Clarklewis

Wonderful evening out! Great emphasis on fresh ingredients well prepared. For starters had cheese plate and grilled bone marrow. Smoky flavor salt to the marrow made a wonderful flavor I’m still thinking about today. Cheese plate with wonderful variety. Steak Bavette and Sturgeon made for wonderful entries. Steak was perfectly cooked, flavorful and very tender. Sturgeon was buttery with excellent sides adding spice. Would definitely go back if was in the area again.

So nice with great food. We don’t eat here as often as I would like due to cost but go as often as possible.

Very rarely do I find myself eating a meal and plotting my Unilocal review. In addition, I really hate to judge a restaurant on a holiday meal like Valentine’s Day. I had been wanting to eat at this place for a very long time and was happy to grab a reservation figuring 8pm would not be as tragic and ensure we would have a good meal. We got parking upfront and when we walked in we had faith.
It seemed odd — it took three people to seat us and they seemed confused and there was a lot of oddness, typing into the computer… I felt a touch like when you are checking in for a flight. So finally one of them grabbed menus and led us to our table which was right there. Lovely… rose petals and a beautiful menu for the evening. My husband and I both got glasses of nice wines and the waiter was very nice… he was nice the whole meal and honestly was the saving grace.
Our first course was pretty good though my husband had the beat salad and I had the oysters and mine seemed pretty tiny compared to his as far as portion sizes go. Mu husband said that the seasoning was all over the place. He would have a bite which was very citrus and then another bite was excessively salty. The second course for me was amazing — lobster, white truffle and gnocchi… every bite pure heaven. My husband had the winter squash risotto which was tasty… however it seemed like an extremely small amount. My husband commented that it seemed so odd because the description was winter squash and he had little a tiny piece of squash and a single piece of mushroom. Later we saw four other tables with the risotto and it looked like a completely different plate of food and was easily three times the portion he got — he then got a bit angry.
Third course… here is where it went even further downhill. My husband ordered the steelhead which was very good but his vegetables were extremely undercooked (unless you like uncooked potatoes… some people are freaky like that) and he said again the salt was all over the place — so he kept getting randomly slammed with a mouthful of salt and then the other half of his plate was underseasoned. Mine? Yeah — I was so looked forward to the braised shortrib… until I start sawing into it… yes friends, SAWING… The meat was tragically cooked. And then I took a small bite of the shaved Brussels Sprouts which tasted acrid… I have sent a plate back in a restaurant only once previously and that was a VERY long time ago. Thankfully the waiter was kind enough to switch me to the steelhead. I honestly did not want to try for round two — especially after being told it would take awhile if I wanted new shortrib.
The desert we loved — a ginger cake and a chocolate cake — both were incredible. At this point I was trying to decide between a 3 and 4 star review because the service was great and honestly my dishes were great… well, mostly. The steelhead I did get was incredible and my vegetables and seasoning was perfect.
Then the check came and honestly I normally just glance at the check when handing my card but I was like wait a minute… $ 147? Seemed very low…$ 65 per person for the four course and I alone had $ 20 between a glass of wine and a glass of Prosecco with desert… Looking it over I was just seeing we were charged one glass of wine and my husband’s Jamisons. I was like, «Oh wow hun — they waived like $ 30 in alcohol to make up for the bad experience… how nice is that?» Ok… totally forgiven…4 star review done…
Then my card and the ticket was brought back…$ 178.50 charged to my card… so bait and switch!!! NOT OK CLARKLEWIS… My husband was PISSED… so was I but I flat out said to him I was not going to be that asshole making a scene in the very full restaurant… nor would I take it out on the server by screwing him out of a tip — because he was very nice. That is the last $ 210 this restaurant will even get from me though. We eat out A LOT and I have never, in all that history, had a restaurant alter a check like that after presenting a check.

We had a great experience here. I’m torn between a four star and a five star review because my husband was not as blown away by the food as I was.
Anyhow, all I want to emphasize on is that you can definitely taste high quality ingredients prepared delicately so as to allow you to experience the food. Will I come back on my next visit to Portland, YES and do I recommend it, most definitely!
Oh and for what we had: we started with the farro salad and the beet salad (both delicious), perfect al dente tagliatelle (I would be surprised if they didn’t make the pasta there, it tasted fresh) and the bavette.

Great fresh food and friendly staff. Ordered a white fish for lunch which was prepared perfectly to say the least. I do not remember the name of it but looked it up immediately after I ate it.

