Three Doors Down Cafe

12/05/09

One Of Our Favorites!!!

by portlandhuman at Citysearch

I love this place. I like to take out of town visitors here to show them a perfect example of a great portland restaurant. The servers are always friendly and inviting without coming across as fake. I can say that I've tried most the dishes and could recommend pretty much everything so far.

i do have to wonder about the review bagging on the beet salad. its one of my favorites. if you need more beets, just ask. not every person on every kitchen staff in town knows how many beets will keep your obnoxious yuppie whining at bay.

• Pros: excellent & friendly staff, creative dishes, consistent bar.
• Cons: sometimes there are completely obnoxious customers.

12/05/09

Portland's Best! Deserves a Sixth Star

by Dave Miller at Citysearch

the recent "reviews" by ""Terriek," "Coffee Guy" and "Portlandnewbie" (no kidding!) makes one wonder what "coffee guy" slipped into their lattes before writing their obviously choreographed (and anonymous)reviews. i hope their angst over the beets didn't ruin the dinners they carefully chose not to comment upon. let's see, 82 exceptionally positive reviews compared to 3 motivated by a strange fascination with a beet salad.

i've spent my entire adult life in portland and have seen restaurants come and go. sorry "Terriek," but my wife and i have you beat (not "beet") when it comes to dining out. not every night, but close to it. and lunches, too, at some of our favorite haunts (serratto, cha, wildwood, nostrana, morton's). we also have our favorites in NYC, LA, SF, Vegas and elsewhere. i hate beets but i love and appreciate fine dining establishments. simply put, i have found none better than 3 Doors Down. it has become the standard by which i judge all other restaurants.

the reservation policy (none taken except for parties of 6 or more; check in and get your name on the list) is proof the phrase "good things are worth waiting for" is true. stop by most any popular portland restaurant on a friday or saturday night and expect to wait. my "wait tolerance" is low but has never, not once, been challenged at 3 Doors Down. i suspect the drinks from the bar have something to do with that; they are tasty, strong and creative.

i thought i would never find pasta dishes to replace those i loved at delphina's (now serrato), but i was wrong. the ever-changing pasta dishes at 3 Doors keep you guessing (and drooling), or you can opt for the long-standing favorite, the fra diavlo. that is, unless you've stuffed yourself with appetizers of bacon-wrapped scallops covered in a decadent peach sauce or already stuffed yourself with the bread and white bean dip.

as much as i could go on about the menu, wine list and signature desserts at 3 Doors (nothing better than their banana cream pie after a movie at the bagdad across the street), it is the service which makes this place stand out. you will find no harder working, pleasant and knowledgeable wait staff. they represent the best in what portland has to offer amongst restaurant professionals.

i'm a first-timer on CitySearch. wanted to check out a place we intend to try out tonight (Beast) and, out of curiosity, checked out the comments on my favorite place, 3 Doors. the nearly unanimous favorable comments did not surprise me, but the curiously organized ones i mentioned above are not only strangely out of place, but so far off the mark i couldn't resist responding. come to think of it, i'm glad i won't have to share the best kept secret in portland dining with these three. dave miller

• Pros: Friendly Neighborhood Service; Creative Menu; Killer Drinks
• Cons: If any, they have escaped me

12/04/09

My favorite after-work Friday night place to eat and drink

by Chick38 at Citysearch

One of the things I really like about Three Doors Down is the fact that the ingredients are fresh, and the menu changes according to what is available. So when I recently ordered this salad: Red Leaf, Roasted Beets, Orange Slices, Caveman Blue Cheese, and Citrus Vinaigrette, I wondered if it would still be there on another visit. I found that it was when I came back the next week--hooray-- and not one thing about it disappointed me either time. As I ate each bite of firm, mildly sweet beet, perfectly combined on my fork with a bit of each of the other ingredients, I kept thinking, "Wow! This is so good. It tastes great. It's crisp and cold. I'm so happy that I've discovered roasted beets!"

That first time I ate the roasted beet salad, I had a nightly special entree to complete my meal, a fish called skate surrounded with lentils, celery root, shitake mushrooms, pancetta, and truffle cream. My drink, a Manhattan, sort of blew me out of the water. I'd never had one before and found the combination of sherry, vermouth and bourbon astounding.

The second time I ordered the roasted beet salad, I also had an exquisitely creamy, robust appetizer with it, the Oregon Mushrooms, Madeira Cream Sauce, and Goat Cheese Crouton. My drink on this visit was a fine cocktail of house-made fig liqueur, prosecco and a lemon twist--yummy. Talk about perfection poured atop a thick, finely crisped crouton! My gosh, I'm going back again soon and have another one! I bet it'll still be on the menu.

• Pros: Variety of Food & Drink, Knowledge of Servers & Bartenders
• Cons: I can't go but once a week, drat!