10/25/09

Great Food and Good Service

by markobear1

I have been here a few times and the food is absolutely good and has always been good!. Everything we had a few days ago was well prepared and of superb quality from the garlic bread to the sauteed spinach to everyones steaks! Nothing frou-frou, and certainly nothing super creative but just good food! The Bananas Foster were a great

way to end a very satisfying meal.

The service was attentive without being overbearing.

The only negative was the faint smell of cigar/cigarette?? smoke which everyone at our table commented on that evening.

I will go back in a heartbeat for one of the best steaks in Portland.

• Pros: Food
• Cons: Smell of smoke!

10/21/09

Not recommended

by Morchella

I was pretty disappointed with El Gaucho. The service was slow and awkward and our waiter and bus boy reeked of cigarettes. It was so dark you could not see what you were eating and it was a relief when the amplified musical group took a break so that our party could hear one another. The food came extremely slowly. We were there on a slow Sunday night and dinner took 3.5 hours. The shrimp and roqufort salad was blah and my dinner, diver scallop brochette, was cold, bland, and oversalted. The steak was not as good as it should been for the reputation. The menu is unispired and required no thought on the chefs part as you get slab of meat on a white plate and it is up to you to pick your pairings (which of the five we chose were unispired, salty, and bland). With all the good food in Portland why do people still eat here? Save your pallete and nose and go somewhere else.

• Pros: Steak house nostalgia
• Cons: Salty uninspired food, waiter smells of cigarettes

10/15/09

You've Got To Be Kidding!

by jlaw75

Our Porterhouse steak was $65 ala carte. We split it. The steak was good but I think the price made it taste worse than it was. My wife and I split a ceaser salad and twice baked potato and they charged us extra for both. Hey, we needed to pay next months rent. Perhaps good for the business traveler on expense accounts, but for us regular "Joe's", it's way too much money for the food.

• Pros: Friendly Service
• Cons: Cost

09/10/09

Beautiful in every way.

by foofoo23

We went to El Gaucho last night for a special occasion and were truly blown away by everything. From the moment we walked in, we were treated like royalty. Many places in Portland has snobbish service and that is something I've just accepted. Not here, the hostess was friendly, the bus people were friendly, our waiter was outstanding and everyone was attentive and knowledgeable. We brought our own wine, and not only were they nice about it, but the waiter commented on how he's had it before and that it would be fab. Of course, it was. The food was amazing, the filet mignon was like butter and cooked to perfection. Every aspect of this meal was worth every penny. I cannot say enough how lovely the place was, not a bad table in the house and everyone was top notch professional, efficient and friendly. There are many places in this town where you can spend at least as much money for a meal, but at El Gaucho, we were not disappointed in any way. I have absolutely no complaints at all.

• Pros: Ambiance, service and food.
• Cons: Can't think of any.

06/14/09

Expectations exceeded

by lloydholm

The evening began with anticipation. We arrived early and took a temporary seat in the lounge where we were treated very graciously. We were finally seated but, half an hour past our reservation time. We inquired but did not complain. Sometimes you just can't control everything. We were finally seated accompanied by a very sincere apology and we were apprised that the Manager would be with us shortly. (I really didn't want to make a fuss). Moments later the Manager came to our table presenting crab cakes (the most amazing I have ever tasted) and two flutes of Champaigne. The Manager deeply apologized and took personal responsibility to make sure we were comfortably accomodated. The rest of the evening, the dinner, the service, the lovely table-side manner and personable demeanor of the servers, was truly memorable and heart warming. We had the most amazing Fois Gras, Caesar prepared table side, and Chateaubriand presented table side. The artisan combination of subtle flavors were kaleidoscopic and deliciously memorable! I can't wait to return!

Thank you El Gaucho!

• Pros: Marvelous fare prepared and presented with genuine care!
• Cons: Honestly, I don't have a single negative comment!

05/20/09

Oh so pampered

by froggymama

My husband took me here for a birthday dinner, trying to recapture the experience of our favorite steak restaurant in Florida. Although not the same, it was a wonderful experience - very, very old school personal service with the table side ceasar salad and flambe desserts. Our server was phenominal! She had my mouth watering with everything we ordered. Lobster mash and ostrich were PHENOM!!! Duck appetizer just melted in your mouth. The complimentary fruit and cheese plate was a treat, but had to have the creme brule - light and refreshing. Very romantic, great wine list (although pricey), ala cart for more variety, sides sized for sharing. I highly resommend this for special occasions or all around treating yourself.

• Pros: Outstanding Service
• Cons: Can be pricey for some

01/29/09

Over-rated for the price

by NotJeff

We have eaten here on several occasions and the service here is perfect and everything you would expect from a restaurant charging over $300 for dinner for two. The steak and lobster has good lobster but the steak has been one tough chew toy after the next. After four bad steaks in a row, we have given up the hope of having food you could actually swallow. The salads and side dishes are good but are not as overwhelming as the prices. This restaurant is not on the same level as New York or San Francisco, only the prices are.

• Pros: Beautiful restaurant and friend service
• Cons: Steaks are often poor quality, prices to the moon

01/13/09

Just OK Not Worth the Price

by ricochet112

44-5 star ratings and 14-4 star ratings out of 83 (total ratings) very low IMO. Our visit reflected that. Nothing special just OK-good, and with as much as they charge it should be exceptional, but it wasn't. Maybe the people that rave about El Gaucho don't eat at a nice steakhouse often!? One gets just as good (or better) cut of beef at an Outback Steakhouse than what our party received at El Gaucho! Got to Morton's (or Ringside) if you want good meat, if it's ambience or a stuffy server you crave, than by all means go to El Gaucho, but don't go there for good beef.

• Pros: At least it wasn't BAD
• Cons: OK-Good at best

01/12/09

Not worth the price!!

by waterdog22

I found the food to be average. The Caesar salad had to much dijon. The escargot was bland.

My filet was stringy. My guest's steak was dry. The creme brulee had a hard, thick crust one had to dig through. Best dish-- French onion soup. Overall, not recommended for the price. Try Morton's instead for a meal worth the price.

• Pros: French Onion Soup
• Cons: Poor steaks

12/14/08

Great Steak House

by iwritereviews

I go to El Gaucho about a couple of times a year. I'm from NY, so I made a point of trying out all the supposedly good steak restaurants in Portland when I first moved here several years ago. So here's my review of El Gaucho: I've never had a bad service from valet, coat check to wait staff, they've always treated me and my company incredibly well. If you sit close enough to the kitchen, you'll see the steaks being cooked over the open charcoal flame which is fun but you'll be warm :)

Now on to food... admittedly, I've had better steaks in other cities (NYC, Chicago, LA and Dallas), but if you're looking for a good steak in Portland, El Gaucho does it well. They always have about a dozen sides to choose from (quite shareable portion, btw) and if you're at a loss for what to get, you can't go wrong by asking your wait staff.

Their table side Banana Foster is quite the show, but the taste wise, it's nothing you've never had it before - so save the money and just stick with their complimentary (read: free) cheese and fruit they give you after dinner.

Final note: their valet parking = $7

• Pros: prompt attentive service, great date spot
• Cons: it can get bustling on weekends