Paley's Place

11/23/09

Distasteful experience

by NW diner at Citysearch

I took in town guests to this restaurant. What a disappointment! Though the food was acceptable, the service was terrible. We waited a long time to order and when I asked the waitress for help, she make a snide remark and left us to continue waiting.

However, I won't make the mistake of coming to this restaurant again. I wrote a notice to the manager but did not get a satisfactory response. For the high price they charge for food, I should not be made to feel they are doing us a favor for having us.

• Pros: Decent food
• Cons: Terrible service

10/25/09

Great???...Not really!!!

by markobear1 at Citysearch

I went there for dinner last night and totally concur with previous reviews....what is the big deal about Paleys place???

The food was not bad , but just ok. All of us at our table concurred...the appetizers and desserts were the best part of the meal and they were just OK...not great. The ribeye steak that I had for the main course was overpriced and just blah. El Gaucho, a restaurant I had visited a just few days earlier blew my Paley's Place steak away!!! The pork and new york steak which the rest of the table had was equally uninspired. The sauteed greens were soggy and the onion rings were downright greasy.

We came to the conclusion that some legends die hard. This restaurant may have been the Portland "good-food" standard years ago, but today, with all of the new exciting restaurants in town, Paley's Place now pales by comparison.

• Pros: Service
• Cons: Food

06/08/09

Disappointing evening at Paley's

by MMK17 at Citysearch

I took out of town guests to Paley's based on previous good experiences there. However, this visit was a disappointment, and I was embarassed to have recommended this restaurant to my guests. Each issue on its own would not have been a big deal, but together they made for a disappointing evening. We had a reservation, yet we waited 40 minutes for our table. The bar was full, so we spent the time constantly shuffling out of someone's way. And the drinks we ordered to while away the time didn't come until after we were seated. When our table was ready, we were seated between a table with a crying baby and a table with a large group of 15. The room was so loud that most of our dinner conversation was, "Huh? What did you say?" Both our server and a busperson knocked over a drink on the table, once spilling a drink on my guest. Our server took our orders only to return 15 minutes later to tell us they were out of those dishes. We ended up ordering dishes we didn't really want. There was nothing wrong with the food, but it wasn't exceptional either.

Maybe they were having a bad night, but with a bill of $450 for 4 people, I won't take the risk again. We went to Le Pigeon the next night for a wonderful meal at half the price.

• Cons: Terrible service

05/04/08

Great wine, and service but that's it

by dw13 at Citysearch

The wine and service were great, but other than that not worth the expencive price. My husband and I went there for our 14th anniversary. It was recommended out of National Geographic as the best restaurant in Portland. I love GOOD food, when I travel, I search for the best restaurants, I can tell you, Lorenzillos in Cabo and La Cala in Zihuatanejo are a MUST!!!! Paleys in Portland not a must. The wine was exellent and the 2 waitresses, great and fun! I had 1/2 order of the crab dish and 1/2 order halibut, these had no flavor. My husband was recommended the pork appitizer and told it would melt like butter was tough, and was not happy with his steak, he came home and made himself dinner. $240.00, not worth it. Last, did not like the setting, tables to close, not romantic.

03/22/08

Look elsewhere for a fine dinner experience.

by tkuhl at Citysearch

We just arrived home from our evening out a Paleys Place and we were so disappointed. This is our second time going to Paleys and we brought two other couples. Our first time we thought the service and food were great and the atmosphere was outstanding. But tonight we did not have the same experience.

Our greatest disappointment was the waiter. He was condescending and not at all friendly. When asked questions about the menu (which is very unique) he would answer them with out details and make us feel uncomfortable for asking. As a result several of the folks in our party did not get what they thought they ordered. When we asked for a simple wine recommendation he replied, " I can go on all night about wines to serve with this dish." Again very condescending. Our second disappointment was price for the value. If you spend $36,00 per dish you expect the potatoes to be cooked. This area has many great restaurants that are less expensive where the food is even better and no drama from the wait staff.

07/08/04

Not that Great....

by mkwolcott at Citysearch

We went to Paley's Place for my birthday this year. While the food was really good, for the price I think there are much better places in the city. The selection is pretty limited as well.