Terroir Restaurant & Wine Bar--CLOSED
(503) 288-3715
3500 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd
(at Fremont Street)
Portland,
OR
97212
45.5484
-122.6614
Neighborhood: King
Reviews & Ratings for Terroir Restaurant & Wine Bar--CLOSED
16 reviews
What users are saying:
Showing 1-10 of 16 reviews
Perfect for the Neighboordhood
by catn
January 15, 2008
Went in for dinner over the weekend. Everything was just what we hoped for - casual yet great quality, warm and relaxing atmosphire, great selection of NW wines and the food was comforting and delicious yet not the same thing so many restaurants in Portland tend to fall back on. Try a flight, a roasted piece of duck and the bon bons. Thanks for coming to my neighborhood.
The name fits I guess
by leemaguire
January 14, 2008
If terroir usually refers to soil and weather conditions this makes sense. Everything tasted a bit dank. My boyfriend and I were enthusiastic about the organic and sustainable emphasis, and the menu looked fun. But the food was just off. A plate of cheese was too stinky -- and I do like it strong normally. A salad tasted oddly 'dark' if that's possible. The tuna was not cooked to our specified done-ness and it tasted murky. The flavor of the greens and grains beneath the fish was unlively. Staff was friendly but the room temperature was too cold and the upscale cafeteria decor unromantic.
- Pros: Parking, small plates
- Cons: Too quiet (on a weeknight), food was "off"
best wine bar in portland
by mcath
December 18, 2007
this undiscovered gen has the best selection of northwest wines by the glass and the flight. We love the whole grazing idea of ordering a number of smaller plates and sharing. We've been back several time and Terroir never fails to provide a great overall experience.
You've got to go!
by fooddude
November 25, 2007
I don't get a few of the reviews here. First, Terroir is warm and inviting. Knowegable staff with one of the best boutique Pacific Northwest wine lists in Portland. The food is familar (seared organic top sirloin steak, wood roasted sturgeon, oysters on the half shell) while still being inventive (sweetbreads with beet reduction, roasted marrow bones, every changing ceviche) and extremely delicious. Finish with an amazing dessert plate of chocolates and candies. On top of all that, the prices were a great value. Dinner for two of us with a flight and glass of wine was under $40 per person. You've got to go!
- Pros: Warm, inviting and a great value
- Cons: Neighborhood is still in transition
What are they thinking????
by zenspace
November 25, 2007
Food was O.K. (not great) but the service was so green. I had to say the name of the wine three times and finally point to it before the server had any clue as to what I was ordering. Space is cold and uninvititing and the kitchen staff likes to stare down customers from the slow open kitchen. Wine and food would be better if it was more eurocentric. The large oregon wine list does not pair as well with the food as a european wine list would. read here "acid"
the gnocchi is spongie, the cheese is ice cold and smells like the fridge, the fish is "very" soft and not very fragrant.
maybe in a strip mall in rural Texas, it would be good
- Pros: like to patronize the locals
- Cons: nothing is good
Fab small plates and wine
by sakitume
November 12, 2007
I'm into small plates spots and this was a great experience! Let me say first that I'm from Chicago and while there's no dearth of excellent food, I get really tired of the loud, hard-surface experience so common here -- but at Terroir, you can actually converse with your table companions. Already I'm pleased. Artisan wine from the Northwest? You betcha, and I was particularly happy with the Burgundian-style pinot from Coeur de Terre, a producer I'd never heard of. And then, of course, there's the food. The rockfish crudo was not only nicely plated with small mounds of watermelon salsa, it was incredibly fresh. So was the endive salad. The risotto was wonderful and the papardelle with braised lamb shoulder SLAYED me -- it was simultaneously light and rich. I wasn't enthusiastic about the salmon tartare, but that's a small matter when the rest of the meal was so good. Oh, and the front-of-the-house folks were very friendly and helpful. Hits all the spots -- recommended.
