came to take our drink orders. My husband asked about the merlot and the waiter smugly said he didn't drink merlots by choice. What? I don't care if you like merlot, your job is to sell and recommend things on the menu. When we finally got out to the patio it was quite nice. The food was OK, but not amazing enough for me to want to go back. The service was very slow and we had to remind them a few times to bring water, our salad, hot sauce, etc. We eat out almost everyday and we like to patronize local business, but this is a place we will not go again.…

Best meal of the year. I had the best Cioppino and my dining partner had a fabulous spicy pasta dish. from the service to the coffee and everything in between was stellar. I would recommend Wild Abandon to anyone without hesitation…