Carlyle

Food service was terribly slow tonight for some reason. 1 hour for the main course and there were no appetizers. My rating at thia point is 2. Our server was good and handled the situation very well (I’m not sure what happened). They were able to help out on the bill and I see potential in this place. This is why they earned 4 stars.

I love this place!
We had our office Christmas dinner here (10 people) and the service and food was wonderful! I had lamb, butter lettuce salad, and a great Crème Brulee.
In fact, we are going back. I read a comment a litle down on this page saying «we need to get over ourselfs». Really? I didn’t find this place stuffy at all. That being said, we dressed nicely as it was a big night out. Not that you have to dress nice, but shouldn’t there be restaurants for that? What’s wrong with great food, dressing up, and enjoying yourself?
I have also come for happy hour, the drinks are really great. Too bad I can’t afford to eat here more often.

One of the finer restaurants in Portland. In the NW section of Portland, and a little ways from downtown, the drive is worth it. Gracious host and all the staff were very professional. Upon entering, the bar area is to your left. Handsome bar and the decoration is contemporary.
We sat in the back right area which is the most private. Greeted by the server and had some before dinner drinks. The wine selection if from all around the world. We settled on the butter lettuce salad for starters, and had the pork shoulder and sablefish for main courses.
The food was truly scrumptious. Gourmet all the way. The reduction sauce on the pork was out of this world. It was served with braised cabbage with pieces of pork intertwined. Truly tasty. The fish was like a cod served on a chowder like setting. Again. just lovely.
Dessert was a home run ball with the Black Mission Fig Cake. It is served with brown butter ice cream and lemon curd. Indescribable, you have to go try it to see.
Prices were $ 7-​$ 11 for appetizer/​salads and entrees were $ 16-​$ 26. Quite reasonable given the high standard of the meal.
For a fine meal in Portland, Carlyle should certainly be high on the list.

A local local steered me this way when I asked where to find a new approach to the regions bounty to cram in my stomach. The food was perfection. House-​made Charcuterie platter starter, local fresh seasonal oysters, butter lettuce salad, rabbit ragu parpadelle, organic lamb with brussels sprouts and beans — is what my girl and I enjoyed; our dinner companions had the new york strip with chanterelles and another dish i’m too bombed to remember — oh well I’m not too F’d up to Unilocal that this place was great — food, wine (souter pinot), and service delivered the goods with an attention to detail. Next time I’m in town, you’ll be sure to find me there kill’n it.

First rate bar here at the vanguard of mixology, on par with Clyde, Teardrop, and B&F. Top 5 bar and basically unknown. Jacob the bartender also performs magic tricks if you ask him nicely.
Kind of an old world feel inside. Dark, wood everywhere, a large mirror on one end of the bar. I always feel like I’m on a 40’s movie set, whatever that means…
I’ve had most of the food on the bar menu… tartar, olive assortment, bunny ragu. All to die for.
I have come here by myself, with friends, and on dates and found it to be ideal for all of these things.
Out in the middle of nowhere = Portland charm. Also a good distance to walk it all off afterward.

Great service, beautiful venue, incredible food. Not as expensive as many have made it out to be. One course after another, from the soup, appetizers, pasta, entrees to the dessert was delicious, served well, and tasted great. They charged for «bread service» but the bread was great! Small menu, but great fare. Not one thing came that wasn’t really flavorful and interesting. Will definitely go again. It makes it to my short list of best restaurants in Portland, and I can’t disagree that it makes it to one of the better in the country. Also, I would disagree with the Unilocaler who took a star off because of location. Parking was easier, I would add a star for that alone.

