Noble Rot - SE Ankeny @ SE 28th Ave.

• great environment, not pretentious, food is small portions, excellent, but spendy - jvv
• Liked the local art inside. Food was good, wine was fun, too small inside for me. -Lo
• Lovely place, great wine selection, tapas like meals very tasty, a little expensive. -LJS

Brasserie Montmartre - SW 6 @ Park (near Morrison)

• minimal vegetarian selections, good drinks, nice atmosphere, but over priced - jvv
• I had Escargot for the first time Ever! Always good food & service- and you can color. -Lo
• Always a wonderful place, good live jazz, quality food, great bar. -LJS
• A wonderful intro to Supe club. I enjoyed the champagne and doodling on the table with canyons. -EJ

+ Aura - 11th @ W. Burnside

• modern, stylish, good drinks, brilliant - jvv
• Kind of Clubby and a Bit of a meat market, Fun, Dark, Great Drink Selection. -Lo
• As hip and stylish as them come, a little loud on weekends, good food, great drinks, cool bathrooms. -LJS

Bull Ring NW - NW 27th near Vaughn

• good value Mexican food but nothing exceptional - jvv
• Good Sangria!!! Reminded me of a Classroom on Mexico-Month at school. -Lo
• Middle of the road food, tacky, good drinks, decent value. -LJS
• The atmosphere and service left a little to be desired…and the margaritas were tasty, but expensive. Overall, I enjoyed the authenticity of the food and the warm evening's conversation, however, the NW still lacks a really great Mexican restaurant. -EJ

Lauro Kitchen - 33rd & SE Division

• excellent combination of environment, taste, value, and style; crowded even on a Tues. - jvv
• Awesome! My Favorite So Far, I enjoyed the wine, the food, the atmosphere, the service, the great coffee afterward & it was not Giantly expensive! The Walnut Garlic Sauce they put over their Salmon was Absolutely Brilliant! (I Have Tried Duplicating it but have fallen miserably Short) -Lo
• A artistic new space with an impressive mix of eclectic entrees. The pinky drink I had was perfect and I was impressed with the “team work” approach to service. The energy was great for a random Tuesday and helped me to discover a new passion for port. -EJ
• Fantasic resturante, wonderfull food. All around fun.-LJS

Nuestra Cocina - 21st & SE Division

• pleasant atmosphere, good food & drinks, limited veggie selections; service started good, then fell apart - jvv
• BEST Mojito's EVER I like the Stainless steal open kitchen, The food was very traditional and good, the Service was snail paced. -Lo
• Those were awesome minty Mojitos! The first was as good as the thrid. :> I'd have to say they really made the experience. There was a slight decline in service from beginning to end, however, it allowed for more talk time. -EJ
• Best Spanish/Mexican food in Portland. An absolutly wonderfull place with a GREAT bar. -LJS

Ristorante Fratelli - 1230 NW Hoyt - $202 for 5

• great atmosphere, good house cosmo, good entrees and appetizers - jvv
• The Food was better to read off the menu then actually eat. Over priced. The restaurant had a sexy-red-wine feel. Their after-dinner iced coffee drink served in a martini glass was Brilliant - Lo
• A+ for the romantic atmosphere! I loved the taper candles on the solid wood tables. It was also nice to have space around us to enjoy our meal. The sparkling red wine added some excitement to a relatively bland “pasta of the day”. I want to go back for the chicken wrapped in proscuitto. -EJ
• Romantic atmosphere, food was lacking and over priced. A good place for a nice glass of wine and appetizer. -LJS

E-San Thai - 2764 NW Thurnam - $112 for 6

• nice space if a bit noisy; yummy food, spicy! - jvv
• Friendly staff, decent wine selection, Always Great Thai Food. No Liquor, (yet) I like the one downtown better. - Lo
• Spicy conversation and flavorful food made for an enjoyable evening. The space is quite intimate, however, it seems to work for the neighborhood crowd. I agree that the downtown location is better. -EJ
• As always excelent thai food. Spicy to the extreme but yummy. -LJS

Vincente's Pizza - 1935 SE Hawthorne - $72 for 6

• best pizza in Portland; perfect crust from wood fired oven; both veggie pizzas were great; good salads; no liquor - jvv
• Great Pizza, My favorite was the BBQ Chicken.. Mmmmm Sweet Tangie, Grreat! The New add on, the three drunken Frogs.. or The Drunken Frog, or The Dancing Frog.. Very Nice Atmosphere, Good Space, very comfortable. - Lo

Assaggio - 7742 SE 13th Avenue - $311 for 7

• Good food, Good Wine, Good Atmosphere, Good Friends…… Good Times -Lo
• excellent atmosphere, food, and company - wonderful way to spend a birthday with good friends. - jvv

