Expansive tavern exudes an upscale and relaxed vibe.

by Ashley Gartland

With its minimalist taupe leather booths, floor-to-ceiling windows and warm gold tones, this New American restaurant and bar turns the classic definition of a rundown tavern on its head. Adjacent to the exhibition kitchen, clusters of young professionals and fresh-from-the-mall shoppers gather over happy hour fare and bourbon-laced cocktails in an open bar. A high-ceilinged room sets a handsome backdrop for business diners and tourists who slice into steakhouse classics like a prime beef filet with a blue cheese glaze or Kobe beef tartare. For dessert, pretzel bread pudding is a signature.

03/24/09

WILL NEVER GO BACK!

by luvfoodpdx

I must say for being connected to a 5 star hotel you would think the restaurant would be up to par. But it is not at all. The lack of entrees on the menu is a joke and there are no healthy items. My gf and i ate breakfast there the other day and ended up sick.

We had the benedict which came on a grit cake. 1. The plate was drenched in hollandaise. 2, The grit cake soaked up most of the hollandaise and became a soggy mess. 3, the ham was dry and way overcooked. It tasted like jerky. 8 hours later and nothing else to eat for the rest of the day we both were sick and stuck in the bathroom.

I use to eat at red star quite often. There flatbreads were amazing! Since the new chef i have gave them many chances and was curious about there new menu. Everytime has been a disapointment. I will not be returning to red star again : (

• Pros: good location, ambience
• Cons: no healthy options, lack of selection, horrible food

02/11/09

8th Place in Best Burger! Bah!

by NathanBurdett

Seems my negative review got cut. Funny how that happens.

Went in here several weeks ago for brunch, but found the menu lacking much of interest (and prices for breakfast items were insane!). The GF and I both ended up ordering a burger. A $14 hamburger!! My expectations were pretty high. I admit, the fries were great - those battered jobs. Love those! But the burger: small, with a big tall bun (that was crumbling dry) I couldn't fit in my mouth , so way overcooked past the medium I requested, and so terribly salty, I couldn't eat more than two bites. The waitress seemed unconcerned when she took our plates away with nearly untouched food. Then some guy I hadn't seen to that point comes by and asked how we liked our food, so I told him. He was kind enough to take both burgers off the bill. Best Burger worthy?? I think not!

• Pros: Interesting interior
• Cons: Crazy high prices, horrible hamburger

01/04/08

Dissapointing New Year

by bethanygirl

A friend a I decided on Red Star for a late New Year's Eve dinner...what a dissapointment! The atmosphere was fun but the food was terrible. We split a salad that the menu said had goat cheese ravioli, instead we got a tiny amount of greens with what looked more liked fried wontons with no cheese to be found. For the main dish we ordered cornish game hen, it was ice cold inside and had small pearl onions on the side which wasn't adequate as a veggie for the price of the dish. The presentation was poor and obviously the dish was cooked previously then put in the fridge for serving later but the kitchen didn't know how to reheat it!! I won't be returning to Red Star.

• Pros: Fun atmosphere
• Cons: Terrible food

06/27/07

old time customer, not coming back

by capitan_kirk

My wife and i have been coming here for the last couple of years for many reasons. Those that still apply after our last outing; the waitstaff is friendly and insightful, ambiance warm and romantic, & we were able to enjoy the bar now that there is no smoking. However, what kept us coming back was the food! My wife asked our server where our favorite items went and she let us know there was a new chef in the kitchen. Change can be good right? not in this case. we ordered the "crab cakes" which was just ONE salty something stuffed in an onion, no crab to be found. I had the NY steak which alone was wonderful, but it came with what the menu called a souffle, it was more like a muffin made with sawdust and bluecheese totally inedible. My wife had the halibut, presentation was beautiful but it was so over salted she had to send it back. Our server gave us some dessert to make up for it but the flourless cake she brought us was soggy and undercooked, the rootbeer float it came with was wonderful though, then again how can you muck that up. Sorry Red Star we will miss what you once were, but we will not come back

• Pros: ambiance and welcoming staff
• Cons: new chef

06/15/07

Not impressed

by doeeyes2u

A group of girlfriends and I visited the Red Star last night...what a disappointment! The waiter was inattentive and dismissive, the food was tasteless or prepared poorly, and with six girls we were forced to pay 18% gratuity. Our waiter even told one girl when we were paying for the bill that she was "making things to difficult for him." That is not good customer service. To our surprise when the "crab cakes" came it was more of a stuffed onion...and it was one cake if you can call it that. Needless to say, none of us plan to go back, and we now have our own "stuffed onion" private joke.

05/28/07

Great atmosphere, interesting menu, great service

by krislyn81

With our first trip to Portland, we took a chance on the Red Star, as it was located on the same street we were staying. The atmosphere was great. The service was excellent and everyone was very conversational and nice. The menu was very interesting with a lot of unique choices. We dined on the scallops and ahi tuna. The dessert was a flourless chocolate cake with homemade ice cream and a rootbeer float. The menu also offered a wide selection on wines and drinks...our favorite was the Red Star martini. We would definitely return on our next trip. It was well worth the money for this dinner.

04/17/07

Lousy new menu

by terribashkingy

My husband and I loved this restaurant in the past. We loved the atmosphere and food. Last night we dined there with 7 business acquaintences. There was only one small breadbasekt on the table for 9 people. It took 2 requests to get more bread.

The menu has changed. Few choices and too exotic of a menu. One of our guests just asked for steak, fries and a veggie. He loved his meal the most. Several of us ordered the scallops. What a shock...the meal included only THREE small scallops. Hungry men cannot be satisfied by this. The potatoe that came with it (mushed and green) was tasteless and it came topped with sunnyside up, undercooked duck egg on top it. What is that about? It was awful.

The dessert menu did not have a few "average" sweets. No cheesecake, choc. cake, ect. No one was willing to order after a dissapointing dinner. The men were ready to go out for pizza. We were hungry!

The wine was good and the atmosphere nice as usual. Our waitress happily gave us a comment card. She told us that the chef is new and the menu changed. We will NOT go back. There are too many great options for dinner in Portland.

02/16/07

looks cool, but flavors don't match

by carrot31

Fun to try something new, but wouldn't go back again. 1 of the 4 meals our table ordered was worthy of a repeat visit. food lacked flavor. the atmosphere was neat, but that pull isn't strong enough to get us there again. service was a little slow. server admitted that she spaced on bringing us beer. even our pre-dinner drinks in the bar took a long time to get to us. i think i'd rather eat at home for what i got.

11/10/06

I wil be going back

by nswords

Since we were staying at the 5thavenue suites we decided to try this place. The decor was very cool and with it being election night that was a lot of people bustling about. We had the crab cakes, buffalo slider burgers, and onion rings. It was late when we arrived so I will have to go back and try the main menu. Everything was excellent. the drink menu was top notch, and they have the largest collection of Bourbons. you can even do a flight of bourbons which I thought was really cool. Didn't get a chance to try any new ones, but I will be back.

• Pros: Bourbon flights and large selection good comfort food
• Cons: can be pricey