Goose Hollow Inn — Restaurant in Portland

Full disclosure: I am a local of Goose Hollow Inn and a regular. And a fan. Now the review: Food: The menu is limited. No fried food (no frier). No burgers or fried chicken. There’s a neon sign that brags that GHI has the “Best Reuben on the Planet.” I can’t say for sure that it’s true, but I’ve never had one better! Crisp bread, fresh HOMEMADE corned beef, and of course the delish sauerkraut, cheese, and schmear. This is great no matter the time of day. Warning: the sandwich is substantial. If you’re not very hungry, plan on sharing or taking home a box. Recommendation: you have to (and I mean that you should) ask for mustard and horseradish as extras. The horseradish is hot! And if you want to be really decadent, order “au jus.” It’s messy, but takes the meal to the top level. That’s true of the other sandwiches, too. If you don’t want a corned beef, there are other selections that include turkey, veggie, and shrimp. There’s a daily soup special (clam chowder on Fridays). Service: If you want a lesson in human efficiency, take a seat at the bar and watch the staff do their magic with food prep and delivery. A marvel to watch. The service is almost always efficient and always courteous if not outright friendly in a kind of snarky way. If you show attitude, you’ll be dealt with professionally but don’t expect special favors. You want a drink comped? Don’t count on it. But if a mistake was made, they’ll make it good. Event nights at the stadium (game or concert) are crazy days. Line out the door. Expect delays. They’re doing their best. Atmosphere: indoor and outdoor seating. Indoors are very comfortable but dark. Table games available. Outdoors is a dog-friendly wraparound porch. Heaters upon request. Also, this place is a historic landmark. It was founded and is still run by the Bud Clark family (Portland’s favorite mayor) and their love and commitment to the city and neighborhood shows. Frank conversation on almost any subject is encouraged. Oh, and free live folk music...

Goose Hollow is one of those quiet little places tucked away in a part of Portland in which I rarely find myself, but that will likely change forever after this week's lunch at the Goose Hollow Inn. I'd wandered up from the courthouse (yay jury duty!) during our break, stumbled across this quaint little tavern, and quickly fell victim to their marketing strategy/slogan.

Best Reuben on the planet?

Challenge accepted.

Not having a terribly long amount of time before I had to be back at the courthouse, I wasn't about to waffle around with my order. Gimme the Classic Reuben, on sourdough (I've never been a fan of rye bread), and a Manhattan, pronto! In a flash, they arrived at the table, and I quickly tucked in.

So, did the Reuben live up to expectations?

I'll say this: whether or not it's the "world's best", it's the best Reuben I've had, and that's good enough for me. The fantastic dressing was the star of the show, which is high praise, since the corned beef was lean, tender and juicy, and the sauerkraut tart, but not overly so. And the potato salad that accompanied it is incredible as well; my only gripe is that one scoop is simply not enough!

I'm already pining for another Reuben, and I'm dying to bring my wife to come and try one as well. It's so good, it's detrimental to the rest of the menu, because it's going to be nearly impossible for me to give anything else a fair shake; I'm always going to be tempted to order it in lieu of another, potentially disappointing entrée. C'est la vie!

As for everything else, the service was friendly, prompt and attentive, my cocktail was stiff and tasty, and took the edge off the remainder of my seemingly interminable wait in the juror's room. I'm actually sad that my jury service has concluded; I was looking forward to sneaking in for a bite at least once more this week. At least now I have a compelling reason to be in Goose Hollow, and I guarantee I will be back (accompanied by my wife, this time)...

Firstly, the server, Jesse, took everyone's food and drink orders (at our large-ish table of six people) except for mine. I knew it was an easy mistake so I called out after her as she was walking away and was able to give her my order. All good, right? When she came back with our drinks, my drink was in a glass half the size of the others. I assumed it must just be because that drink comes in a smaller glass. Got a second drink and started looking around seeing other tables with seemingly the same drink in regular sized glasses. So as an experiment, I sent a friend to order the same drink from the bar. Sure enough, regular sized glass, and a MUCH stronger drink. Not tiny and weak, like the two drinks I had been given. I went to the bar with both glasses and asked what was going on. They said they were "trying it out both ways," and hadn't decided on the correct way to serve it. I asked if I had personally offended my server when I called after her when she forgot to take my order. They said that wasn't the case and asked which drink I liked better. After all, they were experimenting. I told them the larger drink, as it was so, so much stronger. The bartender Jeff, said it was because he had topped off the larger drink (that he didn't know was for me.) I payed my tab and tipped, but went back later to argue that it was unprofessional to use me as a guinea pig. Serving the same drink in two drastically different sized glasses to the same table? I had my friends receipt in my hand which was for $6. I told them I felt that one of my drinks ($6.50) should have been complementary and asked if we could call it even. They did not like. So I paid the $6 tab and asked for one of my drinks to be refunded. After much bristling and bruskness, they asked me if a $6.50 drink was "worth it" to me, repeatedly. So I asked if it was worth it to them, and here we are. Posted a photo of the two glasses...