Great tapas spot in the downtown area! Had such a lovely waiter too during our visit. Liked all the…read moresavory dishes too, each with its own distinct taste! Ranking: 1) Spicy beef salad 2) Suckling pig 3) Pinkytoe crab 4) Lobster pasta 5) Bone marrow toast The desserts were nothing special but I did like the strawberry white chocolate one. The rhubarb one was meh personally; tasted like yogurt I could eat from the grocery store.

We were happy with the service and speed at which the small plates were delivered to us however…read morethere was a small instance where we got a dish we didn't order (not pictured and it was the special). The lemon sole (fish) and octopus carpaccio (not pictured) were filled with flavor! The pork belly was very underwhelming and I would not order again. The waiter said 2-4 plates per person. I recommend starting on the lower end and adding additional dishes based on how you're feeling. The amount of food was very different from dish to dish. For example the tuna dip had way too much bread and the pork belly was very small in size. Overall I was half impressed. I wish the staff would take a moment to announce the plate as it's placed next to you or point it out on the menu for those hard of hearing and wanting to know what they are about to enjoy. However the music, overall restaurant vibe and half the dishes exploding with flavor made my experience pleasant and I will return again knowing a bit more of what to expect and looking at photos of the menu/meal options beforehand.

Evo was recommended to us, and we were not disappointed during our recent trip to Portland. Our…read moreserver was friendly and knowledgeable. We chose to sit at a table upstairs (mezzanine). There was also an option to sit at the counter downstairs. We started with the chickpea fries, which were spiced well with a crispy exterior and creamy texture inside. It was a unique way of serving chickpeas. I had the NY strip steak, which I enjoyed, but a tip if you're going. The medium rare was closer to rare in my opinion. If you like medium rare, I'd ask for medium. My wife had the mushroom shawarma, which she enjoyed thoroughly and raved about the unique spices.

There were so many items on the menu that really appealed to us; we're so glad we made the choice…read moreto do the Chef's Tasting Menu. We really enjoyed this meal and loved the creative dishes. The Moroccan Mushrooms were a favorite, but the flavors of all of the dishes were fantastic. We'll be sure to be back on our next trip to Portland! Pictured is the watermelon, tomato, and fresh cheese salad. Perfect for a hot summer's day.

Nice and cozy spot for happy hour at our hotel…read more It was dreary and cold outside and we didn't really want to brave the elements to go outside for happy hour. So we wimped out and checked into our hotel's bar instead. Glad we did, since the beer was good and had a great time just chillin. It was a perfect cap to our fun pack mini vacay!

The Inkwell serves as the in-house bar and lounge for The Press Hotel. Since we stayed at The Press…read moreduring our most recent trip to Portland, we were always passing it by during our city explorations. One of our nights we didn't have solid dinner plans nor were we super hungry, so we decided to head downstairs for a drink and some snacky snacks. The Inkwell serves as a coffee bar in the mornings and a cocktail lounge/small plates eatery in the evenings. There are a number of booths, couches, and tables which are contiguous with the general seating area in the lobby, so it doesn't really have its own space per se but it still works. I infer that most of their food comes from Union, which is located in the hotel (I dined at Union too and noticed some of the small plates at The Inkwell were listed as apps on Union's menu). Their evening menu has a nice variety of drinks and small plates, as well as a good wine and beer list. I had two cocktails - the Downtown Honey and the Ginger Sunrise. Both were great - smooth with bold flavor. We also ordered a couple of small plates: the cheese and charcuterie and the goat cheese arancini. These were both pretty good - the charcuterie was a little sloppy I'll be honest, but since this was more of a lounge setting it didn't bother me. The arancini were good, the goat cheese taste was subtle but they had a great mouthfeel. Service was great, the bartender was on point and super friendly. Overall, The Inkwell was great. I wouldn't say it was a destination spot in Portland, but if you're staying in The Press or are looking for some good cocktails this is a sure place.

