McMenamins Hal's Café — Restaurant in Portland

In short, we adored this place. It was a good value for the money, and one of the best meals we can remember having in a long time.

We came into this place by happenstance. Originally we had stopped to eat at a salad bar but found out they'd run out of lettuce. Zeus Cafe caught our eye on the map as an alternative and we headed in.

First up, the decor: It's a charming eclectic interior with high windows, stained glass, decorative chandeliers, and cozy comfortable booths. Walking in, I immediately liked the look and feel of the place.

Next, service: Jacob was our server and simply a delight, very warm and friendly, asking us about our trip, and very attentively seeing that everything about our evening was proceeding well. So much of the menu looked fantastic that we had difficulty making our selection, but Jacob talked us through what we were after and helped put together an amazing dinner.

Drinks: Beer selection is almost all in-house brews that all turned out to be excellent beverages. We got the Ruby (fruity), Purple Haze (touch sour and refreshing, and the Diamond Dog Kolsch (very crisp, clean). We wished that these were bottled/canned and available back home.

Food: After Jacob's recommendations, we settled on the market greens salad, steamer clams, the wood-fired zucchini, and the Kurobuta pork cheeks. And my god, what a meal these made. Salad, simple but perfectly dressed and vibrantly fresh. The clams were briny and excellent, and after Jacob saw me spooning the broth he set down a plate of fresh bread to help soak it all up. The zucchini was unlike anything we'd seen, wood-fired with bleu cheese, crisp bacon crumbles, and a maple-stout vinaigrette. It was spreadably soft, decadently rich, a hint of sweetness from the maple deliciously offset by the intensity of the cheese and bacon.

Lastly, it was the Kurobuta pork cheeks, something new to both of us, served with oyster mushrooms on a bed of pureed cauliflower and topped with romesco. I can't remember how Jacob said the cheeks were prepared, but I do remember him saying you could cut them apart with a spoon, and he was absolutely correct. These were the epitome of tender - flavorful morsels that defy adequate description (really, I'm sitting here at a bit of loss as to how to do them justice). It was one of those "take a bite and then sit back to marvel at what you've just eaten" kind of moments, and I'm still thinking about it the next day. Whenever we pass through Portland, we'll be sure to stop...

On our visit to this location, it was an amazing experience. We had had an awful experience at another location the night before and needed a pick-me-up to lift our spirits. When we got in, the place was about 3/4 of the way full, as some people had just left. The hostess got up herself for us and bussed and cleaned a table to make sure we could sit quickly, which was awesome. I wish we had gotten her name. We were then greeted by our server who did an awesome job dealing with our indecisiveness due to the night before. He even made us feel like we should’ve come there first so they could’ve given us a good experience. The atmosphere is an awesome feeling of dimly lit dinner feel, and the place is quiet enough for a conversation. We did get there a little late, so a few things were selling out (which shows how great the food is) and we needed to order before the best stuff was gone. We tried out the Deluxe Burger and the Meat and Cheese plate. This. Sandwich. Did not. Disappoint. An amazing mixture of a beef patty, cheese, onion ring, fried egg, and a piece of pork belly sandwiched between lettuce and tomato on a soft bun. My wife and I thought this was the best meal of our trip. The cheese and meat platter was also amazing, as we had a small issue with the bread being a little overdone, but they fixed it for us and told us not to worry about them making things right. Our server even brought us crackers to use while the new batch of bread was being made. This was an unexpected and cool addition to the dish. This experience was overall a cozy feeling and we will definitely be back the next time we are in the Portland area! We also got two of their signature cocktails, and if you like coffee, that martini satisfied a craving we didn’t even know we had....

McMenamins Zeus Cafe at the Crystal Hotel, Portland, OR

Zeus Cafe is billed as an upscale cafe where their breakfast and brunch feature dishes ranging from huevos rancheros and fried chicken to brioche french toast and fresh bakery items. Personally I would lean towards being more comfortable and pleasing than ‘upscale’ as that term can sometimes scare people off where they definitely shouldnt. We were there to enjoy a nice breakfast after having downloaded ‘Parking Kitty’ (see hotel review) and before heading off to Powell's, VooDoo Doughnuts (where the magic is in the hole), then out to the Oregon Coast. After starters of one of McMenamins local roasted coffees and a mimosa, we followed up with the Slabtown Sandwich which consists of tillamook white cheddar, fried egg, artisanal sweetheart ham (from Tails & Trotters?) and framed between two generous slices of toasted Grand Central bakery brioche. This generous sandwich is served with either cheesy grits or herb new potatoes, but delicious fries were also on offer and accepted! In addition we also had Brioche French Toast served with a unique miso caramel sauce along with maple syrup, fresh fruit, and a healthy dollop of rich and real whipped cream almost verging on butter. This dish was artfully served with the full order being quite sufficient but can be ordered as a side which is a nice option when one's eyes are bigger than their stomach. In addition we also ordered the Grilled Bacon & Cheese Sandwich which was concocted with slab bacon, tillamook white cheddar and again served on toasted airy brioche. Breakfasts are rich and satisfying with so much more available than...