Pinot American Brasserie

Good food, very hospitable

My wife and I stopped in to have a glass of wine before we met some friends at a restaurant across the street. The Brasserie is huge. When we arrived, about ten after six, the place was virtually empty. Also, the happy hour special had just ended.
We ordered a bottle of wine and some oysters. Although this seemed like a simple order, it took forever to actually have someone respond as to what type of oysters they were serving and what they were planning to charge for those oysters.
Finally, the oysters arrived. I guess we were supposed to eat the oysters without napkins or any type of oyster forks. The waitress didn’t check with us and finally after waiting about six minutes or so I flagged down someone who brought the napkins and forks. Thank goodness we ordered a bottle of wine. At least I could refill our glasses myself.
The oysters were good. So a plus there.
Bottom line, the food was A-​OK. No complaints there. The service, especially since the place was empty, was truly sub par. I will give them the benefit of the doubt and award 3 stars for the food. However, I probably will avoid this Brasserie next time in search of better service.

I really wanted to like this place, and there are aspects of it that are terrific. The Gin Rickey I had was tasty. My companion had a Manhattan that was decent.
Our starters were the tartar, the crabcake and a few oysters.
They brought the wrong oysters. They brought Kusshi’s when I had ordered Kumamotos. And they cost $ 4 each, which was ridiculous.
The crabcake was delicious, but for $ 8, I’d have rather seen more than one. It felt like I was shorted by about half-​a crabcake. And the plating was strange. The crabcake itself was perfect.
The tartar was also very good.
I had a butter lettuce salad that was phenomenal in both presentation and flavor. My sweetheart had a fava bean cream soup that was fabulous.
And then with our entrees, things fell apart.
You can serve small amounts of exquisite food. You can serve adequate portions of adequate food. Or you can serve large portions of meh food.
You cannot, however, charge a lot of money for a small amount of food that’s just adequate.
I ordered the steak frites. My steak was tiny, and they tried to hide this by slicing it in advance.
The frites were american, cut with the skins on, and not crisp. I liked them, but they were not what I expected, and I don’t know why they didn’t serve a French Frite.
For $ 25, it should have been A LOT BETTER.
My sweetheart had the NY Strip. It was a dry-​aged steak that looked promising, but it was extremely rare. It was barely cooked.
It had to go back. And then it came back and it was done perfectly. It was served with rapini, and the rapini was terrific.
The plating at this place is odd. It’s like from the 90’s, with large rectangular plates and garnishes that aren’t thought through.
The entrée list looks haphazard. It’s hard to find the right thing to eat, and for the price of their entrees, they need to have more than the protein and a garnish of a vegetable.
They had a beautiful cheese selection for dessert. But the rest of the dessert list is not thought through. The espresso was decent, but there’s no way that the tiny cup they served me was a double shot.
Our waiter was terrific. I appreciate that.
I feel like they are skimpy on the quantity of their food, and the quality isn’t there to justify it, and that bums me out, because the location is lovely and the people seem kind.
I don’t think they are going to last at this rate.

Went there for mothers day brunch. Definitely not a good call. 3 meals had completely over cooked eggs (yolks like chalk) and French toast with runny eggs in the middle. Crab Benedict with the crab shell included. The second try on the French toast came back charred on one side (conveniently placed downward).
Our server was friendly despite all the problems coming out of the kitchen, but when we asked the manager to do something about all the bad meals he wasn’t very apologetic (actually, somewhat patronizing) and the initial offer to make it right on the bill was nothing but a pittance. After a re-​complaint and several more rounds of the bill going back and forth (they couldn’t get the math right) we did end up getting quite a bit off our bill for our troubles, which is why I’m giving this place 2 stars instead of 1.
I would not recommend this place, especially for a special occasion.

This review is heavily slanted toward the bar and happy hour. The bar drinks and service are awesome. The happy hour mussels are an excellent choice. The bartender, Glen, is totally into what he does and it comes through in his service. He even put together this passport program where you can get a little personalized book of drinks that they keep at the bar for you so you can keep track of what you’ve tried, what you like, what/​how to order when you come back. The happy hour also has $ 1 oysters. Yum!
Unfortunately, the actual dinner menu here, I’m sad to say, leaves something to be desired. The kitchen has been through a few chefs and none of them seem to fit the bill/​make well-​executed food (heavy, dense gnocchi.) In all honesty I haven’t tried the dinner menu in months and they may have changed chefs since then. Based on what I experienced a few months back I wouldn’t go higher than 3 stars, esp for the $.