This place might be 5 stars if it were not out in BFE.
There’s a mellow feel to this place. Very welcoming. Modest yet elegant. Not too fancy, but definitely worthy of taking someone for a special occasion.
We came to celebrate my newfound employment. My New York Strip was absolutely perfect. It was served already sliced, but I quickly forgave that after my mouth-​gasm. I mean, every course was top-​notch. Appetizer to desert. All the entrees were perfectly balanced and used ingredients creatively.
And the service was ridiculously good. We were one of 2 – 3 tables there for an early dinner, so this was to be expected. Loved the music playing, too. I even heard my favorite Sinatra song!
Like I said, plop this place somewhere relevant and I’ll throw in a fifth star.

My friends and I organized a huge dinner party here, and we loved it. They seated us in a huge open space, in the kitchen area. We got to eat and converse with the chef, check out the kitchen, etc. It was absolutely a unique opportunity.
Our host and service staff was amazing. Highly recommend organizing any dinner party at this locale. You can’t go wrong.
Also, their drinks and food are superb.
High class all the way.

Really amazing dinner with a group of very picky eaters from the East Coast. The concierge at the Nines made the reservation, and we could not have been more pleased. Excellent food, pro service, and perfectly executed cocktails. Two in the crowd ordered steak and both said it rivaled Peter Luger in terms of flavor. I loved my scallop dish, the Charcuterie platter, and the Bourbon selection. First Class!

Middle of nowhere? Nah, I like that little pocket. Not quite fully industrial NW, too North to be Pearl, and mere blocks away from The Dockside. It’s a fancy-​pants, small restaurant in a very slowly up-​and-​coming chunk of warehouse neighborhood (noticed several new studios, even a new vintage clothing store in what was an abandoned store front not too long ago). It’s close enough to the train station that I’ll go there, let’s put it that way. Much deeper than that into NW proper and I get the shakes.
I had the best drink of my life here at Carlyle tonight. I realize that’s a bold statement, but I’m prepared to stand by it. The Aviation folks were behind the bar for a Recession Proof Mixology thingy and for $ 5 I had Neil’s Queen Bee, that was like a Bee’s Knee’s if the Bee’s Knee’s was a person and went to charm school and got a new hairdo. I could have had 12, that shit was delicious. Normally $ 10, so this was a real steal. It was Aviation Gin, elderberry something-​or-​other, housemade clover honey syrup, and a ‘burst’ of bubbly. That’s an AB drink right there.
The Bar Menu is pretty solid, and a good one for the meat fans– pappardelle with pork-​cheek ragu, oysters on the half-​shell, Cascade Farms tartare, a burger, calamari. A few meatless options– cheese (Steve’s) plate, fries, bread service, olives.
I went with the butter lettuce salad (stacked beautifully– sprinkling of crushed hazelnuts on top, green goddess dressing) and brandade croquettes (tonnato). Both were tasty, $ 3 off with cocktail purchase for Happy Hour 4 – 6:30, and pretty as a picture. Historically, I have an aversion to the smear-​the-​dollop-​of-​sauce-​across-​the-​plate look, but the chevre mousse below the salad and aioli underneath the croquettes were tasty enough that I let it slide.
I capped those off with The Hearst (or «Heart», a sort of cute typo on the menu) — gin, vermouth, bitters, which was a-​ok but not anything to Unilocal home about. It got completely packed in there. And doing my usual eavesdropping, no one was aware of the cheap drinks specials, so I think it would have been that packed either way.
Service-​host, bartender, servers, busboy-​was top-​notch, until my plates were empty, drinks drunk, and my credit card was on the table. I waited 25 minutes for my server to pick up my card and another 15 to complete the transaction, after she passed me by several times. That was kind of a drag, but she did apologize for that wait before I breezed out.
Not as pricey as I had anticipated, honestly, but I only had the discounted bar menu. I noticed they offer a $ 30 3-​course as well. The entire cocktail menu looked killer, but you’d better have some serious cash on hand if you want to throw back more than one or two.
Queen Bee– you have made an impression that will not be forgotten any time soon. The crowd was a little too much honey for my hive, but I would check this spot out again.

