Carlyle Restaurant Llc

08/12/09

Disappointed

by myfry

Four of us were looking forward to a lovely meal in a beautiful restaurant.

The Tonic was bad in my Gin and Tonic. The "house" Tonic was no better.

$28 for 3 large scallops in a little sauce and corn. Not another piece of food on the plate.

Portions were small and expensive.

The worst part was the other woman ordered a burger, medium. It was literally raw. Sent it back, it was raw again. Nobody ever offered to bring her anything else. Of course we weren't charged for it, but why would we be-it was raw and unedible. The fries were abundant and I'm sure frozen and nothing special. She went home and had dinner at home! Nobody really cared.

• Pros: Lots of waiters
• Cons: Food

07/30/09

3 Very Salty and Expensive Dishes

by abw1983

My husband and I don't get to eat out at 4+ star restaurants very often. So, for our 4 year anniversary we choose Carlyle because the City Search ratings. We were very disappointed. The host was rude, our waiter ignored us, and worst of all the expensive food was WAY TOO SALTY.

We started off with the Lobster Risotto and Bread Service. The bread was wonderful...too bad you have to pay $4 to get a tiny loaf of bread. The Lobster Risotto was very good; a little heavy on the garlic, but cooked nicely.

I had the Rabbit and my husband had the NY Strip Steak. Both meals were extremely salty; especially the rabbit. I tried to catch our waiter’s attention for ever to send the rabbit back, with no luck despite the very small dinning room. Finally the host noticed that we weren't eating so he came over and asked if I was done. I asked if I could have a new rabbit because this one was too salty for me. He was very rude and proceeded to ask weather the meat itself was too salty or the sides. Considering that everything is piled together I didn't know! He took it away and came back a few minutes later saying that he spoke with the chef and all the rabbit is from the same batch so I should order something else. So, I decided to try the chicken.

While we were waiting for my chicken, we had finished our drinks and were just sitting there. The host came over and took away my empty glass without even asking if I wanted another. Our waiter hadn't even made eye contact since he delivered our food. My husband was done with his steak, we had no drinks, no bread, and no one was offering us a thing.

Finally, my chicken came. Guess what?! Yep, really salty. Better than the rabbit, but I would bet money the chicken they use is injected with salt water...icky.

After I finished we got a desert menu. I was looking forward the espresso Pot-de-Cream that was listed on the website, but it wasn't on the dessert menu we received. So, we left and got ice cream somewhere else.

Overall, the atmosphere is very cozy and romantic, but on a hot summer day it gets very stuff in the small space. The food is good compared to a cheap place, but for an upscale restaurant with the high ratings Carlyle has, it was very disappointing at left us feeling we should have gone to Red Star or somewhere else.

I know I wrote a book, but I wanted to explain why I only gave them only one star.

• Pros: Cozy and Romantic Setting
• Cons: Bad Service and Food VERY Salty

07/17/09

Sleek and Tasty

by drsaler

Business dinner with some very picky East-Coasters. Everyone agreed this place is a winner. One guest raved about his Manhattan with the fresh brandied cherries, and the oysters we all shared. My scallops with the bacon-corn succotash and vermouth sauce were incredible, as was the creamy leek soup with tempura lobster I started with. Only glich in an otherwise perfect evening was being told that the wine we wanted more of was "unavailable".

• Pros: Excellent food, sharp service, elegant but not stuffy vibe
• Cons: Wine list could be broader

03/12/09

wow

by mysgy

we have had the good fortune of dining at many of the best restaurants in the world - chez panisse in berekley , the french laundrey in yountville, vetri in philadelphia, prune in NYC, and l'atelier joel robuchon in paris - carlyle held it's own against them all. we could not have been more impressed. yum. well done!

01/09/09

It's alright....

by laikafarooq

My husband I dined here for our one month wedding anniversary. We went on a Saturday night at 9 p.m. and the dining room was clearning out. After 10 minutes of our arrival, the entire dining room cleared out. I will say the bar area looked like a more happening scene. Anyways, I've been to super fancy places and this was up there on the fancy facility list but the food was good, not GREAT, outstanding, superb. The wine selection was disappointing. We were looking for more Cabs but realized that there were only Pinot Noirs on the list....yes, I know this is Pacific Northwest, but come on....have a little bit more of a selection. Anyways, I can't complain too much, the food was good, service was excellent, and the place is nice.

