Taste On 23rd

Perfect for our first night in Portland — exactly what we had in mind!
We plopped at the bar and were greeted warmly and offered some great choices for several wine flights — keeping it local the whole way. They even had a delicious Cab Franc — my favorite, and all too difficult to find — which won me easily.
The cheeseboard was the best we’d ever had, and that’s after quite a few boards. The lobster/​truffle Mac n Cheese is a must-​order in my opinion.

Bar none this is the best wine bar in all of Portland and Benji is the best chef. There is just about nothing more to be said! Been coming here steadily for the last two + years since I’ve discovered it, it’s that delicious.

My girlfriends and I wandered into those cozy haunt on a drizzly PNW day right on the dot when they first opened and were so glad we did.
In spite of the overwhelming ripe stench (what was that?!) we caught wind of when we walked in, we were greeted by a friendly fellow who was more than happy to accommodate a quartet of females interested only in the food and not the wine. So I can’t speak for the wine, but the food was delicious and reasonably priced.
We shared the following:
Truffle popcorn. So good. So little. I wish there was more. We inhaled this.
House mac & Cheese. Delicious, but tasted not much better than Velveeta. It’s still mac & cheese, so can’t complain.
Deviled eggs. It was a trio, but we asked if we can pay for a 4^th since there were four of us and they were happy to do so for $ 2 more.
Lavender hazelnut bruschetta. This was also a trio but they gave us a 4^th piece for free. Really good. A bit floral, but I liked it.
Pork potstickers. Great flavor, served with a fruit chutney of sorts.
We’d definitely come back here.

In an old house, the décor has maintained much of the original woodwork and other attributes. Jim and Shannon serve wine by the glass as well as sell bottles to go. I’ve been there a few times since they opened in November. Friendly and attentive service, great food (all little plates), intriguing wine list. It is a great place to cool for a bit from vacation shopping, or snatch a fast bite in route home. I lately discovered they poured light pours, but I have not experienced that. The most recent time that I was there, the staff was quantifying the pours to be sure they were right. Too bad when gossips like that get started about a fresh position. Hopefully folks will still drop in and see for themselves.

Taste on 23^rd is a charming, quaint little wine bar. It has a seemingly extensive selection of wines. I have to say, I loved how the menu broke down the different wines further than your basic reds and whites. It categorized juicy, crisp, smooth and soft, earthy, full body, etc. Even further than that, it listed sensory descriptors for each of those categories. I am no wine connoisseur, I really appreciated that. Our server offered great knowledge on the wines and was spot on when arranging our meat and cheese pairings. The food was great
Ciders, craft beer, and cocktails were also available, but we didn’t go in that direction.

Best wines I’ve had in Portland.

Food here is very good, I highly recommend the lobster Mac and cheese.
The waiter was great and allowed us to eat/​choose at our own pace.

I’ve finally found the ultimate mac and cheese… compared to this one, all other mac and cheeses taste like soggy cheetos.
So I was looking for a good restaurant near my hotel, Unilocal to the rescue… this had good reviews and was just a few blocks from the Inn at Northrup Station (and quite close to North/​South streetcar stops, if you need it). I walked in and saw it was a pleasant restaurant– fresh flowers on the tables (as I’m pining for spring), jazzy versions of recognizable songs, about half full on a Thursday night. I asked the waiter what was good, he told me the mac and cheese was «boss», so I decided to get that. I opted not to get any of the optional add-​ins, such as lobster, mushrooms, etc, so I could taste the purist’s form for the first time. I also ordered a granny smith hard cider. I am loving that Portland has so many hard ciders… I digress.
So out comes the mac and cheese– fairly under-​salted for a mac and cheese, but this made it perfect. It allowed me to taste the true cheese flavors– cheddar and Parmesan stood out. It was made with perfectly done cavatappi pasta. The whole thing was rich and buttery and absolutely perfect. And it was a generous-​sized bowl– I had wanted to grab dessert at the ice cream shop nearby but had to postpone that for the next night because I was quite full.

This place is just delightful. Excellent service, great wine selection and a staff that is familiar not only with their wines but also what to pair them with. Our cheese and meat plate was outstanding and I highly recommend any of their other meat and/​or cheese plate selections. You can also mix and match and the bread… forget about it! NY slang for yummy. I wasn’t too excited about the scallops but everything else was outstanding and I’ll definitely be back.

