Grolla Restaurant

Grolla– a fabulous idea if you’re gluten sensitive. For the rest of us, it’s pretty hit or miss. We took the extended family there for my husband’s birthday. We started with salads and my husband’s apple and bacon vinaigrette salad was absolutely amazing. My butternut soup was somewhat bland and… just kind of odd. Then for the entrees: Three out of six got a steak with chevre and strawberry; a good theory, a not so good result. I honestly don’t remember what the other two ate. My pork loin was, again, amazing. The dessert finale was just ok, standard chocolate fare but nothing to write home about. The staff was exceptionally pleasant (we were the only table on a Thursday night), but I don’t think we’ll be going back again.

Ok guys — If you looked at all my reviews you would notice that if it’s awful service I am a very tough critic but if its a sensational place then I am equally as generous.
With that said — I will have to say we had a remarkable time at this restaurant.
1. From the moment we walked into this very quaint place we were personally created by the owner. He was gregarious and excited to meet us and absolutely loves children.
2. The décor was beautiful. It felt very cozy and had Frank Sinatra playing throughout our dinner.
3. The menu was carefully created to avoid any gluten. My son had the experience of enjoying wonderful gluten free bread. There was amazing sqaush soup, delectable quiche, pan-​seared scallops, and flourless chocolate cake. Keep in mind it was all gluten-​free and absolutely yummy.
We would most definitely come back to this wonderful establishment.

Grolla is a pretty decent little place. It has a charming eclectic décor. The menu is somewhat small, but they are very accommodating. Both times that I’ve been there I have had the vegetarian dish. I really liked the one I had this last time the best. It was an heirloom tomato and leek risotto. My friends had the flat iron steak, and the scallop special. Everyone liked their food. The portions aren’t overly large, so it’s not a bad idea to start with an appetizer, salad, or soup.
Actually, I saw a table that was doing the chefs tasting menu, and that looked like the way to go. I think it runs around $ 55 for 5 courses, which seems like a great deal! Most entrees run in the mid to high $ 20 range.
If you are interested in wine/​champagne, go for the bottle. Both times that I’ve been, I’ve ordered a glass of champagne, and both times the standard size champagne glass came less than a third full. I kid you not! Maybe 2 ounces. I thought it was a fluke the first time.
sells certificates for Grolla, along with a lot of other good restaurants, so it makes it a great way to try the place without spending a lot. We used a $ 25 off of a $ 35 when we went.
The server was very nice. They serve gluten free bread too. It was the first time that I tried it. Not bad!

I’m not sure what type of cuisine it’s listed under, but I know they use a lot of local, in-​season ingredients. My husband thought it was Northwest cuisine. Let’s just say yum. My favorite was a polenta appetizer. I always order polenta when I see it on a menu because it’s usually kind of a pain to make at home. The polenta was the best I’ve had. The atmosphere is upscale but hey, it’s Portland so it can be casual too. I’m a pescatorian and when I see write ups about very foodie places, they are heavy on weird meat dishes. Grolla has a small menu, but one even a semi-​vegetarian can handle. It seems the chef Chris is quite accomodating even for special diets since it says so on the menu.
I noticed a lot of new restaurants in this intersection of 30^th and Killingsworth, but I know Grolla has been there the longest. It’s a good landmark in the new little oasis of restaurants.

A solid find. A coworker of mine who suffers from the same dasturdly affliction (gluten intolerance) pointed me here as a «romantic option». The honey and I went last evening and I have to say the experience was good-​to-​great.
The menu is inspired (if not a little «wonky» in its composition) and the service was impeccable (the upside of a nearly empty Sunday visit – I wrote it off to the weather the day before being so nice that people actually stayed in during the night we went – we were also a tad earlier than when most people venture out).
At any rate, they had a wonderfully yummy gluten free selection and even work with us as one of us is a tremendously picky wine guy – they tried several times to satisfy his palette (parenthetically, to no avail – not the wine list’s fault, fyi).
It was GOOD food and the main dishes were very tasty and had unique and interesting contrasts in tastes.
I’ll definitely go back, but perhaps when the outdoor seating is available when the weather turns…
GO HERE!