I went there for happy hour and was surprised at how EMPTY the place was! I don’t know if this place will stay in business long if it’s like that.
I ordered a bowl of French Onion Soup. I wasn’t that impressed with it, honestly. It was a little bland for being French Onion. But maybe I’ve just been spoiled with really, really good versions at Petite Provence or Chez Machin. Maybe all the soup needed was a dash of salt. I’m not sure but it was lacking.
I split the Mussels with my friend. The mussels were soft and perfectly cooked. They weren’t rubbery or too chewy like some can be. The butter pesto sauce was surprisingly mild but delicious. I really loved this dish.
For a restaurant named after a wine I was surprised that their wine list wasn’t more extensive. The wine list fell short for me as well. I was also disappointed that there wasn’t a Happy Hour price for wines either.
The service was good, the conversation was nice. Most of the food was delicious. There are a few things that fell short for me with American Pinot and I have a feeling it won’t be in business long, which is a shame.

This place is usually empty, and for good reason. The burger is tasty if you can get them to cook it properly, and that’s a big if.
I first ordered the burger «medium» on a to-​go order. I sat at the bar to wait, watching the server walk back and forth in a grand effort to look busy; offering me a glass of water might have given her something to do but she instead opted to drop the check on me within seconds, and then come by a minute later to see if she could run a card. Since I was paying cash and still unsure about what kind of tip I would be leaving, I declined her offer. She then ignored me until my food was up.
Back at my desk, the burger was perfectly cooked on the outside and completely raw on the inside. I ate around it as best as I could and enjoyed my side salad quite a bit.
Having learned my lesson about what Pinot considers a «medium» burger, I ordered the next one «medium well.» This time I sat at a table with a magazine and waited two+ minutes for the server to acknowledge me, and another two+ minutes for him to take my order after I had reviewed the menu and set it aside. Good thing he had a runner helping him out with all three of his tables or I might not have gotten bread while I waited.
Once again, the burger was raw inside. ETA: Let me be perfectly clear that I mean raw — not pink, not underdone — RAW.
I munched on the once-​toasty-​warm, now-​stale bread while I waited for a new burger. Which was absolutely fantastic but nowhere near worth the $ 12 menu price.

We had a large group of us in there yesterday afternoon for a happy hour on an unhappy day as many of our employees had just been laid off. The service that we got there was fantastic, especially from Drew at the bar. He is a pro and makes people feel welcome by remembering names, staying on top of everyone’s drinks and providing efficient and professional service. Drew stayed on top of our confusing tab and troublesome gift card and provided us with regular updates on our balance. Many servers in Portland do not make you feel «cool enough» or welcome in their bars, but we never got that vibe at Pinot. A few staff have mentioned that «awesome bartender» this morning and I think he really helped our night go smoothly with no hassles at all.
As a side note, the martinis there are fantastic and the happy hour menu is delicious and affordable. It’s a good find, not far from the Pearl District, but with upscale ambience and friendlier service. I hope they make it.

The staff is stuck up.
My $ 9 Old Fashioned was not an Old Fashioned it was almost undrinkable.
My freind’s $ 10 extra dirty extra dry martini up was so sad and bland the bartender excused himself and admitted he «HAD WATERED THE OLIVES DOWN.»
Later the bartender found out we were friend’s of the kitchen staff (we tipped him too well) and tried to make up for his snobbery by shoving his baby (literally his offspring) in my face. What is a baby doing at a bar at 10pm…
I did not even stay for the free food being sent from the kitchen friend (sorry guys) so I can not comment on their eats.
Also I saw my kitchen friend later that night and he said that the bartender was saying bad things about my friend and I who had acted like complete ladies and not complained about his rudeness or upsetting behavior at all.
I will not be going back to this place, even for free food.

