Editorial Review

by Contributor

Lucier closed in late 2008.

12/15/08

Spendy!

by mcpherren

Put your pocket books away in this restaurant unless you're here to pay for the extensive and beautiful remodeling this place has undertaken. I had dinner here with 3 other executives and was shocked when our tab came back at $650. Unbelievable! And we didn't even have dessert! It takes longer to explain what you're eating than it does to enjoy the dishes you're served as they are about as small as you can get. I have to admit the service was incredible, but with 3 people taking care of our table, it quickly became clear why our meals were so small and so over priced...overhead. Sadly, don't know if this one will be around very long as very few people in Portland can afford regular visits.

• Pros: Beautiful view on the water, nice servers
• Cons: Extremely overpriced, small portions, bar counter but no bar

11/19/08

Pretty food, but nothing to die for

by jessijunk

While not a food critic or expert of any sort, I have been to some very nice restaurants in LA, Manhattan & Las Vegas, and I enjoy fine dining. Lucier is frankly, a mixed bag. It's nicely, if not 100% tastefully, decorated, the staff is very friendly and efficient, and the location is great.

I went for a romantic dinner with my husband, and it is perfect for a quiet & private experience. However, while the food was good, and the ingredients all interesting & fresh, nothing wowed us. We had the 6 course, duo tasting menu for $110 PP. Frankly, for a bill that cost us $300 (including tip, and with no wine) I would expect some, or many of the dishes to really knock my socks off, but nothing did.

Everything was plated beautifully, served well, and was clearly the product of a lot of planning; It just wasn't as delicious as I would have hoped. The portions are small, but that's kind of typical of this type of fare. We had a nice time but I can't say I would recommend it, unless you have a good amount of discretionary income and won't be too upset if your $300 meal is merely good.

I enjoyed the experience but I will not go back. And since there were only 3 tables filled at any one time while we were there (only 5 all night including us), I think the rest of the town agrees.

• Pros: Interesting, fancy, some foodie types will surely be impressed
• Cons: Not delicious enough for the money

11/18/08

You should go - once.

by ElizabethPearl

I'm torn, but compelled to write. My mom was visiting and wanted to take us out to dinner (all six of us - kids, boyfriends, girlfriends). I had heard of Lucier - new restaurant - sure... why not? Did no homework. Based our decision on a reliable friend. OH - MY - GOD. We walked in, and burst out laughing. You're kidding. A caviar bar? A creek running through the restaurant? All the young women hostesses wearing senior ball gowns? With pearls yet. It was fabulous, in all the best surreal has to offer. The menu is like reading those artist statements that need translation, but make your mouth water. You can choose water from Tanzania! (or was it Tazmania?) But of course! We had a wonderful time reading the menu to each other, wondering what it all meant. We fondled the silver, played with the table lighting, and appreciated the green orchids. The biggest disappointment, and the reason I won't go back, is the absurd amount of food. Tiny is not an understatement - which is really too bad since it was so good - so inspiring - and then, so hard to find on one's plate. Everyone should go - once.

• Pros: Ambience, decor, menu
• Cons: Price plus teeny servings (one or the other ok, not both)

11/18/08

A great start; Time will tell whether the market will support it

by Sportster

I'll keep it short. It had to be tough to push forward with this place in the face of crashing real estate sales, though the closure of Genoa may help. This place is extremely expensive, affordable by perhaps 2-3% of the Portland population (my family income is in the top 20%; I can't/won't afford it except on special occasion. Therefore there is room for (perhaps) one place like this. The service is impeccable and what I'd expect for the prices, however I also was asked who ordered what, and the staff missed one of the items I ordered. The decor is interesting, if somewhat overwrought; the food is good to great, but the portions are TINY.

• Pros: Good food, generally good, friendly service
• Cons: Very expensive, small portions, won't validate parking

11/15/08

Lucier - Stunning Addition to Fine Dining in Portland

by ksweet27

I have traveled widely and appreciate the combination of fine cuisine and ambiance. Lucier tops the list for Oregon, but beyond that, Lucier could easily be the new 'in' spot in Manhattan. In Portland however, we are blessed with the marvelous view not available in Manhattan.

First the ambiance - the lighting superb, the furnishings comfortable and stylish and the glass artwork adds dimension and drama. Service is sublime - readily available but not obtrusive. Extraordinary attention has been paid to minute details of the table setting and service pieces. The food - sublime. Each course titillates the taste buds, and brings subtle nuance and texture. From the first to last course - each a sensory delight of creativity and just plain fabulous taste! Lucier is a welcome addition to upscale Portland dining and instantly becomes leader of the pack! The wine list is impressive, seen in only the best of restaurants around the country.

My only complaint would be that the 3-course option is quite light on portions, ideal for a light appetite, but if hungry I'd recommend the 5-course option.

• Pros: Location, view, ambiance, quality of food, parking and service
• Cons: some portions are just too small

11/13/08

Elegance meets Taste

by Michigander22

Hats off to Lucier!!!

I had recently just finished my externship at Lucier and was blessed with working with one of the best culinary teams i will probably ever work with in my career. It was such an honor to have seen, behind the curtains, the level of passion and artistry that is put into this food and there menu. I had recently just dined there the other night and indulged in the 5 course....Every coarse had an amazing flavor profile and was complex yet simple in flavor and aroma. The Turbot was perfectly seasoned and was my first time trying this beautiful fish. Ending with the Beef, which was explosive with flavor. The pastry team also deserves recognition for there innovative and creative designs pleased the palate. GO CHEF KRISTEN!!!

