08/29/09

Excellent food

by DDN

Hands down this is the best Indian food in town. Everything here is done with a true chef's touch and it shows in the details. With that said, we probably won't be back, and here is why.

The prices are just way to high. They are double the price of other good Indian restaurants. The place was nearly empty when we were there, and it certainly wasn't because of the food, it's the prices.

I agree with another poster here that some changes need to be made. The inside needs some updating with some rich, bold colors the Indian culture is well known for. A fresh coat of paint would do wonders for this grand old house. The food prices also need to be rolled back dramatically. Unless you have a card or coupon to cut the prices, there are just too many other good Indian restaurants that are much more affordable.

This place is at the crossroads. Make the changes and once again this restaurant will be the hot spot in town. If not, sadly it slowly dissappear from sight. I hope the owner, a very nice gentleman, is listening.

• Pros: Food is superb
• Cons: Prices are absurd

12/17/08

One Amazing Meal!!

by JRod144

Last week my partner and I decided to once again to continue out quest for real authentic Indian Fare. Boy did we score! Plainfields, who would have guessed that tucked away on sw 21st (near PGE Park) there is place serving the most wonderful and flavorful Indian grub.

First Impression: Beautiful building, a huge victorian mansion. Mango wood carvings adorn the wall, while the fireplace in the main dinning room gives off a warm glow. Crystal lighting fixtures really complete the elegant feel.

Service: We were greeted with a smile and kind words, as if we were arriving at a family friend's home for dinner. Our server was very informed about the food and easily assisted us in wine selection. It's not often you find a server who makes you feel so welcome and at ease.

Food:Makhani Murgh, Palak Paneer, and Bombay Machi.

Our feast was served family style (A nice break from the all to popular Indian buffets) and brought to us in brilliantly gleaming silver service. As the dishes were unveiled our mouths began to water. The family style of service is wonderful, you get to try each dish in all it's glory. I began with the Makhani, the description of velvet butter was spot on, juicy pieces for chicken hold their form until the moment they meet your tongue and you experience the melting of layers of flavor across your palate. Truly a star dish. Moving on to the palak I was thrilled to see not a soup of green with lumps of cheese, rather my eyes (and taste buds) were met with perfectly suated greens, that still resembled the leafs they had started as, expertly prepared mushrooms and hand made cheese really set this dish apart from the mass produced slop you find in the isle at trader joe's. With all the wonderful seafood offerings in portland, I did not have the highest expectations for the halibut, and I could not have been farther off base. perfectly cooked, flaky and moist. You must try the green chutney with this one.

All and All A True Portland Treasure

• Pros: Off Street Parking!
• Cons: A little hard to find.

09/03/08

Not very Indian

by leemaguire

First impression: cute and romantic. Some have said the decor is tacky but I think the white walls, Indian carvings, fresh orchids, tarnished silver serving dishes, low light and mosquito net curtains are nice. Sort of "Disneyland does Indian restaurant." In a good way.

Menu: Beautifully written, with thorough descriptions and a good mix of well-known dishes and more exotic fare.

Service: Warm, intelligent server had a bit too much personality for my taste (jumping into our conversation), but she was good. (Not Indian, in case you're wondering. And there was no one Indian dining there, which was a bad sign.)

Food: A total letdown. Kind of gross, actually. I cannot believe that some reviewers have called this the best Indian restaurant in Portland. What?! Either they work for the restaurant or they don't know Indian food. The papadam tasted like old oil. The condiments looked interesting but tasted stale. The bhel salad, which had a rapturous description in the menu, something like "fireworks of flavor," was utterly bland. The samosa dough was flabby and flat instead of flaky. We hoped the palak paneer would make up for it. It didn't. Instead of pureed or mashed spinach, it was chopped. In the entire dish, there were four -- yes, four -- tiny cubes of paneer cheese. The mushrooms in the dish were tasty.... but why were they there? I prefer this dish to be simple, comforting, well-seasoned. Instead, the dominant flavor was butter.

Afterward: My husband and I both had stomach aches that night and into the next day. We made delicious palak paneer at home the next night using ingredients from the farmer's market and an Indian grocery store to cheer ourselves up. (We really love Indian food so that gross, wacky meal was sad.)

08/11/08

Wow! great night out

by asalways

I dined last night at Plainfields Restaurant. We sat on the patio which I think must be the best in Portland. It is in the back away from the street. Beautiful and elegant. My friend and I shared everything we ordered and were delighted by the size of the servings. The duck dish was melt in your mouth tender and the vegetarian selection had the best sauce. We also got an order of sauteed greens with homemade cheese and wild mushrooms that was so fresh and yummy I was glad there was some left to have for lunch today. I was amazed by the choice of wines. I could not resist the 2000 Zind Humbrect Tardive Gewurztraminer. Who knew that a list like this even existed in our city. We had an 1875 Madeira and 1963 Port for dessert. We were too full to try the great desserts offered but will be back again and maybe even have dessert first. Check out this gem hidden in SW Portland near the PGE Stadium. I was glad that they provide parking! I think that everyone should try out this place. Great for a date or to impress the parents or clients. I'll be back. Oh ya, the service only added to the evening. Friendly and proffesional.

• Pros: Too many to list
• Cons: not open for lunch

01/19/08

Good Food, but Overpriced

by webejettin

I have been there twice in the last three weeks and received wonderful food and good service.

The food was really good (not overly salty as other reviews mentioned) and had lots of flavor. I eat a lot of Indian and found that this food had some really unusual and tasty combinations, like their cardamom nut sauce vegetables which are currently my favorite. The portions were pretty small for the price, and the two vegetable based entrees had very small numbers of vegetables. On the other hand, the meat entries, including the one with the shrimp, were almost enough to satisfy two. The naan that comes with the meal is bubbly and large (bigger than two hands), but you only get one piece and have to order more, so plan ahead... I have never had one piece be enough to finish my meal.