It was a dark and stormy night. It’s true. So we abandoned the plan of walking up with our friends who were staying downtown on 3^rd and instead picked them up and drove to Pinot, all of 9 blocks away.
Maybe the decline in the weather was keeping people in all over but Pinot seemed particularly empty. There were maybe 6 other parties in the whole space and it’s not a small space.
The vacant tables didn’t seem to bode well; however, the pinot that we ordered (’cause you have to at Pinot, right?) was bright and the calamari appetizer was tender and flavorful and it came with a very tasty Korean style sweet chili sauce. So we were hopeful about our entrees.
As it turned out, each of us had something different and our hopes were more than justified. I went an unusual direction for me, and got a pork chop. It was thick and moist and perfectly done. Ms. A tried for the steelhead but the last one had been sold so she ended up, quite happily, with succulent scallops.
Our friends got the steak frites and the fried chicken and by the look of it they were quite enthralled as well. Since dinner went so well we dove into the dessert menu too, with equally satisfying results. The baked phyllo was a particular winner.
The tab for all of this was not a small amount, mind you, and the menu doesn’t reach for the stars creatively. So if you are either looking for foodie heaven or an old-​fashioned bargain dinner, this ain’t either of those. But what they do at Pinot is re-​create classic American dishes in a bold way and there’s nothing wrong with that in my book.

Great new find for happy hour. The space is nice but the location lends for an older dining crowd. We stayed in the bar so we didn’t have to deal with any stuffy diners.
The chicken pot pie on the happy hour menu is quite nice, as is the calamari.

for a place that’s named «pinot» and has a gigantic wine cellar wall, i expected a more extensive wine list. my pinot noir was described as «bold and audacious» and since i ordered the filet, i figured — hell! let’s go for it! sadly, it was neither. it was not a bad wine, but i (along with my friend who dined with me) would describe it as soft — far from the bold and audacious description/​recommendation.
the filet was good, but definitely not creative. the flavoring was all right, but simply put… a rather forgettable meal.

There are several things in this world I just «do not get», like the «messy hair» trend; the «white people with dreads» look and limp french fries. sorry but French Fries have to be crisp !!
So skip the fries here, but get the burger!
It was a 5 star burger. Char-​broiled to perfection– still pink in the middle– not too big, nice bun, nice cabbage (?) topping. I’d get it again.
I went w/​a group of 9 and we sat in the bar, perched on uncomfortable high stools. Apparently the bar menu was not available to us if we sat in the (mostly empty) restaurant… (?) Come on management!!! open your eyes! If you see a party of 9 grown women –offer them whatever they want! Offer them a comfy table!
Trust me– it will benefit you in the end!
but I’ll go back and give them another look, because the steelhead BLT looked amazing!
Service was attentive and friendly.

I can’t go 5 stars, but 3 seems too little.
I ate in the bar, and the happy hour/​bar menu is disappointingly small (meaning lacking veg options). That’s actually surprising considering this is smack dab in the middle of Portland. I feel obligated to say that the person next to me ordered the burger, and if I ate meat — that would be what I would have gotten.
So given the lack of veg-​friendly items on the bar menu — we opted for the dinner menu. Expensive, but didn’t suck. A bit overpriced for my taste, and I’ve had better — especially downtown so close to some amazing restaurants. I repeat — it didn’t suck, but I’m not head over heels either.
Don’t go for happy hour if you’re a vegetarian — it’s really not a great deal, and you’ll likely go away hungry.
If you’re a carnivore, get the burger during happy hour — it is a good deal, and the dinner menu is overpriced for the meaty options.

IMPRESSED!
Just had a wonderful dinner here which was fair value but delivered on many fronts. Steak tartar with a fresh quail egg… wonderful! Followed by skate wing off the bone pan fried I believe, with some vegetables… delicious, my co-​diner had the mozzarella cheese followed by the mushroom risotto which had just the correct taste of mushroom. All this was followed by a 5 cheese sampler selection… served at exactly the right temperature. Our server was informative and helpful, even brought the head chef out to meet us at the end of the evening. A brilliant dinner full of flavour with taste, good portion control and an interesting selection of wines. The french training of the chef and his team came through and I am only sorry that I am a visitor to Portland… cos’ it’ll be a wee while before I am able to return.
MAKE A RESERVATION… and visit soon!

