Portland City Grill

08/18/09

A on View--D on Service and Food

by zoe97210 at Citysearch

It is an amazing view...but the service and food is not...

• Pros: View
• Cons: Everything else

07/19/09

View = good, Food = average, Experience = blah

by suburbanjim66 at Citysearch

Obviously the views from the 30th floor of about anywhere are going to be fantastic. My biggest problem with this place is that it reminded me a little of eating on a cruise ship - they have turning the tables and moving people in and out down to a science. Our (obviously pre-made) appetizer came out within 1 minute of ordering it. The plate was still cold from the fridge where it had been stored..... My food (duck) was average at best. When I finished my meal, my fork had not been down more than 10 seconds before somebody came by and took my plate. The guy picking up empty plates was stalking the floor looking for people who had finished their meal. I wont be back.

• Pros: great view, nice decor
• Cons: rushed through dinner

03/07/09

PDX PHat Guy Food Guy Says Overpriced Lackluster Food

by PDXFatGuyFoodCritic at Citysearch

We requested an appetizer (waiter never asked) crab cakes, the large Australian lobster tail and the 22oz. Porter House Steak requested Medium. There was no offer of a salad or soup (Guess they figure the fat guy does roll large with the dolla dolla bills yawl!) but I was fully prepared to drop a few large on dinner for two. The steak comes out and they ask me to check if the temp is to satisfaction?. The fat guy never sends food back but I couldn?t even cut the darned thing even if I was a ninja with a Katana slicin? thru your melon! OK guys! Pay your freaking gas bill turn up the flame and cook the freaking food. How hard is it to throw that little sea creature into bath and boil until it turns redder than the devil in a cell with Bernie Madoff after he was scammed on the market.

The bearnaise sauce lacked that normal zing that makes you say oooh laaa laaa and was rather flat on the pallet. During the course of the meal the service was somewhat lackluster. The wait staff appeared more enthralled with aerating and filtering wine and heating cognac or brandies than checking to see that their guest where enjoying the meal. The wait staff was nice and responsive but lacked polish. They failed to offer wine/scotch, salads or soup and made excuses that they cooked the steak properly and I must have wanted a medium well steak because they cook to temperature. Overall I would save your money and your time?. And can you believe a fat guy skipped desert? Well PCG got skipped for dessert like ferris bueler skipped a school all day and without paying the tab. The only saving grace on an otherwise abysmal experience was the manager taking the steak charge off.

• Pros: Great view, steak was OK after re-fire & location was great!
• Cons: Overpriced, Food quality control was not up to snuff

01/04/09

Too bad you cant eat a view..

by therestaurantsearchers at Citysearch

My wife and I went here for a romantic anniversary dinner. The view was incredible but the food was terrible. Over-sauced, over-priced and undercooked.

12/18/08

disapointed

by cringemo at Citysearch

This used to be one of my favorite bars to visit. Ever since the company switched owners, the quality has steadily declined, and I've noticed the "regulars" are no longer regular. The drinks aren't as good and the prices have skyrocketed. No thank you. But hey, what a view.

08/27/08

JIm's Review of Portland City Grill

by jpmcardle at Citysearch

I am writing this in August, 2008 about my dinner there on Friday, December 7, 2007, but I just found this site. I had a special friend that I flew up from Los Angeles to spend the weekend in the Northwest. Included was dinner at the Portland City Grill. This place has got to be one of the most special settings in Portland, and I really wanted special care for my guest. I was not disappointed with service or drinks, but was with the food. I believe we had fillet mignon, which was great, but the sides - mashed garlic potatoes - were an incredible disaster, dry and devoid of flavor. In any case, I did write the restaurant upon returning to Los Angeles, outlining that I came there, traveling quite a distance, and was disappointed with the meal. I never received any comments back from the place. My only feeling on this is, for such a great place, that the sides were so poorly managed . . . it was also disappointing that they never sent anything back - I was not looking for freebies or anything, just perhaps an acknowledgement, and something that says they are aware and working on the problem. So, overall, I would not have done it any differently, but perhaps send back the sides until they were done correctly, since that would be the only way to reach the management.

11/03/06

Worst service!

by pearlgal at Citysearch

Just got back from eating lunch at Portland City Grill. One of the worst service experiences. Food was alright...but lunch took WAY too long and had to ask the server over and over again for things we needed at the table, like WATER!

07/07/06

total let-down

by willowchocolate at Citysearch

i am sad to say we did not leave with a very good taste in our mouth....i made reservations for a romantic birthday dinner and was eager to try it out. we did get seated promptly, but RIGHT next to the kitchen entrance. not a mention was made about it being a birthday supper, even though i included it in the reservation run-down. loud talking and dishes clashing all evening. our waiter was a a bit chilly at first and didn't warm up till the very end, when we were getting ready to pay... he also seemed a bit miffed that we didn't order appetizers. had the sushi (which was good) and the pork tenderloin(so-so, not very warm). might have mentioned this to someone, but our server never asked. the view was nice, but could have found many other places in town with a great view, AND good service/food. we won't be back.

• Pros: view, sushi
• Cons: everything else: service, potatoes

01/04/04

Enough already.

by belmontstudio at Citysearch

Okay, maybe the clientele and employees have a "go for it" attitude, as a previous reviewer put it. But the same thing could be said of the drones at a hundred other corporate food factories across this country (P.F. Chang's, anyone?). Yes, the views are spectacular -- I won't dispute that. And the clubby, old-money NYC atmosphere the owners have tried to create is kind of interesting and odd, and definitely not like most Portland bars. But come on. The food stinks. It is utterly, inexcusably bad. This is a place where college students go to feel rich and to see the whole city from up high. Which is fine. But the food tastes like something you'd get at an airport restaurant. In fact, that's exactly what the City Grill reminds me of: an overpriced, devoid-of-character, soulless airport lounge, only this one's thirty floors up.

• Pros: the view, some yummy drinks, the pianist's medleys
• Cons: most everything else

09/12/03

Not worth it...

by robyn2174 at Citysearch

After hearing rave reviews about this place, I decided to meet a friend there for happy hour. I guess we were lucky to have a seat at the bar behind an obtrusive esspresso machine... One of the SIX bartenders working came to take our order quickly, but trying to get a second from these guys was impossible. A gentleman picking up on my friend actually had to get someone's attention because HE noticed our drinks had been empty for at least 10 minutes. ...And the male crowd all seemed desperate for any woman in the place to give them some time and attention. There are too many great bars in Portland to waste your time here.

• Pros: happy hour
• Cons: service, service, prowling men