A spectacular experience from start to finish. Attentive, personal service; outstanding quality of food and drink; great ambience. I guess a guy comes in every day to make their fresh pasta. We were in a fairly large group and so they served us four courses family style, giving us the chance to sample pretty extensively across their entire menu. And what choices!
I’d never had a Moscow Mule before. This was a variation on it: made with Bourbon and the sharpest ginger beer ever. This stuff bites back! It’s from Australia and it’s called Bundaberg. Check it out! Clarklewis has an amazing wine list, and your super helpful server will help you pair your meal with a wine that really brings the best in the food.
Now then. It’s hardly my place to mandate that you do something in your own time and on your own dime. But if you leave clarklewis without trying their delicious ginger dessert, you are missing the opportunity to enrich your life. Back home in England we’d call it a pudding — whatever you’d call it, I’m pretty sure you’ll describe it as the best dessert you’ve ever had. Overall, clarklewis, you just became a friend for life and a place I’ll be back to again and again. Thank you

Soup, kale salad, pastrami sandwich, burger were all very good, not a morsel left. «Lost egg» was a long shot and odd. I would return and try other dishes. Sparked our interest in New Deal vodka, headed there afterwards. I would try most items, I watched the salad guy take care in preparation and the grinding of beef for burgers. Bread was tasty, crisp/​soft. I will return on my next visit. Why not? Find something good, stick with it. We were disappointed when we ventured elsewhere.

We had a great experience here. I’m torn between a four star and a five star review because my husband was not as blown away by the food as I was.
Anyhow, all I want to emphasize on is that you can definitely taste high quality ingredients prepared delicately so as to allow you to experience the food. Will I come back on my next visit to Portland, YES and do I recommend it, most definitely!

Impossible to park at lunch, don’t even try. Find another place.
They could reserve spots if they were willing to, but they aren’t.
reply to Bruce — thank you for the reply.
Yes I have, about 2 years ago — and it was excellent (lunch). I don’t remember the parking being so difficult and in fact think we parked in the rear parking lot perhaps in a reserved space.
I guess that means both your business and the economy more broadly have picked up, which is great for both of you. I don’t begrudge your success. However, with so many potentially great restaurants in Portland, the entire experience from beginning to end has to be evaluated. We spent almost 30 minutes driving around looking for parking and the closest place was the paid lot under the bridges surrounded by about a hundred tents and shanties. That didn’t feel like a safe place to be leaving my vehicle, so I passed (and it isn’t all that close). Maybe that’s feedback for the city to hear, as well.
Seems like the area has more and more restaurants, maybe a parking lot or structure closer by is in order.
Best —

I immediately loved the décor and ambiance right when I stepped inside: a warehouse with an open kitchen, a fireplace and lots of wood– modern yet modest. Dimly lit with candles to create a nice romantic setting in an upcoming hipster part of town. The brussel sprouts appetizer with a bottle Patty Green Pinot was a perfect start. Gotta take advantage of all the Willamette Valley goodness! The tagliatelle pasta was homemade and heavenly. Lastly, the troll caught salmon was one of the best I have ever had. So fresh, light and perfectly prepared to temperature request. I’m sold and can’t wait to return!

There’s good reason for this restaurant to be so popular — the ambiance, service and food all combine to make this a fine dining establishment. I enjoyed their burger with crisp pork belly.
Steet parking can be a challenge.

One of my go-​to-​without-​question places to take out of town business associates, visiting family & friends or point people in their direction– that was until Thursday night when I removed them from my list when family visited from Idaho & the experience was less than acceptable.
Granted, I have been eating at some of the newer establishments around the area & have not been in since summer (?), but our reservations were for 1900, we were immediately seated & the place was approximately 80% full.
Before the mud slinging begins the only positive things I can say about the visit were the bottled Cock & Bull Ginger Beer & the wait staff who were knowledgeable, friendly & attentive.
Now I appreciate music as much or as little as the next person, but no matter the type of music when it is so loud you can not carry on a conversation across the table with out shouting it is too loud. As a comparison, I have been known to swing, west coat that is. And when the music is louder where I eat than where I dance– hell no.
The bread & better delivered to our table was passable– just not the knock your socks off it has been. I’m not sure if they changed chefs who made the decision to change the butter formula or not. It is not as good. The bread was passable– slightly dry.
Of the three people who ordered the pork chops two were informed they would no be receiving them as only one order remained– to be fair this is actually not an issue for me. Keeping large amounts of stock on hand causes costs to rise & quality of product to drop.
I had the lamb as did another member of our party. The base it was served on had little taste & the meat was tough to the point they could not consume their dish.
Beyond basic living expenses most of my money goes toward good food & ice cream as I eat out 4 nights per week every week, however at $ 50 a head I have removed Clark Lewis from my speed dial & have several candidates waiting to be «interviewed» for the position.

