Formal dining in Portland for my 70-ish Father-in-Law
My FIL is seeing a friend and says he has trouble finding restaurants in Portland that are focused on making dining an occasion, as opposed to just bringing out the food. From my wife's conversation I think he is looking for more formal dining, places he can take his friend, that are relatively quiet and pleasant. His companion is soft-spoken. He will eat Chinese, Italian, etc. but is probably not into anything too bizarre. The only other catch I can think of is that it would be nice to keep things around $70 for the both of them, but I realize this may not be realistic.
He said he went to one Italian restaurant that was half-empty and they were seated in the back so as to hide the un-hip old people from being seen from the street. I can totally believe that. He said the service and food were good regardless of that slight.
He lives in SW, out by Hillsdale and Burlingame, and he still drives. He is a great guy! Thanks for your help--I haven't lived in Portland since 1996, and I was too broke then to eat out much.
craniac
Sep 12, 2007 01:51PM
Wish you could name the place that dissed them, that might help.
How about La Prima Trattoria. It's five mins from Hillsdale. http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide...
A favorite SW place of many is Seasons & Regions.
But I wouldn't call either "formal", although they are within the price params. Perhaps you can give us an example of what you mean by that.
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I'll have to talk to him, but I know he mentioned liking the fact that there were linen tableclothes, and that he didn't feel overly rushed. I realize that is a loosely defined term. He also said something along the lines of, "most of the restaurants feel like places where you meet, eat quickly and go somewhere else as soon as possible." Maybe he's talking about a fast-food vibe in more upscale restuarants.
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If he likes Italian, he should try Alba Osteria at 6440 SW Capital Highway in Hillsdale. They don't have a very fancy facility (upscale but not a formal steakhouse atmosphere) but the service is very well done and the food is fresh, local and tasty. Every meal I've had there was relaxed and the staff certainly didn't seem to be rushing anyone. I'd imagine that $70 for 2 would be doable as the entrees run $19 to $28. menu on the website.
http://www.albaosteria.com
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Alba is the obvious choice. One of the best restaurants in the city!
If he wants to get a little farther away from home, he might like Carafe (French) in the 200 Market Building. At night, you can just park in the lot next to the restaurant, and I believe they'll validate.
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There's free parking for both Carafe and Murata at 200 SW Market. The deal is you pay the $5 when you park and the restaurant refunds your $5. Both are very good restaurants.
I agree with Alba Osteria as a great choice. Best place closest to where he lives, by far.
Higher than the $70 for 2 price point, but well worth it for the awesome service and excellent food, is Carlyle.
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