What a cozy place to spend a chilly fall night! Came here with my boyfriend, as we’ve become big wine drinkers and thought this would be a perfect place to try some new wines and share some appetizers. The atmosphere is wonderful: dim lighting and small tables create a super intimate feel.
We first ordered the Gouda cheese board. The menu suggests which wines to pair with the cheeses, so I picked a crisp white wine from France that I loved. My boyfriend ordered a full-​bodied red Portuguese wine which he thought was tasty as well. The cheese board was amazing, it came with fresh apple slices, baguettes, grapes, local honey, and a peppered jam that was all delicious. For the rest of our appetizers, we ordered the lobster mac n cheese and the miso curry steamed mussels — they were both phenomenal, and I would definitely recommend those to anyone dining here.
The only thing that knocks off a star was our overall experience– First, we were initially sat by the door, but a man came in to play saxophone so our waitress moved us to the bar. This wasn’t a big deal, and we appreciated her thoughtfulness, but she wasn’t the most polite when speaking to the musician, which kind of rubbed us the wrong way. Secondly, this restaurant is a tad on the pricy side for the size of the plates, so we made sure to be here and order during happy hour, which is 5−7pm daily. We placed the final part of our order about 15 minutes before happy hour was over, but when we got the bill, we noticed that only the first portion of our meal was charged as the happy hour prices. We clarified with our waitress that we had ordered during happy hour, and she wasn’t the most pleasant about the situation.
Overall, I think this is a great spot to share some small plates and taste some wines — I do recommend coming during happy hour, as it wasn’t busy at all; all wines are $ 2 off, while most plates are also a few dollars cheaper than usual.

Maybe I’m just not a fan of tapas. I got a cheese and apple flatbread and roasted elephant garlic. It was alright, but nothing to write home about especially considering the cost.
The staff is passionate and knowledgable about their alcohol selections. While I’m not personally a big wine drinker, I can appreciate a fine wine, and they have plenty of it here. I opted for the Ciderboy’s First Press cider and I’m so glad I got it! One of the staff members explained to me the process of making what they call first press cider. It’s good quality stuff and comes from Wisconsin!
I wasn’t feeling the atmosphere. It was a bit too modern and bright and almost felt cold. I do think it blends in well with the neighborhood though.
While there were a few things I was not fond of here for reasons mentioned above, all in all, I think this is a decent wine bar and the staff knows enough about wine to make it a great place… if you love wine.
I also think I may have had a better experience coming here as a date night as opposed to being with a group of 6 people.
This part probably seems silly, but I’m not a fan of the name «Taste» for a restaurant either. I feel like it lacks creativity and implies that my wallet will be getting a taste of something too… emptiness.

i LOVE their mac n cheese!!! I tried all the varieties of it — original, mushroom and lobster, and all of them did not disappoint! Of all three, my fave was the mushroom! So creamy and tasty and it melts in your mouth. Service was great, ours was very attentive to our needs and very courteous.
Will definitely come back! :)

We ordered delivery via Grub Hub. The order was on time and was surprisingly visually appealing upon arrival for being a delivery order! We got:
Truffle Popcorn: light Parmesan reggiano with truffle oil and some sort of salt/​pepper combo. Let me just say, perfect. Smells and tastes amazing! Totally worth it.
Tomato and basil bruschetta: tomatoes were beautiful (stoneboat cherry) and were properly coupled with basil then topped with a perfect amount of balsamic/​olive oil.
Cheese (we picked Gouda) and fruit plate (or box if it’s delivered): yum! The honey was a nice addition. The cheese was excellent, bread fresh, fruit (mostly) tasty. My only suggestion is that the menu be revised, because we ended up with some sort of chopped bitter mystery fruit (?) and sweet peppers. I’m all for seasonal sourcing, it’s just nice to know ahead of time.
Dessert: finished everything off with a confusingly delicious taste explosion! I’m still not sure exactly what it was, but I would guess some form of fruit balsamic reduction over vanilla ice cream in a waffle bowl. Excellent sweet-​sour marriage going on here. Great job.
I have never set eyes on this place, but I would certainly be interested in doing so in the future.