This restaurant has a nice classy, comforting feel the minute you walk in the door. The kitchen staff may look over with a few smiles and the hostess had a nice warm inviting smile. Set in the industrial area this restaurant has done a fabulous job transforming the inside to have a nice cozy feel.
I loved the overall layout. The open kitchen at the entrance has you greeted with wonderful smells coming from the hard working chefs. The tables extend to the back and then the bar is nestled in the back corner. In the summer time the large garage doors open and it expands the ambiance into an open air restaurant.
The service here maintains a good blend of being available when you need them, letting you enjoy your time when you have everything you need. They check in once in a while so we could enjoy a nice conversation and not feel in any rush.
I ordered a mocktail. Left if up to them and it was a nice blend of pink lemonade and black cherry. Some other tasty ingredients. Hit the spot. My friend had a few glasses of red. She said they all were fabulous.
The menu here changes daily so you can’t ever get bored. They buy local, organic food. Fresh is the only option here.
The housemade meat board is the way to start off here. Lamb pancetta, duck prosciutto, cured lamb loin, pickled mustard seed, baguette, and housemade pickles. The duck prosciutto was my favorite. Very different. I enjoyed the variety.
We split the lamb ragu pasta dish. This was the best lamb ragu I have ever had. The pasta was thick and tasted homemade. The lamb was shredded and not too gamey. It was just amazing. I hope to see this on the menu as a staple. hint hint! :)
Main courses we ordered included the pork loin and the sturgeon. Both turned out to be excellent choices. Sturgeon was done just right. Melted in my mouth. They served it with a nice chanterelle sauce with DeNoble cauliflowers. A nice bed of thin sliced potatoes made this a nice comforting dish.
The hazelnut smoked pork loin came with barley risotto, rainbow chard, seared matsutake, and poached apple chutney. This dish had a nice blend of flavors. We ordered it according to chef’s choice and I’m glad we did… it turned out great.
Dessert here had us diving into the pear sorbet with two snicker doodle cookies on side. I loved the light refreshing flavor of the pear. It was perfect after a very filling meal. Nice and light. The cookies were soft and chewy.
I really enjoyed my dinner here. It was nice and pleasant. Great staff. Happy servers. I can’t believe it took me so long to finally check this place out! Thanks ClarkLewis for a wonderful evening. I can’t wait to come back!

Nice décor and location. Upscale industrial. Way overpriced for the portions. The «chicken» was $ 28 and there was almost nothing there. The sturgeon was $ 29 and was also tiny. We opted to not get dessert as this would be another $ 15 each. The cocktails were also in the $ 12+ range. Maybe I’m out of touch, but it seemed way overpriced. Server was very nice, but slooow. Dinner took 3 hrs!
***thank you Clarklewis, for responding to my review; impressive and I will come back for another try, due to this.

What an evening!
I ordered the sturgeon and the pork sirloin. Both of which I would recommend trying. The sturgeon came with thinly sliced potatoes, broccoli that looked like dinosaur food, and mushroom — all of this sat in a savory cream sauce that made the sturgeon THAT much better. The sturgeon meat was seared and soft on the inside. The texture was perfect. Likewise for the pork sirloin — easy to chew and full of flavor. The sirloin came with mashed-​potatoey looking grits and some leaves. I’d order these two again, but I definitely wouldn’t be against trying something new on their menu as well.
I didn’t realize that it was so close to OMSI and hair of the dog. Like its other restaurants, the décor and ambience and beautiful, intimate, and cozy. It’s a little bit more on the fancy side, but classy dress isn’t entirely necessary, but dressing up makes the experience even that much more fun! The servers are graciously friendly and attentive. I ordered the mod save the queen cocktail and it was a little too strong for me. It SMELLED delicious though! Because I shared my trouble finishing the drink, one of the servers didn’t add it to our check! How thoughtful and unnecessary! — But, acts of kindness like this at a restaurant definitely deserves a great tip and another visit back!

