Portland Restaurants

Prepare for a "dining adventure" at this "festive yet classy" Pearl District "hot spot", because the modern Peruvian fare is "unusual and spectacular", plus you can "experiment freely" thanks to "tasty" tapas that come in "three different sizes"; some opine the "fruity, spicy" "cocktails are the main attraction" (try the one whose name "sounds like 'sexy woman'"), while "great" live music adds to the overall appeal.

Restaurateur Bruce Carey's "chic, minimalist", "billowy"-curtain-bedecked Pearl District "institution" remains the place for "beautiful, important people" "to be seen" while indulging in "scrumptious, decadent" Med–New American cuisine; if the pricing makes it a "once-in-a-blue-moon" treat for folks without "hedge funds", there's a "can't-be-beat" three-course prix fixe, plus "great deals" during the "hot" happy hour; P.S. check out the cheese cart, laden with "unconventional, sophisticated choices not often found in Portland."

"Delectable Italian fare" featuring "amazing specials and only the freshest ingredients" attracts the masses to this "intimate", "relaxed" ristorante on Nob Hill, where the "professional staff" can suggest pairings from an "excellent wine menu" that's "chock-full of great values"; get there "early to snag a key seat" facing the open kitchen or on the sidewalk, but no rezzies for small parties mean "you have to be willing to wait" wherever you sit (cool your heels at the "hoppin' Bar Mingo next door").

A "classic steakhouse in a classic Downtown hotel", this outpost of a small regional chain retains "cream-of-the-crop" staffers to deliver its "huge", "decadent" chops, "divine Caesar salads" and bananas Foster "made tableside", "brilliant cocktails" and "first-rate wines" to "celebs" and "executives", not to mention "your attorney, banker and doctor"; indeed, it's "crazy expensive" (the less-impressed call it "El Gouge-o"), but for a "special treat", it usually goes "above and beyond expectations."

The clientele is almost as "beautiful" as the "sparkling", "fresh interior" of this Pearl District brasserie where a "smart staff" conveys "solid, well-executed" French fare, which though "expensive", most feel is "worth the price"; there are two floors of seating plus a "fine patio" with "most of the tables" boasting a "nice view of Jameson Square."

"Take someone special" to this "elegant" "getaway" in the Pearl District, where "innovative" platings of Northern Italian fare with French "nuances" (and "memorable" homemade pastas) are ferried by "highly competent, courteous" servers; the "old-fashioned" setting with black-and-white tiled floors is "on the small side", but it's "serene", making it a smart choice if you "want to talk with your guests."

"Imaginative, lovely" New American–Pacific NW dishes "utilizing many organic and local ingredients" make this "upscale" (and "expensive") "old warehouse" on the Southeast waterfront "worth finding"; the "industrial" (read: "not intimate") setting sports a "cool" "fireplace-and-wood theme", and there's a wall of garage doors that opens onto the patio in nice weather; P.S. if you come for dinner, "bring your flashlight", because it's "dark" inside.