The back and front of house team work well together to bring you all the knowledge of the cuisine and never fail to go above and beyond.

I recommend this to anyone looking to be blown away by Taste, Ambience, and Design.

Again, HATS OFF to Lucier

Thank you SO much!!!!

• Pros: Menu....FOOD....Ambience
• Cons: NOTHING

11/11/08

an amazing gastronomic experience

by tabitha6

This is the perfect restaurant. The decor is lovely and I am about to write accolades about the service but hands down this is the most complex, fresh, unique and wonderful food I have ever tasted. The bottom line is that every dish is prepared with the highest level of expertise and creativity and care that only the finest chefs in the world can produce. I feel very lucky that one can experience the ultimate in food --- right here in Portland. An absolute gastronomic event that no one should miss and everyone should experience. Trust me, when asked what the best meal of your life has been you will always say the meal at Lucier. We have been 3 times and are planning on returning often. The food is without question the finest in the city and probably the finest in the State. The staff is as good or better then any staff at any restaurant in the world. They are friendly, accommodating and able to be relaxed and comfortable to tables that need it as well as professional and refined to those other tables as well. Not knowing how truly fine dining this establishment is we brought our 9 month old baby and our six year old daughter on our first visit. They had a high chair waiting for the baby and offered to make something special for our six year old as soon as we arrived. They even took her on a tour of the kitchen and hung her picture up on their bulletin board which made her feel extremely special. Although I wouldn't recommend this place for most children ours had a fantastic time and there was even a 3 month old baby at another table who looked like she enjoyed her visit as well.

• Pros: the most comples, unique and wonderful food
• Cons: I wish I had enough to take home for lunch the next day

09/25/08

Best over all Restaurant in Portland in Years

by evanandbecca

To be sure there are more wondeful restaurants in Portland now than ever. I have seen many come and go over the years and I have eaten at more than my share of Michelin Stared restaurants around the world.

So I know when I stepped into Lucier, this was something different for Portland. Long lost are the suit and tie restaurants of decades past, and as a jeans loving man I appreciate that. But it is nice to have someplace where you can get dressed up to the nines and not be seated right next to someone straight off the golf course once and a while. Lucier imparts that higher level, something special. The staff is impecable and the service has not left us wanting in our 3 visits. The food is very good we have tried quite a few different things on the menu, each time choosing to pick our own 5 courses. I would have to say some of the best items are the duck, the sweet pea rissoto, all the fish has been superb especially the hand harvested scallops, The cheese cart has been our last course each time, so I can not speak for the sweets, but the cheese cart is perfection, the best selection I have seen in the U.S. (and my father lives in Switzerland I know cheese). Now I do have a gripe. The glass pours are marked up to robbery levels, when the glass exceedes the retail price of the bottle there is a problem. The wine list has some great values though and the wine staff is good at recomending a wine to meet your needs. Though I would have to say the list is just too big, it is nice to have all those wines at hand but really its ego to make such a list. And if you have a special wine from home the $20 corkcage will get it in IF they do not have it on the list, but they go by vintage and not just the label. All in all I think there is not a restaurant in Portland that has, so far, the consistent level of service, food and atmosphere that Lucier currently has. Now if Portland will support it has yet to be seen, personally I very much hope that they do!

09/24/08

keep trying.....

by beaunestay

Talk about sensory overload. The space, in my guests and my opinion, is WAY overdone. A huge iceberg looking thing separating the bar and the dining room is suppose to replicate Mt. Hood. It looks like more of a bad carnival ride meets the iceberg that doomed the Titantic. The decor was described to us as "Mt hood meets the grafitti of Portland" OK????? We sat on the patio (no other guests in sight with 5-6 tables in the main dining room). Great wine list, unfortunately food that matches the likes of restaurants that you end up being dissapointed in the end. Our server was very professional, and was educated well on the menu. Our food arrived, and was auctioned off to us!!!!! We only ordered 4 plates. We couldnt believe they asked us who had what!!! Food was good, but forgetable, as I have heard from numerous people who know food. All the dishes seemed underseasoned with exception of the cromesquis of Fourme D'Ambert, they were nice, and good portion size as well. The same person who brought us our small plates, also brought us dessert. He took almost 3 minutes (no kidding) to describe both desserts, but forgot what the main component was. (A Cannelais which was heavenly) Served with corn ice cream, popcorn and blackbery dust. WAY to many components on the dishes, which seemed to lose the focus on the main ingerdients. The celery sorbet clashed with the rhubarb, on the nicely done not over sweetened meringue Vacheron. He made a joke that seemed very unprofessional. "You all have forks to dig in with, unless you want to stab each other with them". What is that supposed to mean???? Some say is Portland ready for this, but I say,

Portland is a town of very talented chefs who create food with passion and heart. There are so many more restaurants that would sink this place with there simple and genuine approach to the dining scene. BTW, Lucier, you claim to be the finest in PDX, define that for us. Being the finest encompasses more than you think.

• Pros: great patio
• Cons: unknowledgeable staff, sensory overload