Carafe. We have gone to this restaurant many times in the past 10 years and have been very pleased with the service and the food. We went with another couple tonight (first time for them) and couldn't have more displeased. The food was over priced and lacking (e.g. scallops priced at $21 and served two scallops with no side dish, , flank steak inedible, chewy). When the wait person was confronted about the dissatisfaction with the food he did not provide any empathy with our dissatisfaction. In fact he would not remove the item from the bill. The most difficult part of the evening was his confrontation when we left. He became very hostile. NEVER AGAIN!  View Less … View More

Don't go for the service. I've gone during happy hour the last two Friday's and both times had terrible service. The first time there was a younger male waiter that wasn't the least bit friendly and seemed very much in a hurry. There were many empty tables. The second time we had an older waiter, Matt I think, who was one of the rudest servers I've ever encountered. He had no manners- called me honey once from several feet away. He laughed at my friend when she asked if there were any lean (low fat) happy hour menu items. When I asked if they could leave cheese off a small portion of her mushroom plate (we had talked about sharing it) he loudly proclaimed that I shouldn't be dictating how her food is served and basically scoffed and acted like my request was rude. My friend didn't say anything because I think she was perplexed after he laughed at her earlier. He simply had no manners and why bother going to eat someplace to be treated poorly? I won't go again.  View Less … View More

Pompous is apparently the new talented. I went with a rather large group of ten to Carafe just this past week as a way to get to know a few of my significant other's friends as well as to get out and have a good time. However, what came of our meal was a text book definition of everything hate-worthy in the restaurant business.

Four people from our party showed up to fill the reservation, entering through the front doors. The rest of our party, apparently upsetting no one but the wait staff, entered through a side patio, a younger girl glaring our way as we walked in to join our friends (if this is apparently a problem, as I've seen it show up in reviews below, why not hang up a sign on the patio rather than kicking up a snotty attitude like a group of twelve year olds girls?)

It quickly became apparent that the young age range of our group (18-22) was going to handicap us on service as our server, a young man who didn't have the cordiality to tell us his name, generally ignored us and was completely condescending to our party when he actually spoke our way.

Over the course of the almost three hours that we were at the restaurant (what wouldn't have been a bad duration if most of that time wasn't spent waiting for food to arrive), our server continued to generally ignore and dismiss us, telling one of my foodmates curtly, "it's in season," in answer to his extremely light hearted joke about the overabundance of fresh rhubarb on the menu. Honestly, though, the amount of rhubarb on the menu was ridiculous. They seem to have just hotwired their usual recipes to include rhubarb instead of cherries, huckleberries or any other remotely sweet element.

When our appetizers finally did arrive, my pate was tender and sweet, served with a bitter side of rhubarb and a negligibly small amount of walnut "toast" that was more cracker than anything else. The escargo that my date ordered was slightly rubbery, but I have to admit that the garlic parsley butter was delicious.

As for our actual meals, I've lost such passion reliving this experience that I just have to list:

Rare hanger steak with bernaise and pommes frites: Practically raw meat. I'm not complaining, but somewhat surprised at just how rare it was. Pomme frites were trying as hard as they could not to be french fries, not crispy and overseasoned.

Duck confit with rhubarb sauce: The skin was inconsistent throughout, the meat was tender, the seasonal rhubarb sauce was very out of place.

Cucumber soup: As you would expect, it was cool and refreshing, but lacking in originality.

Andoullie special: Was there sausage in this meal?

To top things off, the two of us that ordered the three course meals, never received their desserts, the group deciding to leave instead of put up with any more of the place.

Seriously, Carafe: If you read this, stop admiring your own culinary narcissism long enough to make something worthwhile out of the great ingredients you bring into your establishment. I beg you, rip down whatever arrogant agism or large-group hatred you conferred onto my associates and me. And most of all, realize there's a line between local, in season food and inserting rhubarb into 50 percent of your dishes. That line is not thin and it is not blurry, and if you pay attention to it, you may be around next Spring.  View Less … View More

Fabulous Meal!. Our dinner club ate here on Saturday night and it was absolutely fabulous. From the moment we arrived at the bar and were served our drinks from the great staff to the service in the restaurant.

The chef's special pork dish with pork cooked three ways was fantastic. i think i had the best meal at the table! My friends might argue with me though. We appreciated the waiter's suggestions which were perfect and we had a great evening talking and relaxing. Just like a European meal--no rush!

We will be back again with our friends from France and when the weather is nicer so we can imagine we are on the streets of Paris again enjoying the bistros, watching the trafic go by.  View Less … View More

Amazing Happy Hour. I've been to Carafe no less than 10 times, all for dinner or happy hour, and have always had a good experience with the staff and the food. It's unpretentious-- burgers, frites, croque monsieurs, mussels, and hangar steaks. For a casual place, service comes at the right time, and I have been allowed to proceed at my own pace (thank goodness- I dislike when the bill comes before I'm done eating!) Happy hour has great deals and you can get an amazing amount of tasty food and drinks for a very reasonable price.  View Less … View More

FANTASTIC!. I've eaten at Carafe on several occassions but lunch recently was truly outstanding. I had a simple salad to start and a superb black cod for my entree. Everything was magnificently prepared and absolutely scrumptious! The service was attentive and friendly. Can't wait to go back!  View Less … View More

Horrible in everyway. Do not eat here!!!!. This restaurant is a joke. They do not answer their phones till 4:15 on Saturdays so you have no way to make reservations on the same day that you would like to eat. My wife and I left them a message asking if their was any seating and they never called us back to say they were full. They instead let us drive all the way into downtown to be told that we were out of luck. I do not know if this is a sick game or if they are just rude, but either way I would tell everyone I know to never eat here. Furthermore I saw one very angry customer while I was there when they told her the restroom is in the building they are connected to and that they only have one key. I guess if you have to use the facilities you just have to wait, since they do not have their own bathroom.  View Less … View More

The place for a snack before the Opera and dinner afterward. My wife and I attended La Traviata at the Zeller Auditorium last Friday night, and we dined at Carafe both before and afterward. We have eatten at Carafe numerous times the past 4 years, and we have always found the food and service to be excellent (my wife is a professionally trained chef, and we dine out often). We arrived at the restaurant, prior to the show, without reservations, and we were quickly seated. We told our server we would be attending the opera that evening, and that we were looking to have a small bite before the show. Our server suggested a couple of dishes, and my wife and I shared the tureen of rabbit- it was tasty; served with a small dish of tomato relish that was a perfect compliment to the rabbit. We set a reservation for after the show before we left the restaurant, and once again upon our return, we were promptly seated. The menu after the opera was a limited offering of classic Bistro fare, and my wife and I each dined on the steak frites. The food was perfectly prepared, and the wine we chose to have with our meal was the perfect compliment. Speaking of wine, their wine list is one of the reasons we dine at Carafe. They offer a solid selection of great wines, from around the world, at great prices, as well as select higher end wines, should you desire something that is a step up. Upon completing our after opera meal, we booked dinner reservation for 4 a few weeks in advance of a visit from friends coming from Minneapolis. Our friends have only been to Portland once before, and we look forward to sharing one of our favorite Portland places with them!  View Less … View More