Confession time: the idea of paying to cook my own dinner has never exactly screamed "great night…read moreout." Then I went to N to Tail, and now I'm considering a career in table-side grilling. The meal started with spicy cucumbers, fried eggplant, and Korean fried chicken. The cucumbers were refreshing, sweet, spicy, and dangerously addictive. The eggplant was crispy, sticky, and packed with flavor. And the fried chicken? My partner could have just eaten that alone and been happy! The four of us went all in on the largest combo platter. Short rib, ribeye, pork belly, shrimp, chicken, veggies--the grill was working overtime. The short rib ipractically melted, the ribeye was buttery perfection, and the pork belly reminded us why pork belly has such a devoted fan club. There was a brief period where my partner and I had no idea what we were doing at the grill, luckily we were with seasoned veterans of it! By the end of the meal my confidence was soaring that I could do this again! The banchan, which the server hinted at has a few sides that change time to time, kept every bite interesting The service was fantastic and so informative, and the entire experience was far more fun than I expected. N to Tail is a hidden gem. Come hungry, bring friends, and don't be surprised if you leave wondering why you haven't stopped by sooner.

It wasn't busy at all (weird time 4pm on a Thursday) but the service was still great, our host…read moreJacob checked in a lot. Food was PHENOMENAL, especially with all the complimentary add ons that came with (banchan, kimchi, lettuce and cabbage wraps, soy sauce and rice) The vegetable melody is mushroom, onion, zucchini, and eggplant, which was a little disappointing but the la cart for the veggies is cheap so you can always double up! They induce a variety of sides including maple soy sauce and miso bean paste for dipping. Drinks were great, energy was great, it's a must go spot if you like Korean BBQ and are in the area. A little on the pricey side but for the area it was amazing. A must go!

The skewers are amazing, best things on the menu. We tried the chicken, shrimp, and moo ping…read moreskewers. All were excellent. We also got the papaya salad("Thai spicy is no joke"). Kra Pao chicken was delicious too. Grilled rice ball was meh, too salty. Desserts were ok, nothing too crazy. Pro tip: there's a public parking spot a block away, made parking much easier vs trying to find a street parking.

Boda was very good. While I didn't care for the fried rice, the tangerine chicken was amazingread more

The food was solid. Good, but no WOW factor. But the outstanding aspect of this dining experience…read morewas the service. Our waitress Seanna was the best waitress I've experienced in a very long time. I'm a NYer and my dining experience bar is high. Well she nailed it. Plus the Manager accommodated us as I was 1/2 hour early and she sat us in a quiet area of a very loud restaurant. Again, no complaints about the food, but the service was exceptional!

Always surpass my expectations,had the shrimp and scallops with rice and Chinese favorsread more

This was the perfect restaurant to start our Portland trip off with. We were seated at a lovely…read moretable in the corner. We had a reservation. The ambiance is very moody and sexy. Perfect for a date night! Our server, Hannah, was great. She suggested an excellent bottle of wine that complimented all of our dishes. Customer service was a solid 10/5! This is a place to definitely add to your Portland dining list! To start, all of the dishes were wonderful portions and could easily be shared between two people. Which I absolutely love because I enjoy trying as many things as I possibly can! Arancini: This was a great starter. Absolutely delicious. I have yet to meet an arancini that I don't love. 5/5. Caesar Salad: A perfect dish that is light and necessary before getting into a heavy entree. The salad was crisp, delicious, very fresh, and a must order. 5/5. Scallop Risotto: This was a large position that had scallops in every bite! It wasn't too heavy, was not too salty, and you could taste the freshness in the ingredients. Dessert is not pictured, but it is worth ordering! The entire dessert menu was excellent!

I almost canceled our reservation for Via Vecchia due to the underwhelming reviews here, but I am…read moreglad I didn't since I really enjoyed my dinner here. The restaurant is very romantic - dark lighting, chandeliers, ornate china, candles, on a cobblestone street. Our reservation was at their large wrap-around bar in the front. The bar seats weren't the most comfortable - they have no backs and they are drilled in place; if ever returning, I'd book a table. I didn't realize they had a whole back room which has two levels of additional tables and lounge seating as well. Even though the bartenders were very busy preparing intricate cocktails, we still received wonderful service. Our bar seats gave us a view of the kitchen windows, so we were able to see all the dishes coming out which was helpful in informing our decisions. We had the whipped ricotta and arancini to start. The ricotta was a large portion and came with tall breadstick crackers - it was really good, same with the riceballs. For my main, I got the radiatori pasta. I enjoyed it and brought some back as leftovers. Lastly, we shared the blueberry tiramisu for dessert. By the time the meal ended, we were sickly full since everything was so good and we wanted to clear our plates. I would definitely recommend this restaurant for a date night or large groups.