Good service mediocre food.
This could easily be the shortest review I’ve ever written on Unilocal,but I try to set a good example, so I’ll elaborate.
I stopped in Pinot on a cold wet afternoon in between meetings for a late lunch. I’ve heard mixed things about this place but I figured hey, why not give it a shot? I snagged a window seat and ordered up a BLT, which indicated it came with «roasted» tomatoes. Interesting, but I’ll bite.
The server was quick to welcome, and very friendly and on-​point, which was nice for an off hour. Often I get super crappy service in off hours simply because servers aren’t really in the zone at that hour of the day, and would rather be doing side work, getting out early, cashing out, chatting, resting, smoking or whatever. not here. The service really was good on this visit.
The food was, well, not great. It was ok. Decent bread, Neuske’s smoked bacon, some chopped iceberg and hot grilled tomatoes. I’ll give them a point for style but then I’d have to dock that point right back for the flavor. I guess I just prefer the nice lush freshness of an uncooked tomato to pair with the creamy mayo and salty bacon. I wasn’t a huge fan. The sides offered were fries, soup or salad, and I went with a white bean/​kale soup, which was, again, just alright.
For the price I was expecting more.
I’m really hovering between 2 and 3 stars on this, but on Unilocal,2 stands for «meh, I’ve experienced better.» I doubt I’ll be back on my own accord but if someone asked me to go I wouldn’t be kicking and screaming. It’s not as bad as some make it seem. There just happens to be a plethora of great food in this town as alternative, and if I’m going to be paying upscale prices, I expect upscale food. A 3-​star «A-​OK» doesn’t really do the feel of my visit justice.

Reserved Pinot American Brasserie’s private room for a company dinner (16 guests) this past Friday evening. It was a complete joy, from the fantastic dishes to the extraordinary service from our two main servers Jason and Stacey.
That evening, I had the chance to sample many of the dishes such as the frog legs, mussels, fresh mozzarella, onion gratinée, pork chops and steak frites. All were excellent.
My only complaints are fairly nitpicky: it was a bit loud in the restaurant, even in the private room. The private room didn’t close off entirely from the rest of the restaurant, but it wasn’t really a problem for us. However, when eating in the main hall, one should expect an above average noise level. Lastly the private room had a second, and strangely situated, entrance to the restaurant that probably should have been locked or a sign hung to use the other door, as it led to several people walking through our «private» room to get to the main hall.
Regardless, our experience was wonderful, I would reserve this room again and plan on coming back with friends/​smaller groups.

We couldn’t get a table at Clyde, Jake’s or Gruner, and Pinot was pretty dead, so we crawled in out of the rain.
Serivce was a little slow, but diligent and friendly. It would be nice if we didn’t have to ask for more water every time a glass was empty.
The whole roasted hen that I tasted was delicious, and the cream of celery soup and salmon were both enjoyed by my friends who ordered them, and I appreciated the diversity of the bread basket.
The steak frites I ate were essentially perfect. The steak, small but ultimately satisfying, was cooked to a perfect medium rare and served slathered in compound butter, and the fries are cooked in duck fat and served with house-​made aioli, ketchup and salsa verde, which provided exciting variety.
The atmosphere was weak, populated mostly by the elderly and sparsely at that, and with high ceilings, large open spaces and a fairly sterile feeling, it did nothing to warm me as I came in from the cold.
I’m not entirely sure that I would go back, because environment is so crucial, but it you love brasserie food and don’t care what’s happening around you, or don’t want to be seen out with your mistress, Pinot is fantastic!

Overall it was «OK.»
My biggest complaint is when I told the manager that I really didn’t like my braised beef short rib, he failed to quickly accept my request to get a different meal. It was like I had to convince him that it was the right thing for him to do.

Even though our visit to Portland was short (6 days), we went to Pinot twice — once for lunch and the next day for dinner. The service was exceptional; the servers had great food and wine suggestions, as well as suggestions of things for us to do while we were in town. Pinot also has a very cool atmosphere and is awesomely decorated.
For lunch I had the Oregon Bay Shrimp and Fresh Fruit «Confetti,» which was just enough to tide me over until dinner, as I hadn’t been very hungry. Very interesting flavors — I loved the mix of avocado with the blueberries, etc.
Dinner the next night was the Dungeness Crab Cake, which was presented beautifully and again — great use of avocado (though can you go wrong with avocado, really?).