The dessert menu is a little lacking, with really only one Indian option, the Kulfi (ice cream). The ice cream was great, but out of sync with the rest of the fine dining experience? it came out with melting whip cream on top (I was half expecting a cherry) and candied noodles and sauce. Way to much stuff taking away from this simple desert. Oh well.

All in all, this is a nice restaurant with great food, but it needs a little perspective. It is no longer the hot spot in Portland and is showing its age. It?s still a nice place, but the paint is chipped on the plates, the silverware old and tarnished, and they want too much for what they are actually selling ? the reason I go back is I have a vault card (bogo meals), otherwise it is a lot of money. I hope the owners consider that simple white china is much nicer than chipped gold rimmed plates and that a full dining room is better than making big bucks off a few customers. If they updated their china and dropped their prices to the 12 ? 18 dollar range, I am sure this place would be packed. It is a gorgeous building with lots of character and is a fun place to eat. It just needs a little updating (the TLC is obviously there).

• Pros: Wonderful food, large variety of dishes
• Cons: price, size of portions

01/08/08

Madam Anonymous, Please Let it Go.

by bmeanaught

I have not dined at the Plainfield's Mayur Restaurant since the return of its original owner(s). Although I am certain your food and service have returned to its glory days of yore. This note is to the woman who owned the restaurant briefly: I ask you to, please, let it go. The restaurant business is very competitive. Most restaurants fail, even in the hands of experts. Let it go. Hiding behind anonymous accounts does not hide the obvious writing of the author. Let it go. You're better than that.

01/04/08

A note from the owner

by xyqsvdto

I thought I would weigh in on the reviews on this site. A person that has not been involved with the restaurant since July 2007 has nothing better to do then make up false reviews to asuage her crumbled ego. This pathetic cry for attention or spite should not be taken to be a testement to what we do at Plainfields. Please disregard any reviews on this site and try us out for yourselves. We have been in business for over 30 years and have always done our best to serve our customers. Thank you for your attention.

12/14/07

Awful customer service

by amberstin

I was really looking forward to eating at Plainfield's because I had heard good things about it. My friend called to ask a simple question and was treated VERY rudely by the woman on the phone who basically held the receiver away from her mouth while she trash-talked my friend and included swear-words in the mix. We could hear every word she said and there was absolutely no reason for her remarks. I think its a pretty bad sign that we couldn't even make it in there without being treated rudely. This is an expensive restaurant that should be putting the customer's needs first and they can't even seem to master the basics of phone manners.

• Pros: Not sure, didn't even make it in the door.
• Cons: Horrendous customer service

12/13/07

Got cussed at over the phone for asking a question! WIll NEVER go there!

by cheese81

Somehow my recommendation got taken down by someone...I am not and have not ever worked there, so if that is your excuse, that's ridiculous. Don't make yourself look bad by taking down reviews. It makes me NOT want to go there MORE!

I called there in December to eat with four friends because we live RIGHT next to Plainfields. I called over there to see if we needed reservations and ask if we could use our Passport cards (which are-buy one, get one free entree cards) and the man on the phone said that he would ask for me. A woman answered the phone and asked, "how can i help you", Thinking that she just saw the phone sitting off the hood, I thought that she just picked it up, so I said, "oh, I'm on hold waiting for someone, but thank you." She said, "well, what can I do for you?" Again, I said, "it's ok, I think someone was going to come back and answer a question for me." She held the phone away from her mouth, but not well enough because I heard her say to the man, "she doesn't want to *bleepin* talk to me...I mean what the *bleep*" and went on and on as I stood there with my mouth open, appaulled. Anyway, it was AWEFUL that ANYONE would talk like that right in front of a customer and not even care....especially since I didn't do anything but try to be nice.

I will be sure to tell everyone not to go to this restaurant. I live AND work very close by and will be happy to tell people what happened.

• Pros: don't know, didn't even get a chance to dine there!
• Cons: The woman that works there horribly rude and aweful to her paying customers!

12/01/07

Plain field manure - somebuddy hada do it...

by libertyjustice4all

We tried P.M. on a Monday evening. We had made reservations as indicated on their website. It was slow we we arrived. Three of our four person party were seated and we waited for our fourth. When she arrived the staff did not seat her nor did they indicate to her that we were seated. They just let her stand in the foyer and wait. dum. bad.

The waiter (later I realized he is the *owner*) has a habit of leaning on the water pitcher will he talks to you. He rests his hands across the pour spout which a food handler no-no. yuk. bad - don't drink the water. (kinda authentic Indian - not drinking the water - but not the experience I was looking for that nite.)

P.M. was out of three of the beers they had on the menu. The wine we first selected was also 'out.' Who is ordering the supplies? hmmmm..bad.

Dad was buying and he ordered almost all of the appetizers on the menu. The food was slow to arrive. Most portions are quite small - also authentic - no prob. The items are generally more odd tasting than any Indian food I've had anywhere.

Dad got the Royal Biryani. Best part: the piece of silver flake. P.M. could not screw up the taste of pure element. Thank Ganesha - something to be positive about.

For what Dad spent on the lousy service and truly awful food we could have had two nites out at any of the other decent Indian joints in town. Save your money and time - go anywhere but Plainfield's Mayur for Indian food.

p.s. - I did not really 'get' how salty the food was until later that nite when I met up with dad getting water at 2AM. I have never been so thirsty after a meal - it had to be the salt in the food. I understand the saltiness of Indian pickle but I did not have enough of that to explain the unbelievable thirst that kicked in a couple hours after dinner. bad.

• Pros: oddly entertaining as phmcgee says....
• Cons: really a big price tag for sub sub-continent chow