10/27/09

Creative dining and friendly service

by jeffberg342

Dined here with my wife here several nights ago. We started off by splitting the carrot risotto with house made salami- it was a great choice, real creamy. We then ordered separate Entrees, I had the prosciutto wrapped chicken breast and my wife the pasta with chanterelle mushrooms and bacon. Both our Entrees were very tasty. We also had a wonderful bottle of Chianti that was reasonably priced. We would definitely recommend this restaurant to our friends.

• Pros: Great menu, affordable wine list

10/17/09

Great restaurant for a romantic evening

by Chris44

Wanted to take my date out for a romantic evening and this restaurant was a great choice. The low light and gold shear curtains between the tables set the mood. The collection of art and knicknacks was interesting. The menu had a nice variety, we started with the pate, it was very tastey! I got the rabbit which was delicious! The demi-glaze made the dish. My date got the special gnocchi with lamb and that was good too. The wait staff were attentive but stayed away unless needed. We were there for several hours and never felt rushed. Made for the start of a wonderful evening.

• Pros: Great menu at a nice price
• Cons: None

10/10/09

Enchanted Evening

by KariLJ

The BF and I don't dress up and go out to dinner often, but last night was the night. He had called and made reservations to this quaint little place over by where he used to live. We had passed Il Piatto while out for bike rides more than once, and decided that we had to go. From what we had seen and read we were hoping to not be disappointed...we weren't. From the minute we rounded the corner you could feel the warmth of the place inviting you in. The interior of Il Piatto is quaint, charming, rustic, and romantic all rolled into one. The Italian waiter was charming, friendly, attentive, but not overly so. For the Appetizers we ordered the Carpaccio...fantastic the beef was wonderful and nicely flavored, and the Crespella alla Ricotta was delicate and full of spinach, mushrooms, and pine nuts. Both appetizers were served to us one at a time with sharing in mind. For our Entrees we ordered the Pollo Ripieno and the Coniglio in Salmi...both were fantastice the chicken was wonderful stuffed with Ricotta cheese , and the Rabbit was tender and very flavorful the sauces on both dishes were simply delicious. For desert we had a slice of the Orange Cassata Cake...wow! I'm glad we decided to share a slice because it was so good...yet so filing. I could go on about the food all morning, but the service at Il Piatto is quite honestly some of the best I have ever had in Portland. Our waiter didn't rush us through our meal, he paid attention to what we were doing and brought out the next course exactly when we needed/wanted it. Water was left at our table, and when we went through the carafe another was brought out. He was key in making this a wonderful experience for my bf and I. We will be back.

One suggestion do make reservations they fill up fast on a Friday the place was fairly packed when we left, and when we had arrived there were only a few couples.

• Pros: Everything
• Cons: None

09/07/09

nothing to recommend

by Antob

My husband and I went there by hasard. We thought it must be good because it looked nice and was quite crowded.

It took a long time to be seated and a moth wanted to accompany us.

We ordered a green salad and polenta with mushrooms as starters and gnocchi with pesto and rabbit with vegetables. To sum up, none of the four dishes were tasty; too creamy and heavy, flavorless and disappointing.

Our last hope was the desert, but the chocolate cake was unenjoyable, too.

Although the menue looked promising, in our opinion it has nothing to do with Italian food.

• Pros: good bread, good wine-list
• Cons: unattentive service, disappointing food

09/07/09

Has gone downhill

by hummingbird74

This is the third time eating at Il Piatto and this is not the same place that I've enjoyed eating at the past couple of years. For a start, the charming Italian waiter has gone only to be replaced by moody, rude, indifferent waitresses who were far too hip to possibly be curteous and polite to paying customers.

The food is way overpriced and not worth the money. A lettuce and tomato salad with a couple of drops of vinaigrette (I could barely taste it) will set you back $6. If you fancy pasta that has a sugary sauce then this is the place for you (both my friend and I had two very different sauces but they both tasted as if the chef dumped half the sugar bowl in it, as if that would make it more appealing to the palate).

The restaurant was practically empty and I'm not surprised. Who, in these economic times, can afford to part with $30 for a bowl of sub-standard pasta, a bland side salad and miserable service??

• Pros: Interior decor and outside seating in summer
• Cons: Service and food

09/01/09

Great place

by HX

Non-generic in every way. The food is good, recipes are inventive, not a typical Italian restaurant. The decor is beautiful and unique; I always feel like I'm far, far from home when I dine here. Romantic place for a date, but also a great place to go with friends.

• Pros: Good food, wonderful, eclectic ambiance, good service
• Cons: Never had a problem

08/18/09

Overpriced, undersatisfied...

by Elliot09

Naively attended happy hour last week... I saw good reviews and didn't realize how old those reviews were. We decided to go check it out -

Mistake.

The so-so food was arranged on the plate in a way that is barely passable for quality gourmet cuisine. They over-do the "presentation" to the point of ridiculousness... especially because it doesn't have the taste to deserve such a display!

The waitress is my main guff, though... she was rude and inattentive. Though we were only one of two groups there - she hardly found the time to come our way and pour another drink or ask if we needed anything.

Will not return. Would never recommend.

• Pros: decor
• Cons: everything else...

06/30/09

A very pleasant dining experience

by josie258

We were recently told about this restaurant. We are new to the area and now found a spot that is not only in our neighborhood but a place we really enjoyed. Friendly casual service, great food and a wine list with a whole section with wines under $25. We started with a shared antipasto plate which had little delectable appetizer bites consisting of smoked salmon, several marinated salads, miniature chicken meatballs and some house made salami. Next I tried the gnocchi served in a parsley pesto cream sauce. Really good and rich with lots of garlic, my date had the chicken breast which he loved. We finished the night with piece of tiramisu. We loved our evening out and we will definitely revisit this restaurant.

• Pros: tasty food, very affordable, nice wine list

06/21/09

Great ambiance, so so food

by lcmomtobe

Outside there are sweet little tables, nicely set and as you enter you pass through doors and a curtain. The inside is cozy and lovely, romantic and intimate. I stopped in at an odd time, 2 PM on a friday. I'd ordered a house salad, penne puttanesca, and bread pudding (all of which I took to go and shared with my mom). The salad and pasta were meager portions (I suppose smaller because it was lunch time?) and the bread pudding portion was huge (odd?). The salad and pasta were mediocre. The caramel sauce with the bread pudding was SO YUMMY. The bread was dense, and it was overall not that puddy-ish. I LOVE bread pudding and this was sadly disappointing, except for the sauce. Overall not great. Won't return.

Service was very friendly.

• Pros: I want to spend lots of time here
• Cons: But, not eating their food

05/04/09

Alternative Snobbery

by grasshopper5

Ya know .. it was pretty good. But I'll go against the grain here. Service while not bad, was unfriendly and abrupt. Alternative comes with it's own form of snobbery and you will find it in abundance here. To our waitress: you are a waitress, so shake it honey and put a smile on. To the manager, I guarantee you will fill it if you give the folks waiting tables a talking to. At 50 bucks a check not including drinks we deserve a smile.

• Pros: Foods OK
• Cons: Pricey, Snobby "Better than You" Service