Carafe

We have gone to this restaurant many times in the past 10 years and have been very pleased with the service and the food. We went with another couple tonight (first time for them) and couldn't have more displeased. The food was over priced and lacking (e.g. scallops priced at $21 and served two scallops with no side dish, , flank steak inedible, chewy). When the wait person was confronted about the dissatisfaction with the food he did not provide any empathy with our dissatisfaction. In fact he would not remove the item from the bill. The most difficult part of the evening was his confrontation when we left. He became very hostile. NEVER AGAIN! more

I've gone during happy hour the last two Friday's and both times had terrible service. The first time there was a younger male waiter that wasn't the least bit friendly and seemed very much in a hurry. There were many empty tables. The second time we had an older waiter, Matt I think, who was one of the rudest servers I've ever encountered. He had no manners- called me honey once from several feet away. He laughed at my friend when she asked if there were any lean (low fat) happy hour menu items. When I asked if they could leave cheese off a small portion of her mushroom plate (we had talked about sharing it) he loudly proclaimed that I shouldn't be dictating how her food is served and basically scoffed and acted like my request was rude. My friend didn't say anything because I think she was perplexed after he laughed at her earlier. He simply had no manners and why bother going to eat someplace to be treated poorly? I won't go again. Pros: Good happy hour food Cons: Rude wait staff more

I think this place would be better if it wasn't in a shopping mall/business park setting... Pros: authentic ambiance Cons: food more

Our dinner club ate here on Saturday night and it was absolutely fabulous. From the moment we arrived at the bar and were served our drinks from the great staff to the service in the restaurant. \r The chef's special pork dish with pork cooked three ways was fantastic. i think i had the best meal at the table! My friends might argue with me though. We appreciated the waiter's suggestions which were perfect and we had a great evening talking and relaxing. Just like a European meal--no rush!\r \r We will be back again with our friends from France and when the weather is nicer so we can imagine we are on the streets of Paris again enjoying the bistros, watching the trafic go by. Pros: Just like Paris! Cons: The dreary weather didn't let us enjoy the outdoor seating! more

I've been to Carafe no less than 10 times, all for dinner or happy hour, and have always had a good experience with the staff and the food. It's unpretentious-- burgers, frites, croque monsieurs, mussels, and hangar steaks. For a casual place, service comes at the right time, and I have been allowed to proceed at my own pace (thank goodness- I dislike when the bill comes before I'm done eating!) Happy hour has great deals and you can get an amazing amount of tasty food and drinks for a very reasonable price. more

I've eaten at Carafe on several occassions but lunch recently was truly outstanding. I had a simple salad to start and a superb black cod for my entree. Everything was magnificently prepared and absolutely scrumptious! The service was attentive and friendly. Can't wait to go back! Pros: GREAT food, friendly staff Cons: inconvenient bathroom/a bit noisy more

Do not eat here!!!!. This restaurant is a joke. They do not answer their phones till 4:15 on Saturdays so you have no way to make reservations on the same day that you would like to eat. My wife and I left them a message asking if their was any seating and they never called us back to say they were full. They instead let us drive all the way into downtown to be told that we were out of luck. I do not know if this is a sick game or if they are just rude, but either way I would tell everyone I know to never eat here. Furthermore I saw one very angry customer while I was there when they told her the restroom is in the building they are connected to and that they only have one key. I guess if you have to use the facilities you just have to wait, since they do not have their own bathroom. Cons: They make it almost impossbile to a reservation. more

My wife and I attended La Traviata at the Zeller Auditorium last Friday night, and we dined at Carafe both before and afterward. We have eatten at Carafe numerous times the past 4 years, and we have always found the food and service to be excellent (my wife is a professionally trained chef, and we dine out often). We arrived at the restaurant, prior to the show, without reservations, and we were quickly seated. We told our server we would be attending the opera that evening, and that we were looking to have a small bite before the show. Our server suggested a couple of dishes, and my wife and I shared the tureen of rabbit- it was tasty; served with a small dish of tomato relish that was a perfect compliment to the rabbit. We set a reservation for after the show before we left the restaurant, and once again upon our return, we were promptly seated. The menu after the opera was a limited offering of classic Bistro fare, and my wife and I each dined on the steak frites. The food was perfectly prepared, and the wine we chose to have with our meal was the perfect compliment. Speaking of wine, their wine list is one of the reasons we dine at Carafe. They offer a solid selection of great wines, from around the world, at great prices, as well as select higher end wines, should you desire something that is a step up. Upon completing our after opera meal, we booked dinner reservation for 4 a few weeks in advance of a visit from friends coming from Minneapolis. Our friends have only been to Portland once before, and we look forward to sharing one of our favorite Portland places with them! more