I kind of want to keep this one short and sweet,
Ordered from the happy hour and shared all the dishes.
Mac and cheese and the burg were my top faves. Watermelon gazpacho was fresh which was needed with those heavier dishes!
We both ordered happy hour cocktails and my ClarkLewis (sangria?) was phenomenal.
I got two… heh heh
Service was nice and attentive, atmosphere was on point — classy but casual with a friendly vibe. Chefs kitchen was of the open type so it was fun watching them in action. Only con was our server didn’t introduce himself with his name but thats so minor I didn’t bother taking a star off because… thats dumb haha!
Tasty place, check the happy hour out for sure!

These are only opinions, of course:
Service– far below par for a place like what this one is trying to be.
Food– was much better under previous chefs and owners. I think this is the worst chef this place has ever had.
Ambience– ho-​hum. While the best thing about this place is the room itself, there’s nothing really interesting about it. Unless, of course, you think listening to music that has been playing since the 1940s is interesting or ironically hip or something. Putting white tablecloths (which are covered with BUTCHER PAPER) and a candle on a table does not a special evening make.
My opinion is that this place is really painting by numbers when it comes to being a destination in Portland, where there are MANY MUCH MORE INTERESTING places to go.
My advice, don’t waste your time on this one. Maybe go for lunch if you need to go somewhere quiet to talk about business or something. Stay closer to the interesting parts of town and AVOID the Bruce Carey Restaurant group all together. BORING!

Our friends had raved about Clarklewis recently and how they enjoyed the experience along with the food. Say no more we decided too to experience it with them.
The menu has 2 options: order whatever you want or pay $ 55.00 a person for a tasting menu which is what the 4 of us did. If you go with the tasting menu, you will be in for surprises. The chefs will prepare whatever they want. Be prepared to test your pallet.
Tasting menu for $ 55.00 a person includes the following:
Plate of bread to share
1 pallet cleaner — good combo on the watermelon and blue cheese
2 salads (loved the dressings) & grilled corn (my favorite)
1 appetizer — interesting and great at the same time
3 pastas — love the selection (favorite: Tagliatelle)
4 entrees — cooked to perfection
4 desserts — the desserts had a variety flavors
The tasting menu is a great deal to be able to try all variety of foods. Now, people might think that $ 55.00 a person is too much but not until you see the amount of food. Also, if you were to order off the menu (salad, appetizer, entrée and dessert) would probably be more than $ 55.00 a person.
All the food is made fresh with ingredients from the farmers market and probably local grocers.
Clarklewis is minutes from OMSI in the Industrial District. As you walk in there is a pile of firewood against the wall, 1 set of stairs, left of that is a open kitchen, tables in the main area and the back is the bar. The restrooms are outside in the hallway. There is also outdoor seating too but the glass doors weren’t opened this evening.
We loved our waitress though I forgot her name. She was very thorough in explaining the dishes and attentive in filling our waters and asking if we needed refills on other beverages.
Tonight was a great experience and I will return in the near future with more friends. I highly recommend calling for a reservation (earlier the better). Thanks Clarklewis for a lovely evening.

My 50^th birthday night started out at the bar. Great bartender, interesting conversation on infusing various liquors with fruits. Perfect service. Missed seeing Brook (boohoo). Tempura vegetables were very nice, perhaps the best I’ve had and the sangria perfectly balanced.
We’ll be back

My man and I came here on a Monday night to celebrate my new job. I had been here once before and had really liked the food. If Unilocal had half star ratings, I’d have given a 4 ½.
We were pleased with their wine selection and chose a wonderful bottle of Italian rose. Off their small plate menu, we had the roasted corn with aioli, small cheese plate, and the tempura vegetables. All were very tasty.
They were (luckily) out of the salmon and had substituted black cod instead. It was phenomenal in every way. The ribeye was also amazing and we were very happy with our entrees.
I’m giving less than five stars because the restaurant was a touch untidy and the service wasn’t entirely top notch. It wasn’t horrible, but definitely not what I would expect from a place with food of this caliber.