Taste is a true polished find on 23^rd. Classy, delicious and high quality all around. Definitely worth stopping in for a glass of wine!

We went to Taste on 23^rd our very first night (ever) in Portland. I can’t say enough about how fantastic this place was. The bartenders, one of whom was also the chef, really took care of us. The wine they recommended for both of our Pinot Noir flights was totally out-​of-​this-​world fantastic. The food was amazing too (tapas portions) – starting with watermelon gazpacho, heirloom tomato basil bruschetta, oysters Rockefeller, and lobster mac and cheese! Not to mention the fantastic advice and Oregon wine magazine and a lot of great ideas for places to visit while we are here. I definitely recommend stopping here. Make sure to try the Seufert Zenith 2010 Pinot Noir-​my new favorite thing.

Taste on 23^rd has some great food, but everything is really small in quantity. I ordered one bruschetta, and while it was out-​of-​the-​world amazing, it did nothing for my hunger. I would have ordered a couple more dishes were I not on a strict budget.
Things I didn’t like — Food takes a while to get there, and it could definitely be cheaper.
Things I loved — The taste of food, the variety of options (quite a few vegetarian ones) and the unbeatable location.
Will I ever go there again? Only if someone else is paying!

Went here for happy hour on a Friday night with two friends. It is in a wonderful location — NW 23^rd and Johnson. HH is from 5−7pm everyday (always nice).
When we arrived it wasn’t too busy yet. We were seated at an elevated table near the window. We were presented with wine and food menus. During HH all glasses of wine are $ 2 off. HH food prices are marked in red on the menu. I ordered two item: the brussels sprouts ($ 5) and the Chanterelle bruscetta ($ 5). I enjoyed both! You get a bowl of brussel sprouts and three pieces of brusecetta. having those two filled me. One of my friends ordered the mac and cheese, and let me tell you — YUM! And a very decently sized portion for a HH menu. Next time I will definitely be trying that :) My boyfriend was slightly disappointed with his bruscetta — he got the prosciutto, it had a slightly «fruit loop» taste he said. Now onto the wine…
While I can’t exactly remember which one’s I got, I really enjoyed the first one and the second one… a Grenacha I believe, was so interesting! It has a smokey flavor that I have never experienced in a wine before. A cool new experience.
Service was attentive, the owner/​manager even came over to make sure we were enjoying everything. This was a very pleasent happy hour experience and I will defintiely be returning.

We went for our first time on Saturday night & loved it! Had a wine flight & meat & cheese platter that was delicious! Will definitely be returning soon.
This is still hands down the best wine bar in town! Ari sure knows his wines, and remembers what we like, my husband & I each ordered a different glass of wine & Ari suggested we try some different one’s he just got it– he of course was right on with his choices, they were great! & our meat & cheese platter was out of this world, no comparison to the other places we’ve been! Try to get out of there without ordering their popcorn with the truffle oil on it, it’s impossible to do!

Had the best mac & cheese here (not something I was expecting). There’s 4 different kinds to choose from but I had the mushroom & proscruitto and was not disappointed. The mussel steamer was also decent — not the best tasting broth but the mussels themselves were pretty good.
The wine menu speaks for itself — great selection.

A charming wine bar in Alphabet that’s hidden inside a lovely little Victorian style house. There’s a long bar with seating and several other long, high-​top tables and smaller two tops. We chose a long table by the window and got to people watch and enjoy our wine.
The bartender/​server was highly knowledgeable. When asking for recommendations, we got really informative details. You can tell the staff here not only know what they’re talking about, but they take a lot of pride in what they do.
We shared a bottle of seriously delicious wine, The Hedgehog Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley. We were also able to taste two different wines we were trying to choose between. They have an excellent wine list, tons of local options, and they offer wine flights and tastings.
They also have a nice variety of small plates and snacks. We got a cheese plate of a lovely raw sheep milk’s cheese (Sawtooth) from Washington. The cheese plates get served with fresh bread, fruit, nuts, local honey and sweet red pepper jam. It was delicious!
Very nice little spot for a date night or an afternoon wine break during shopping or exploring. They have Happy Hour as well. The space is open and very clean, including their adorable bathrooms! The owner was there as well, who was friendly and concerned with all of the customers. I would love to return here soon.