MÅURICE — Restaurant in Portland

What a surprise gem! I almost never go downtown but my boyfriend's mother was visiting and it was she who found Maurice's in a list of Portland's best restaurants. Even before we walked in the ambiance was set: the sewn window coverings in just enough of a rustic fashion to evoke a French countryside house. The interior is tiny but they maximise the space, and have painted it all white, with everything inside a variation of cream, tan, and flax, and tasteful neutral sprinkles of color here and there: muted coral roses for the tables, a banner of small dried flowers hanging from the ceiling, and of course the food. The interior is no sterile white, but a warm white, with subway tiles behind the counter, a mismatched assembly of white wooden chairs at the white counter in all the styles that make one think, again, of farm houses and front porches; and white wooden booths that are cozy in spite of being nothing but painted wood. Everything felt worn in just the right way, from the soft cotton napkins to the elegant silverware. Beautiful tea cups, heavy iron pots. The casual, friendly service was punctuated by a baker pounding vigorously with rolling pin upon what I hope was dough, which only added to the feeling that I was sitting in someone's lovely dining room adjacent to the kitchen - which, really, I was. This spot is any tea lover's dream of a cozy place to make a ritual stop for high tea: butter cookies, scones, souffle pudding, dark chocolate "cakes" that are bite sized, some sort of blood orange number that was delicious and went very well with the exceptional Jasmine tea we ordered. I suppose I should also mention that we went for lunch, so that prior to giddily ordering treats from the pastry case, where our server obligingly told us what was what, we had delicious open faced sandwiches. Only one side, and people following the toast trend will be familiar with this arrangement: a thick slice of bread topped by any number of delectable foods. I got the succulent smoked salmon with julienned red and white radish topped with roe. The flavors reflected the space: subtle, elegant, delightful. We went early, at 11 on a weekday, and I'd say if you don't want crowds go before noon. If you do like the hustle and bustle though, go after noon. But I'm guessing this place is great...

Group of 3. 12pm.

Tried this spot with based on a friend's recommendation, but was quite disappointed. We waited 45 minutes for a table, which seemed reasonable for Valentine's weekend given its reputation.

Once seated, we found the menu to be surprisingly limited, offering only a few food and drink options. Hoping for the best, we ordered the wagyu tartare, radishes, oysters, quiche, and trout. Additionally, we tried the sparkling tea and scones, which barely redeemed the experience.

When the plates arrived, the portions were disappointingly small, especially considering the price. The oysters were fresh, but the garnish created an unusual sweetness that didn’t pair well. The wagyu tartare was overly coarse and heavily salted, resulting in an unappetizing texture. The radish dish was particularly disappointing — ONE radish, thickly sliced, and not even properly cleaned as there was visible debris. The quiche was...not a quiche. It was a gooey, bland "custard" served in a grey, crumbly crust. Typically, the crust is my favorite part, even when the filling falls short, so this was unexpected. As for the trout, it was average at best — overly salted and undercooked.

While I want to support local businesses, I felt compelled to write this review as the $130 price tag left me feeling cheated. I’m happy to spend on quality food, but this experience left me confused and, unfortunately, just as hungry as...

👎 There are too many excellent restaurants in Portland to settle for such inattentive and patently rude service at this one.

While we were being ignored for a long time ahead of even placing our lunch order, we watched the servers tend to high-priority matters such as wrapping silverware. It was absurdly difficult even to catch someone’s eye.

After finally politely flagging someone down, ordering, and being told our food would be served to us as it came ready… not even simple bread or a salad had emerged over half an hour later. When we then asked about the wait, we were told food would be out soon. (Nobody ever checked on us in any way here – any attention we got the entire time we apparently had to grovel for.)

We waited another 20 minutes before asking about food again. We were treated with impressive rudeness by the chef herself, who welcomed us to “get a refund.” Well, we had received nothing besides water for over an hour since arriving, so a refund wasn’t necessary.

I used to like this place but will never go again. We are avid local-business patrons who love to love our restaurants and the people who work there. We did not deserve the relentlessly bad service followed by total lack of ownership that even the proprietor herself...