- Pros: Fresh, delicious food in small plates format
best bloody mary in town and awesome service
by lalalagirl
October 04, 2007
We had our book club meeting at Terroir this month and were glad we did. There were ten of us in our group so we pretty much tried everything on the menu. Ryan, our waiter was very nice, very attentive, and a good sport. the chilled cucumber soup was really good, with a hint of spice. the risotto was the best i've ever had. the combination of carmelized cauliflower, horseradish, and almonds was perfect. The gnocchi delicious and the small portion size was big enough to share. The frittata was light and creamy. The salmon was crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. delicious! the cheese plates were so good we had to get a second serving. both the soft and the hard cheese plates were full of awesome cheeses with very full flavors. the best thing i had though was the bloody mary. the tomato infused vodka was soooooo good. it's the best i've had in this town, and i've had a lot. ahem. also very popular with our group was the vanilla three-ways. not only was the name perfectly sassy but the three desserts were fun and super yum. (an ice cream sandwich even!) overall we had a great time and had great service.
- Pros: super great service
A fine meal - friendly people - reasonable prices
by hcajones
August 26, 2007
Four of us had dinner yesterday (Saturday) evening. Very pleasant setting. Modern, but not stark and cold. (Wine barrel staves form the "celing" above a counter.) We were greeted courtesouly and promptly, our reservation was recognized, and we were immediately seated. The menu is a little different: it worked perfectly for the four of us to order numerous different dishes and share. (Think of tapas style.) Our server was very friendly and attentive and pleased that we wanted to do a lot of sharing. He frequently but unobtrusively asked if he could do anything more for us. The wine list is appealing and very reasonable: a few under $20; many $20-30; many above that. (I am getting annoyed with mid-priced Portland restaurants that have no wines below $40.) Remarkably, every dish ranged from very good to truly excellent - and we are not that easy to please. We had salmon tartare, a mixed-meat pate, cold tomato soup with gazpacho vegetables (really amazing), risotto with carmelized cauliflower, pappardelle with braised lamb (the noodles were too wide to be pappardelle, but they were infused with fairly mild hot peppers and had a wonderful flavor), and salmon with a Moroccan bar-b-que sauce (containing, we were told, 12 or more herbs and spices). All this with a $25 bottle of Brooks Amycus and the total for 4 before tip was $80. The serving sizes are relatively small, but when shared as we did, they're pefect. This was one of the best and most satisfying meals we've had in a Portland restaurant for a long time.
- Pros: Wonderful food, friendly service, attractive & reasonable wine list, pleasant setting.
- Cons: Can be a little noisy, but that is now common.
Some good plates, mostly mediocre
by sksk12us
August 23, 2007
I had high hopes for this restaurant, as I really like the small plates concept and the chance it gives to taste a lot of the menu. However, on a recent visit (our first) my husband and I were disappointed. Although nothing was bad, only two plates stood out - the risotto with cauliflower and almonds and the tri-tip steak. The other things we tried (razor clams, manila clams, ravioli..)were kind of boring - not well seasoned or exciting flavors. We each had a cocktail, again not very well executed. The space is nice and the service was very friendly, but the food was not worth going back for.
Good wine selection, service, and atmosphere. Terrible food.
by rainatdusk
August 12, 2007
Nice atmosphere and great wine. The pinot flight was outstanding. The service was also good. For the atmosphere, wine selection, and service, I would rate Terroir four stars. The food, unfortunately, gets one star. This was so disappointing, because their menu sounds so interesting. The chef is ambitious and creative, but the dishes we tried were failures. Five out of the seven small plates we ordered were left uneaten. I mean each of us had a little taste of each but did not want a second taste.
The razor clams were greasy and soggy; same for the duck fat fries. The slow roasted pork belly was a square of chewy fat. Slow roasting should have rendered some of that fat so the meat would melt in your mouth. The sirloin was wayyy too salty - and I like salty food. There was one other dish we didn't eat, but I don't remember what it was.
The salmon tartare was edible but not good. We ate it, but we thought the spices were odd. The pappardelli disappeared immediately. I can't tell you how it was, but it must have been good because I didn't get a bite. In the end, we all went home hungry and had to eat again.
- Pros: wine, ambiance
- Cons: disappointing food