After reading about this place, I decided it would be a good spot for me and my hubby to get a drink before a show since it was close and would give us a chance to grab a quick bite given we didn’t have time for a full dinner.
Parking was really easy, we even got a spot right out front and followed a pair of women inside who are being told that the bar is full but there is a spot for them in the dining area (that is half empty) and the two could have the happy hour menu in there if they want. Great! We are in luck too…
Nope. Same guy comes back a few minutes later and tells us the bar is full and they don’t serve happy hour in the dining area in a rather snotty voice. What? Uh… You just told the two people in front of us they could and you were really nice about it. What gives?
Sorry, but you just lost by business. I don’t care how good the food is.

A destination restaurant because it is in the middle of nowhere and it is a bit pricey.
We started with cocktails and they were all yummy. I recommend the Anna Nicole. For dinner I had the steak tartare and the lobster risotto. The risotto was sublime with a ring of basil oil around it– the meat succulent and the risotto perfectly cooked. My friends had the pork loin, the oysters, and the pappardelle and raved about each. I’ve seen some reviews complaining about portion size but we found them to be perfect. I’m not at Olive Garden and don’t want plates overflowing with food. I like to leave the table full but not stuffed.
We would definitely go back for a special occasion. Only minor issue was a long lag time between the oysters and our first course but the wait staff was very friendly and informative about the food and cocktails.

Great food but comes with small portion.
Nice and clean atmosphere.
I have been there once, my friend told me they have great happy hour.
So maybe next time I will try their happy hour and will order more :-b

Went here for happy hour last night. What can I say? Neil is an amazing bartender. He prepared one of the best Sazeracs I’ve had in my life. FYI, it was a traditional, not the variation with Scotch. For my friend, he recommended an excellent glass of riesling based upon her interest in a bottle of Gewürtztraminer.
After I inquired about a Pauliner Octoberfest on the menu, he informed me that he just tapped it out. But he quickly showed me a bottle of Trois Pistoles, an excellent strong dark ale.
My friend and I shared fries and an interesting cheese plate. One of the cheeses was just too moldy and sharp for my taste. I’ll definitely come back to sample the other happy hour items.
Interior is very elegant. Its sleek lines are reminiscent of contemporary noir films like Gattaca and Dark City. The low key atmosphere combined with Neil’s helpfulness and attention to detail made for a top notch experience.

The drinks are sublime, the food a bit over-​produced.
The Carlyle has easily one of the best and most relaxed bars in Portland. Neil and Rob are master bartenders, and besides the impressive list of cocktails, they can produce a drink for just about any mood at a moment’s notice. The bar’s vibe is great, whether relaxing after work with colleagues or on a romantic evening… it simply works.
The food on the whole is good, but in some cases the complexity of the flavors is a bit overwhelming. Case in point: venison over a sweet potato/​banana purée. I’m not a big fan of banana to begin with, but it ended up making a muddied flavor profile that detracted from the venison rather than enhancing it.
The soups are the highlight; I’ve never had one I didn’t like, and they’re often accompanied by a tasty treat like a smoked pork belly or saffron custard surrounded by the soup.
The bar menu is top notch, especially the steak tartare and the charcuterie plate. On the whole, drinks are the highlight, but you’ll definitely be able to get something tasty to snack on.
Ask for «The Good Neighbor» cocktail, served up…

Fussy. Pretentious. Teensy tiny portions. Not so teensy prices. Stuck up wait staff. OK food.
There’s other places (The Farm, for one) in Portland that aren’t so freakin’ stuffy and that serve excellent food. And not that I’m vegetarian, but I eat with one sometimes, and there was ONE entrée that was veg. WTF? This is Portland, people! Get over yourselves.
I am not impressed.