Imbibe - 2229 SE Hawthoren - $96 for 6 (no appetizers or dessert, minimal drinks)

• Absolutley Love the Space, Comfortable, fun, great drinks, impressive bar, Good food, Will definatly go again. - Lo
• nice environment, eclectic selection of food, saltiest french fries *ever* - jvv

Caro Amico Italian Cafe - 3606 SW Barbur Blvd. - $135 for 5 (no Appetizers Or Dessert)

• The level of Difficulty in actually getting to this eating establishment makes it almost not worth going. My advice if you are going to Caro Amico Italian Cafe drive a truck or a car with a high suspension to hop the three medians that force you through a luge of Side Streets and back allys before you can get to the parking lot. That aside my meal was fabulous. I had the Chefs special, Scallops, Shrimp, Chantrelles, in a penna Pasta in a garlic butter and herb sauce.. mmmmmmm.. Good! Actual restaurant was run down, I think they were going for an upscale restaurant in a rundown building feel. I don't think they achieved their goal… (if that WAS their goal). -Lo
• food was good, but not particularly notable; bread was below average; interesting setting, not *that* hard to get to - jvv
• Yes it was! - Lo
• with a bit of judicious map reading and a general sense of direction, it's not so bad to get there. - jvv
• Some of us Don't ride brooms. -Lo
• huh? - jvv

Misohapi - 1123 NW 23rd Ave - $63 for 6, no dessert

• Miso is great everytime I go. I was impressed with their speedeness! Very fast and polite service. SPICY! Very tasty! Great lamps and wall hangings. -Lo
• big menu w/Japanese and Thai dishes, fastest food delivery ever, tasty and affordable - wine, beer and sake - jvv

PF Chang's China Bistro - 1139 NW Couch Street - $86 for 6, 3 appetizers no dessert, 2 drinks

• Cool atmosphere, fun good food, really liked the dumplings in the beginning, informative wait staff. OUTSTANDING PRICE! - will definatly return - Lo
• A fine Chinese resturante. As close to authentic as Portland could get. Really enjoyed my meal. Great price on Saki! - ljs
• nice atmosphere for a chain, food was good but not exceptional but was an outstanding value for the money; surprisingly affordable - jvv

Le Happy - 1139 NW Couch Street - $104 for 4, 2 crepes + 2 drinks ea.

• nice funky atmosphere, yummy food but a bit expensive to fill up on, very good drinks

Portofino - 8075 SE 13th Avenue - $36 for 2, Just Dinner, No Drinks.

• Had it just been the food, and nothing else. It would have been Great. The decor Was an interesting mix of Cheesie Italian and Easter Island. The art was a mix of stuff you would find in the den of your great Aunt hilda's Farm house, Coupled with really awesome pictures of Italian Coastal Towns. The Proprietor, Kokoma Ika, (Easter Island Native, or so he Claims) was funny, Cute and sexie, worldly, Warm and Friendly! He was very knowledgeable about the community around him, and went out of his way to make us feel happy, welcomed and at home. We loved him. He was the key that tied that entire night into an exceptional expierence.
• Nice mixed atmosphere in an eclectic little space off 13th; very friendly proprietor, excellent food and overall a really nice, well-rounded dinning experience. - jvv

Future visits:

Equinox - 830 N Shaver - Phone: (503) 460-3333

Mama Mia's Trattoria - 439 SW 2nd Ave - Phone: (503) 295-6464

Portland Monthly Top Restaurants:

• Mediterranean - Lauro Kitchen 3377 SE Division
• Japanese - Murata and Sin Ju 200 SW Market & 1022 NW Johnson
• Breakfast - Mothers and Heathman 409 SW 2nd & 1001 SW Broadway
• Indian - Bombay Cricket Club - 1925 SE Hawthorne
• Pacific Northwest - Wildwood 2221 NW 21st Ave,
• French - Carafe 200 SW Market
• Latin American - Taqueria Nueve (Mexican), Pabiche (Cuban), Oba! (Brazilian) & Andina (Peruvian) South East Asian - Typhoon (Thia), Sungari Pearl (Chinese) & Pho Van (Vietnamese)
• Italian - Genoa 2832 SE Belmont
• Cajun - Acadia 1303 NE Fremont
• Continental - Heathman
• Service & Ambience - Paleys Place 1204 NW 21st Ave.
• Most Innovative Chefs - Greg Higgins (Higgins) & Vitaly Paley (Paley's Place)
• Chefs to Watch - Matt Johnson and Adam Berger ( Tabla), Tom Hurley (Hurley's), Scott Dolich (Park Kitchen) & Michael Clancy (Giorgio's)