How could I forget about Clarklewis? I went back for the first time after a 5+ year absence, and boy was I happily surprised.
The atmosphere and general «feel» of the restaurant is perfect. Clarklewis was one of the original foodie restaurants in Portland and truly helped to shape the modern movement of the city’s food scene. They’ve not rested on any laurels. Instead, they have kept their environment fresh and really interesting.
The food — well it’s great. From the pastrami to the salads, everything is clean and well presented. For me, the garden salad is the touchstone for a restaurant. It is so hard to get the general garden salad right. The reason — over-​dressing, over-​nuancing, over-​infusing occult flavors — all of these things sound great in theory to «build» a garden salad; but they rarely translate into an edible salad. Clarklewis has taken the garden salad to an art form. The salads they serve a lightly dressed and naturally fresh. They are one of the best things at the restaurant and the hardest menu item for any place to get «right.»
Finally, the service at Clarklewis is sophisticated and reassuring. Yes, it is Portland — so service is always a bit aloof; and, the server we had at Clarklewis was responsive, informed around the menu and accessible when we needed him.
Overall — I re-​found Clarklewis and I am super happy about putting the restaurant back in my rotation of «go to» places.

Wonderful Atmosphere
Great Bartender
Excellent drinks
Fun Menu
Tasty Food
GREAT HAPPY HOUR

Celebrated our anniversary here. Here are things to note:
Place was busy, were not greeted right away and once we were, the gentleman didn’t seem to see our reservation. Finally found them.
We were seated in a random corner which felt like was in the way for staff passing by.
It was a zillion degrees. There were fans but for such a high end place I would have expected not to sweat in my meal.
The cocktail special was sold out. Weird for a random Wed evening but oh well. I took the recommendation from our waitress and it tasted like straight bitters.
Our waitress was pleasant enough but she was so busy running around we didn’t get a chance to even speak.
Food:
lamb carpaccio– capers, anchovy, crime fraiche and chicken farm fresh egg. To die for.
Original Arugula salad with bacon lardons, pickled shallots and espelette-​amazing
Lamb Tagliatelle– Rich and delish. They did not skimp out on the meat. The pasta was cooked to perfection.
Tagliarini Carbanara– Asparagus, pancetta, morels and farm fresh egg yolk. So earthy. Amazing.
I give the food a 5, service a 3 ½.

My husband and I were able to squeeze in a date night this month, and we were anxious to have an opportunity to try Clarklewis for the first time and were excited to find that they were participating in Portland’s Dining Month! A few things that made us feel at home immediately:
Mellow music playing… always sets the nerves at ease.
Wood stacked near the front door, to be used in the wood-​burning oven… explains the heavenly smells as you arrive.
The kitchen is well organized, immaculate and seemed very calm given the number of orders coming in!
An exquisite cocktail… Mod Save the Queen!
We enjoyed the $ 29 tasting menu and both agreed it was a bargain given the quality of each dish and the obvious care that went into the preparation and presentation. Marcona almonds in our starter salad added a perfect crunch and complemented the sliced green apple perfectly. The polenta in our second course was a comforting counterpoint to the bitterness in the broccolini. My only complaint with the entrée was that the short rib was a bit under seasoned and would have benefited from a sprinkle of salt.
Of the two dessert offerings, if there are two in your party, I’d recommend ordering one of each. The pavlova with lemon curd gelato was decadent and had a citrus bite that was tempered with a bite of the smooth and creamy panna cotta.
Our server was initially very attentive. He came by with a plate of rustic bread and a small bowl of salted butter immediately after we were seared, and he provided excellent advice on what to try on our first visit. Unfortunately, a group of about 28 came in after our first course was delivered so we relied on other staff for the remainder of the evening. (They did a fine job. It just wasn’t the same feeling as having a dedicated server.)
Overall, we had a solid experience and are looking forward to coming in to try the standard menu.

Went here for our anniversary and had a delightful time beginning to end. Martinis and vino over a couple hours of non stop delightful foods.
Started with a simple salad that had this amazing dressing I couldn’t pick out the flavor it was so light and different. Had some warm little potatoes and caramelized ham– surprisingly delicious and different.
Lovely crusty table bread and butter yum.
Bone marrow. Ok, I wasn’t sure about this one but I will try just about anything once… took a big gelatinous meaty bite and felt like I just did something wrong — possibly changed my DNA I didn’t like it at all and said so to my husband but then it was like I needed more and not too soon after we were all but licking the bones like dogs it was crazy!!! Really strange experience I loved it :)
Had a couple of home made fresh pasta dishes and ended it with sharing osso bucco. We both wanted tastes and flavors we don’t cook at home and man that’s what we got! Meaty delight :) lovely wine and servers, romantic lighting. We went for a 6pm reservation so it was not full when we got the but hoppin when we left.
Great time. Fun and romantic (for us).