3 ½ stars.
It’s definitely off the beaten path, not in the cute part of town.
I LOVED our beet salad with horseradish crème fraîche. Not only was it beautiful but gave the right amount of bite mixed with yummy beet-​ness (yes, I know it’s not a word). The cauliflower soup was good but not as flavorful as I would have liked. The custard that was in the soup though was perfectly creamy and a nice accompaniment. My sister had the pork chop (v. good) and I had the rabbit w/​foie gras, brussel sprouts and turnips. My only complaint there was w/​the turnips. They were beautifully shaped but didn’t taste like anything. Maybe it’s because I’m not a huge turnip fan to begin with, but my feeling is that if you’re going to put it in there you need to do something with it, seasoning, what have you, something.
For dessert we had the «irish car bomb» which was a (I may get this in the wrong order) a Guinness brownie, Jameson whiskey caramel and baileys ice cream. The caramel was the best part but I wish there had been more of it. The brownie was quite large but was more of a brickish mix of butter and chocolate. Though I’m a fan of both the chocolate and butter food groups, it needed something else to bring it together. And it was slightly cold, which didn’t help. So I’d say the food was good, and beautifully presented, but uneven for the price.
Service was good, bathrooms well maintained and a cute overall spot.

After we checked into our room, we headed out to the Carlyle for dinner. The décor was modern and a bit sterile. It was a bit pricey, but I thought the food was fantastic, my friend wasn’t as impressed. We had a wonderful bottle of Oregon Pinot. To start we had the lobster risotto, it was excellent! Then it was the beet salad, which was also good. For our entrees, I wanted to get a little more local flavor, so I had the Venison with sweet potatoes. WOW! I went to college in northern Wisconsin and I’ve never had venison prepared that well. My friend had the tuna which was also melt in your mouth. For dessert… the rasberry crème brûlée… It was fantastic!

I had researched restaurants in Portland prior to making a recent USA trip. Although Carlyle was a little way north from downtown, it seemed to have the best menu with the most dishes I wanted to eat on it. I was able to book a table over the internet.
The restaurant is in a quieter area north of town but I was able to drive to it easily without any problems and there was a lot of free street parking. Being a nice evening, there was some customers eating outside but I opted for the nice bar area as I thought I might get the best feel of the place there. The restaurant is classy but not stuffy though having visited Portland, I doubt anywhere in Portland is too stuffy! I think you would feel comfortable in Carlyle dressed in most ways.
I had agonised over the many tempting dishes on their menu for many weeks, courtesy of the internet. Do you know the times when you can only finally decide when the waitress arrives and you have to make your mind up? That was me at Carlyle!
As the barman looked to be mixing some nice looking cocktails and I was on vacation, I had a virgin piña colada (driving!).
I love sweetbreads as they’re becoming incresingly rare to find on menus these days but in the end, as I was in the Pacific northwest, I opted for seafood in the form of the crab risotto. The risotto was velvety and creamy with the flavour of the sea, the rice just at the perfect al dente stage. There were generous amounts of sweet crabmeat. A perfect start to the meal.
As I hadn’t had a steak yet on my USA trip, I went with the waitress’s recommendation for entrée of the fillet mignon, foie gras bordelaise and tempura tiger prawn. Again cooked perfectly with a novel classy presentation — good enough to photograph. The steak was melting in the mouth and the huge crunchy tiger prawn offered a different texture.
I finished off the meal with an original pineapple tarte tatin and ice cream.
Service was attentive and informative throughout but being a Brit, I always find American customer service unbelievably good anyway!
A first class meal at a classy restaurant. It’s not in the heart of downtown but well worth the little detour. If a Brit can navigate to it, all you natives should try it out too!

The bar at Carlyle reminds me of something you would see in an old 1940s movie. You almost expect some classic movie star like Humphrey Bogart to walk through the door, order a stiff martini and slide into one of the dark leather chairs next to Lauren Bacall. Exposed brick walls, dark wood and dim lighting set a mysterious mood. The drinks are strong, the food is divine, and the service is proper without being pretentious. Although Carlyle has only been around for a short time, it is already a classic in my book.