Grill68 Steakhouse — Restaurant in Beaverton

My wife and I went here for my birthday to try something different from the usual (Ringside, El Gaucho, etc). Building is kind of tucked away and parking is very limited. Inside was nicely decorated, booths had good space (I'm 6'2" and have to squeeze in some places). Inside was a bit of an echo chamber since its hardwood floors and nothing on the walls to absorb sound. It was only about half full when we were there but I can imagine it being very loud when fully occupied.

Elaine and Molly provided service for the evening and both very professional, did a excellent job of providing suggestions, and very attentive throughout the meal to make sure everything was to satisfaction.

We had a Lemondrop and "Grill68 Willamette Sour" (from the craft cocktails menu), both were well made and scrumptious. We shared the clam chowder as an appetizer. It was delicious with lots of clams, bacon and potatoes diced very small with a very creamy mid-thick broth.

For the meal we had the NY strip and ribeye (would have been nice to have a bone in option for the ribeye), both cooked to med rare with the mushroom risotto and mixed vegetables as sides. The steaks were laid out on a plate with no garnish, but cooked correctly, well marbled, light butter finish and was exactly what we were looking for in a steak. The mushroom risotto was perfect in texture and flavor, It was one of the better risotto's I've had, others tend to be too mushy. The squash, bell pepper vegetable mix was also well done, buttery but still crisp.

The Black Beauty chocolate mousse cake was complementary because of my birthday. The mousse and cake were great, but overall a little dry. Could really have used a sauce to moisten and balance it out (raspberry, creme fresh, etc).

Because we got the Abacela Tempranillo Fiesta Cuvée and we both liked Abacela in general, Elaine provided us samples of the Abecla Port and Late harvest Blanco Ducle. I don't generally enjoy dessert wines but the port was good, very smooth and balanced. I didn't care for the Blanco Ducle, it was very sweet and fruit forward which isn't really my style.

Overall it was an amazing down to earth experience. You get the food quality and top notch service of the other steakhouses, but in a...

Grill68 is a good steakhouse. It is not a great steakhouse but it could be.

The place is cozy, has outdoor seating, and the decor is rustic and clean. Our server, Molly, was very attentive and accommodating. The food was fresh, of good quality and was prepared well.

So why is Grill68 only good and not great?

We got off to a rocky start when Molly informed me that, despite having a full bar, they do not serve Bloody Marys. What? In a steakhouse? They somewhat redeemed themselves with a well made martini that included cocktail onions. Okay back on track.

The trouble with Grill68 is all to do with their menu. They offer a good variety of entree choices but if you want something from the grill (hint: it’s a steakhouse) they make it difficult for the customer to assemble a meal from their offerings.

Steaks are served a’ la carte so you need to “build your meal” from other, non-entree menu choices. This is where Grill68 fails to meet the need. There are 5 sides you can order (3 are potatoes) but no side salad or cup of soup option. The 5-6 entree salads ($18 to $29) too big to pair with an already expensive and large steak. The good news is that after asking about a small side salad Molly made it happen despite it not being on the menu.

I ordered Lamb chops and my husband ordered Ribeye. Both were cooked beautifully. My chops came with heavenly mashed potatoes but my husband’s steak was all alone on it’s plate.

To be a great steakhouse Grill68 needs to offer a selection of smaller starters, side salads, or a cup of soup to round out a meal. And in order to be a seriously great steakhouse they need to celebrate the steak with (revenue generating) steak toppers like grilled onions, mushrooms, blue cheese, etc.

And for goodness sake get some Bloody Mary...

This place is phenomenal! I don’t understand how it is not packed all the time. We were looking for a place to get a good steak that was anywhere but Portland, especially downtown. We ran into this on Google. The reviews were great and I’m so happy we checked it out. We got bread, polenta salad, and coconut shrimp for appetizers. All delicious! For the entrées we got a porterhouse and a ribeye steak with mashed potatoes, vegetables, and mushroom risotto. All delicious! The steaks were seasoned and cooked to perfection. For dessert we got a chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream. Perfect way to end the meal. This was a celebration dinner so we spent a good amount of money on this meal but they have a great selection of good quality cuts and other great options that aren’t priced as high. Also, the drink menu is extensive. I don’t drink alcohol anymore but they have a non alcoholic menu made with zero proof ingredient's, so I was able to have an old fashioned without the alcohol in it. That was a really nice surprise because I missed the taste of those but couldn’t drink them. I didn’t realize that was even a thing. We will definitely be back to this place in the future! Finally, I would like to mention, Elaine. She was our server. Best in the business! Her customer service was top notch, she was sweet and walked us through menu options when we couldn’t decide, and was extremely knowledgeable on the menu. I honestly wish I could have an “Elaine” at every restaurant I eat at. She made the experience there even better. 10 out of 10,...