Alexander Benjamin Craghead

Review of Portland City Grill

Certainly, Portland City Grill has a bit of a corp...

Certainly, Portland City Grill has a bit of a corporate whiff to it, but don't be too quick to discount it. The views are stunning, even on a bad day (or, maybe, especially on a bad day). Much of the food in the restaurant is overpriced, although I have never found myself feeling that I didn't eat well. The deals in the bar are much better. there's still a lot of overpriced food, and the menu still leans towards a kind of New American /Fusion Asian ecclecticism that is sometimes a red flag for being cheated, but here usually works. The latest surprise: A jumbalaya that was on happy hour special and was outstanding at any price. Your best bet is to go during a happy hour on a day other than Thursday or Friday, when there is more room, and try random things on the happy hour menu, feeling your way around until you find what they make that you like best. Then there are the drinks, solid cocktails that are not quite in the craft cocktail world, but that are done extremely well, and are quite generous. Forget going to a McMenamins for cocktails, this is far better. And did I mention the view?