• Pros: Service
• Cons: The location....kind of in a remote part of the city where this restaurant is the only place that's open at that time.

12/06/08

Ahead of the curve; fine dining in the most unexpected location

by 1carbon

I've been to Carlyle twice now. Everything there that I tasted was excellent. I'll write a more detailed review after my next visit, but if you want to have a fine dining experience and sip on some masterfully crafted cocktails, then go to Carlyle. My only complaint is that the place is expensive, and the portions are on the smaller side, but that's how a lot of these posh, fine restaurants are. As long as you know that going in, you won't be disappointed with your experience here.

Entree suggestion: If you're skiddish about ordering something you aren't too sure about, the pappardelle is always a safe and delicious bet. Most of the menu items are modified or rotated every so often.

What's funny is that the restaurant is in the middle of a bunch of warehouses, almost under the high freeway overpass. It's still the pearl, but this makes it easy to park anywhere for dinner. I'm sure that the rest of the pearl will spread to this area in the coming years, but for now I feel like I know about something that some other people are missing out on.

• Pros: amazing food, location makes parking easy, great drinks, great service
• Cons: expensive, smallish portions

09/11/08

Whoa....be prepared!

by rhonda2too

**I am amending this review and adding a star to account for the fact that the restaurant not only read my review, but took the time to look up my reservation and contact me to discuss my experience. On the whole this was a much appreciated, gracious and unexpected gesture.**

We dined at the Carlyle for our birthday on a Thursday night. One hour before our reservation time, while we were en route to the restaurant I received a call from the Carlyle indicating that they needed a credit card number to secure our reservation because there is a high incidence of "no shows". I told them that we were on our way to the restaurant at that very moment and would be there shortly. The person I spoke to was unable to process my response and said "so can we have a credit card number?"...over and over, to which I replied we are driving there now. It was odd and put us all off. Why didn't they secure the reservation when we made it?

Worse yet, our table was outside of a private event room. Service was EXTREMELY slow as all of the attention was focused on the private event. We waited close to an hour between courses, each of which came AFTER the private event was served their course.

Oh, and the kicker, that halibut we came in for? Gone -- all reserved for the private event. Very disappointing -- make sure there are no large private events scheduled when you make your reservations! This restaurant clearly does not have the capacity to concurrently serve smaller reservations and large private events. The restaurant should have been closed for the event rather than deliver poor service to regular customers. *<:(

09/02/08

Best Romantic Dinner!

by desireedralle

We came down to Portland for the weekend and decided we wanted some French food. This place blew me away, everything was wonderful. We started off with the foie gras & lobster risotto, both were outstanding and melted in my mouth. The blood-orange cocktail was amazing and I'm not even a big cocktail person, more of a beer girl, was by far the best cocktail I've had. We both had the kobe flat iron steak and it was to die for. We also had the chocolate and cherries dessert. Everything was absolutely perfect. If you are in Portland and like good food, you have to try this place!

• Pros: Signiture Drinks, Romantic, Amazing Food
• Cons: Can be pricey

08/27/08

What a Buzz...

by shotnthedark

Why didn't anyone tell me this place was here? Hidden away in the Northwest Insustrial cooridor of the Pearl District, I practically had to get lost to find it. But now that I found it, I'm affraid to tell anyone else it's there because I want it to be all mine. Rarely do you get the combination of seasonal and fresh foods executed with and artists eye, and outsanding service, and wonderful drinks. What I found interesting was that the table sitting beside me (I was dining alone in their bar) couldn't stop talking about all they flavors they were experiencing, and they spent the first 5 minutes of the meal tasting eachothers dishes and ooing and ahhing. I admit, I was a little jeleous and nearly grabbed my own fork and participated in their enjoyment. But once I got my seared scallops I understood what the hubbub was all about. What a find...I cannot wait to go back!

06/21/08

What a memorable evening

by changas9

My friends and I had a lovely opportunity to dine in the kitchen surrounded by open space and a clean kitchen next to us. We were offered tours and the staff was amazing. This is the place if you like serenity, cleaniness, and an upscale ambiance without the pretense.