Bullard Tavern — Restaurant in Portland

When we arrived our party had already been seated. That wasn't an issue, I only mention it as other reviews stated that the practice at this establishment was to make people wait in the lobby until an entire party had all arrived. I'm glad they changed that, I would have felt bad if the other couple we dined with had been made to wait for us while we struggled to find parking.

Other reviews mention the music. We all liked the selection of tunes that they had playing and I was the only one at our table who felt that the volume was too loud. I suspect a speaker may have been right behind me. The seating was comfortable and everything was clean and attractive.

Our server was a friendly and well mannered young man who seemed to be in a contest with another young man to keep our water glasses filled to the very brim with lukewarm water at all times. I dislike ice so I was pleased by this. For others, both the temperature and the eagerness (water was spilt a few times) could be quite off-putting.

We started with the soup of the day which I didn't catch the name of but it was made with pork shoulder and cabbage. It was very good, the best part of the meal. However, there was an extreme abundance of thinly sliced cabbage on the top of the soup which were uncomfortably long and made the soup a bit difficult to enjoy. A knife and fork did a mediocre job of cutting up strips into bite-sized pieces.

Two of us had the Tri Tip (pictured), one of us had the chicken sandwich and my husband had the Smoked King Mushroom. The sides were the highlights of all the plates. Texas Caviar, Kimchi Radishes with Green Onions and Crispy Polenta Cake. They were all very good but the Polenta Cake is really something special.

We were all disappointed with our main courses, however. The flavour of the meat was good but not great however the worst part was the texture. I've had tough Tri Tip before but never like this. And it was really chewy. So were the mushrooms, according to my husband. I've never seen a mushroom that man didn't like but he didn't finish his plate which never happens, especially when it comes to mushrooms.

The staff were all outstanding. The atmosphere (even with the eyesore of the construction going on right outside their windows) was fantastic. They had even decorated their antlers with holiday wreaths for the season. I want to give the place four stars just for the experience but the food doesn't justify it. It's the sort of place that I might go back to if I lived or worked close by but I doubt any of us will be making any visits to Bullard again...

warning: avoid this place if you're a native texan with discerning taste who erroneously believed the hype around a new "southern inspired" food option.

if you have spent years wandering the dank streets of portland, yearning for kolaches by the dozen, a plate of chubby tacos, down home cooking, and authentic bbq ....know that bullard is another lie; another expensive and deceitfully-marketed letdown among many in town. this self-important establishment claims to fuse texas and oregon cuisine (does oregon even have one? is it the taste of locally-sourced free range despair followed by the sensation of a lighter wallet?) but the effect is just a desperate and overwrought caricature of southern food. as if the chef hasn't spent quality time as an adult in texas in decades but still wants to co-opt the TX branding for profit in a culture-starved west coast culinary landscape. smart!

the only bright spot was the service (one star added for that). as well as the guac and the excellent flour tortillas (another star added), of which they will give you a paltry four with your SINGULAR $59 Mediocre Beef Rib complete with flabby, squishy bark and the thinnest of smoke rings. a hard square of polenta mislabeled as cheesy grits with four scant shrimps as an afterthought? $17. boxed chocolate cake and some nuts on top posing as texas sheet cake? $9. the roasted new potatoes were objectively good, the mole on the (not crispy at all) brussels was acceptable, all of the many flavors were what you'd expect for the price at at new american basic bro portland establishment. but reader...you will not find a single texas beer on the menu. no shiner, no st. arnolds, just more of the same that you'll find anywhere else in portland. the lack of effort here is stunning.

I made the tactical error of reserving us a table for our 8 year anniversary with my partner, and between the two of us we had over ten generations of texans weeping along with us. I was raised by the big thicket in the piney woods outside of houston, went to college in southern louisiana, spent the better part of a decade in austin... if you are at all aware of how a real texan, a true southerner's restaurant should treat their guests you'd do better spending that $146 on a dinner for two on a plane...

Bullard dining experience: awful and frustrating!!

Waiter made poor recommendations on food for a group, suggested smoked portions were adequate for 2 people. We ordered the rib and pork belly.

Rib bone was an awkward menu item. It was a small portion, had to dig through it to find some minuscule portions of meat amongst the fat.What meal there was tasted okay, condiments so so, but I was left feeling I would be better served going to get good quality tacos at my favorite Mexican restaurants locally for meat portion and condiments.

Pork belly meat was mediocre, and the combination of side trimmings left me unsatisfied being they did not blend well together.

The squash and potatoes were alright, nothing to write home about.

The waiter never came back to check on how horrible the dining experience was progressing, or offering a second round of beverages until collecting plates and asking about dessert, and never refilled our water cups in the over 2 hours we were there. (And we arrived at 5pm when the place only had a few customers!!). All I wanted to do was get something more in my stomach at that point to end the disaster, now 1.5 hours into the painful dining experience. I tried the pound cake, which was a nicely accompanied with almonds, cream, ice cream and caramel. These were required though being the pound cake was rather dry.

Bottom line, don't believe the hype of this supposedly trendy restaurant. You would be better served going to hundreds of other delicious restaurants who focus on their specialty and do it well. Whether it be a smokehouse, steak or Mexican restaurant. The mixture of ingredients are nothing exceptional and take away from what I think is trying to be presented, good quality meat. If you are looking to get meat, this is not the place.

I left wondering where I should go to dinner immediately afterwards to have a memorable and fulfilling...