was attending Phantom Of the Opera with a young friend from Peru. I asked the parking attendant at the lot adjacent to Carafe where we could grab some tea or coffee pre-show. He recommended Carafe and we went in throught their open patio and sat at an empty table. For maybe 10 min the wait staff ignored us until I had to flag down someone who might have been a manager. She told me we were probably being ignored because we didn't ""Wait to be seated."" I apologized for our oversight, telling her we didn't realize we'd come into the restuarant the ""wrong way."" She said she'd find a server for us. The woman at the hostess desk came over and told us that if we were attending the show there would be no time for us to have a meal. I told her that all we wanted was a beverage. She walked away and I asked her for a menu. With an attitude of extreme ire, she grabbed a menu and slammed in on our table and huffed off. I flagged down a male staff member to ask him if he was our server. He said he was the bus boy but when I described the hostess's behaviour he said he'd serve us our tea. He did so and we were humbly grateful! A waitress named Cheryl came over to complete the serviice, and she also had a very rude manner about her. I asked her what we had done wrong in order to incense the staff so much. She told us that most people know to come into the front door of a restuarant, then she snitted off. Over all, the entire experience ruined an evening and caused my Latin American friend to feel that perhaps somehow his skin color was objectionable. Cons: Customer Service more

Friends visiting from out of town chose Carafe based on proximity to the Keller and the reviews online, but I found out meal rather disappointing. The ""specials"" menu was handwritten and photocopied, then stuck into the existing menus--very unprofessional. The 3 of us ordered the salmon, porkchop, and vegetable sandwich. The salmon portion was tiny, though my friend seemed to enjoy. The vegetable sandwich came out covered in cheese (my friend has to eat it with a knife & fork) and minimal vegetables--not was she was looking for in a ""healthy"" choice. My pork chop was under-cooked and overly fatty, though the sauce & flavor was excellent--I would have liked to been able to eat more. The accompanying mashed potatoes (with bacon, snap peas, and fava beans) were completely bland. It tasted like no seasoning at all had been added. Our dessert (""petit fours"" and profiteroles) were deeply uninspiring. Rather than traditional petit fours, we received a plate of boring cookies that could have come from Costco. The profiteroles also tasted like baseic frozen cream puffs. Service started out pleasant, but as the pre-show rush kicked in, our waitress disappeared, and we ended up being served by other staff (including the hostess). The only really positive thing about the experience was the generous 1/4 L of merlot. Otherwise, the evening was a resounding failure. I would not recommend Carafe, nor would I return. Pros: Proximity to the Keller Cons: Everything else more

I took a group of friends here based on reviews at CS. I'd like to say that the hostess and the kitchen staff were very friendly. The decor is closer to a diner than any bistro (in Paris or otherwise) that I've been to. The bathroom was in the parking garage. I'd like to mention that I'm skinny and don't like huge portions so when I think a portion is tiny, it's extreme. The food was very expensive. I'm told the burgers were great. My veggie sandwhich was tasty but lacking in veggies. My side salad was tiny and boring. My friend got the cheese plate. It truly was laughable. She had a few tiny, refrigerator-cold pieces of toast, a tiny piece of brie and a tiny chunk of parmesan cheese. We're talking teeny tiny. Each chunk was about 1.5"" by .40"" (yes inches) at best. Who wants to munch on parmesan anyway? I complained and the waiter responded that ""Cheese is expensive."" Excuse me? I persisted that this was not satisfactory so he comped my friend a dessert but with the high prices, the too tiny portions and the attitude with customers I won't be back. Pros: Good Burgers, Validated Parking, Good Location & Outside Dining Cons: Expensive, Waiter with Attitude, Poor Decor and Bathroom in Parking Garage more

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our dinner this last Saturday. I use to frequent Carafe during lunch for several years when I worked downtown. Service and food has always exceeded my expectations. My very favorite dish is their unbelievable hamburger (medium rare w/camembert) and french fries accompanied by their homemade mayo. Life is not complete without one of their hamburgers. The dinner and/or lunch is a great value as their wine list is not outragiously expensive, like other establishments, and the quality is exceptional. The chef should be proud of his work of art. Well done. Pros: food/service/value/ambience - hmmm - everything Cons: hmmmmm - nothing more

This is an average Bistro. Yes..., it is loud..., However, the bistro's in Europe have a great conversation level without the noise this restaurant has. The service was wonderful, both, the woman who seated us along with the server was attentive and pleasent..., could not have asked for better. The food was another story. We ordered the three course pork loin. I did not want to attempt fish on a Thursday night. The first course, was green leaf salad accompanied a salmon muse on a baguette, a bit confusing with the flavors. The greens were extremely bitter and the salmon muse was nondescript, serving size was small, on a bread dish size plate. The second course was a split pea soup, with what tasted like a lemon zest on the back side. This was the better of the three offerings of the night. The soup was light and tasty. i would have like more, again a smaller portion. The entree was a pork loin with glazed carrots. Sounds good. The pork loin was two thin slices drowned in a salty white sauce on top of a couple of quartered potatoes and four triangled shaped carrot ends which were placed plate around the plate as garnish. I would rather have had glazed julianne carrots with this dish, and sliced yukon gold potatoes with a fresh parsley to build up the pork loin. Enjoy. Pros: The service was wonderful Cons: the food was blah more

Three of us went for lunch, the food and service was very good. The Mussles were yummy and the PROFITEROLES AU CHOCOLAT were to die for. Everyone totally enjoyed the meal. Pros: Food, service and Ambience Cons: Non that I could see. more

If I could, I wish I give it zero star to rate it.\r \r We experienced being cheated during our Thanksgiving holidays in this restaurant. we made a reservation and reached the restaurant on time. However, the hostess told us that our seats were occupied. She offered us seats in a quite bad location. After that, we ordered our food. My main course was the special on that day. On their menu, they said the matsutake was one of the ingredients. But I just found four roasted old shrimp in a kind of soup with tofu in the middle. NO matsutake! It tastes very very bad. I asked a host to confirm it. He came back and said the chef was confused with it and didn't put matsutake in the food. They offered to give me a side dish of it. Then they brought a small bowl with several pieces of normal raw mushroom in a little soup! It was NOT matsutake! After finishing the worst meal, our bill came. Attention, the worst thing happened! We checked the price and they OVERCHARGED us!!! After we pointed it out, a host went back and printed out a new bill for us. He even DIDN'T apologize!\r \r I suggest that you'd better check your bill before you pay if you go to this cheating restaurant. Or you'd better avoid this restaurant if you want to enjoy your food and your time. \r more

An update to my previous review where I gave the restaurant 4 stars. Now rating it 2 stars. Had an abysmal meal here last week, nothing seemed very fresh and tasted so intensely salty we couldn't eat it anyway! Noticed the last couple of times we've eaten here the quality and preparation of the food has slipped. Also had bad service one evening when the waitress's cell phone started ringing in the middle of taking our order, she apologized then proceeded to tell us about her problematic teenage son (the caller). We were lost for words. Hope they buck their ideas up in the new year. [Previous review: We have eaten here a couple of times and they have both been positive experiences. Carafe is a straight forward French bistro, nothing fancy, all the usual things one would expect are on the menu. The service has been great and the waiter remembered us on our second visit.] more

Prompt seating indoors or out. Good selection, including a set menu with tastey options for the evening at a reasonable price. Love that they face all outdoor chairs towards the street just like any cafe in Paris. I had the pork loin with whipped potatoes and apricot sauce and it was a divine mix of flavors. The leg of lamb was moist and flavorful. Tres Bon! Pros: Location Cons: Still working on service more

I've only had wonderful food and service here! Very romantic/exotic for little money. Great!!! Try the local wines and of course the steak and fries!! more

Dropped in for dinner before going to see STOMP the other night, and we wish we would have made a different choice. Our kids, 8 and 11, tried the noodles with butter and cheese, and we had the New York Steak. The kids noodles were dry and hard. Our steaks were average at best. More of an issue was the service, which was fairly non-existent. While our server checked with other diners to see how there meal was, our table was neglected. Whether this was because we had kids there ( well-behaved too), or that we were not drinking that night (lower tab), service should be much higher than that, but judging from some of these other reviews, it sounds as though my wife and I are not alone in our opinion. Cons: Service more

We went in after a show. The service was horrible; the food was moderate at best. I ordered a $20 steak, and it was served over what appeared to be frozen fries. The shocker was the BURNT bread; it was scorched on top, inedible really. I wouldn't serve that bread to anyone, yet they brought 2 baskets. \r \r We were even more surprised to see the hostess complaining about the 15% tip that was left for horrible service. When she told us that she was changing the tip to 18% (for a party of 6), we told her she wouldn't change it or she'd be talking to our lawyer. We were so disappointed!\r Pros: Quaint and small Cons: Strip mall atmosphere, poor service, below average food more