Mediterranean Exploration Company — Restaurant in Portland

I read the reviews on this restaurant and decided to take my friends there on Jan 15, 2022. But, the reviews were far off from what I saw there unfortunately.

I’m putting this review based on my experience without any bias that other reviews are based on I assume, not to mislead anyone. Also, I’m interested to help the restaurant to improve their service.

After we arrived, I ordered Sephardic lamb and beef kebab. The taste was ok, but the portion was very small and honestly for $20 it was not worth it. I went home and had another meal after that to feel full. I am 170 LBs and 5’9” just to let you know that I don’t eat much.

They cook fresh bread there which is nice and smells good, but the bread also was doughy and, overall, I didn’tlike it.

There is an option in their menu called Persian chicken meatballs. I am a Persian chef, I asked about the waitress why this is called Persian chicken meatballs while we dont have such food as much as I know, he mentioned I am not the first Persian who asked this question and because they put pistachio next to the meatballs they call it Persian chicken meatballs, but I want to clarify if food comes with pistachios, that doesn’t mean the food is Persian and I don’t think it is right to put name of a country next to a food because of using pistachios in that food.

My other friends got Greek lamb chops and asked to be cooked well. However, when they got their orders the meet was burnt all around but inside was red and bloody. They talked about this with the waitress and he refunded them, which was nice, but one of my friends got nausea until midnight because of the blood and the uncooked meat and we gave her some medicine to fix that.

Another problem was when one of us was finishing his/her dish, the waitress was coming and taking his/her dish. We didn’t feel comfortable and welcome this way and we felt the waitress was in rush to make us leave asap which was not nice in my view. We went to the restaurant to have a quality time with my friends but that didn’t happen.

Last but not least, the pictures show this restaurant is kind of fancy, but that is not what we felt once we visited there in person.

So, these are the reasons I am not going back to this restaurant unless I make sure the quality...

Update 9 months after... From 4 to 5 stars I was here a year ago and gave this place 4 stars due to some service issues, nothing to do with the food. A week after I posted my previous review, I got contacted by Renee who wanted to get some feedback on my experience and also wanted me to give it a second chance to see if my experience would be better. I was very impressed with the owner's dedication to customer service which is far above the general Portland standards. After living here for more than a year, I find the customer service in general good but not outstanding. Not this place. I decided to come back last week to see how things shape up. I was quite impressed. The food has not changed, I still give it 5 stars. Forget about TUSK, this is the place to try. Our server was Elliot who was very engaging, helpful and really aims to please. I brought my mother in law who is the most finicky person i've ever met to the point of driving me crazy. She ordered the chicken kebab which had a bit spice and she really made it known to everyone that she didnt like it (BTW the chicken kebob was very good). Without us asking Elliot came back with the Moroccan brick chicken customized with what he thinks she would like. It was a winner. This is what sets good vs outstanding service. I always say that service is not defined by smiles and pleasantries, thats just part of it. True service is tested when faced with challenges like a crazy mother in law. This place passed it with flying colors. Portland needs more establishments like this and more owners like Renee who truly understand the impact of customer service. I recommend this place and I will be returning here over and over again even if the the noise level is pretty high :)

The tuna tartare was the winner for that evening!

Original review

Food 5 stars - if it werent for the food this place would have just gotten a 3 star rating from me hummus with mushroom was unique and very delish shrimp dish was spectacular cod dish was ok ambiance 3 stars, way too loud service 3 stars. Server barely checks on you. i might just order to go next time, food is really good Reservation not accepted unless party of 6 or more,30 min wait on a...

Our group of four recently tried the Mediterranean Exploration Company for an early dinner It was a great experience.

In addition to the elegant indoor space, there is a large outdoor patio extending into the street which is where we ate. Lots of shade from the actual building but entertaining to watch all the pedestrians go by.

Our server was friendly and prompt.

The food is actually a bunch of small plates. For our group of four, our waitress suggested we get 6-8 plates. Ours came out two dishes at a time. We got eight and all left feeling full. We started with the fried calamari. These were lightly breaded and served over a spicy tomato sauce. This was a big hit for all of us. I enjoyed the Labneh with Fried Artichokes. I'd never had fried artichokes, the texture was a bit dry and needed the yogurt-like labneh. This dish was the most disliked in our group. Next came the crispy lamb hummus. Creamy, smooth, luscious hummus with a smattering of crispy lamb on top. This was a huge hit with everyone. It only comes with a single pita, so be sure to order more. The Watermelon Salad which was chunks of seasoned watermelon with some tahini dressing. It had urfa pepper, similar to black pepper, which I had never had before. Our third round was the Blistered Shishito Peppers and the Baked Feta and Blackberries. Our table was split on the Shishito dish. I love shishitos and really enjoyed the thick pistachio puree it was served with. On the other hand, the baked feta was my least favorite dish. It was super sweet and should probably be considered a dessert. Our final two dishes with the Moroccan Brick Chicken and the Hangar Steak. The chicken was moist and flavorful served with an amazing arugula and pecorino salad that I highly recommend. The hangar steak was also delicious and was served with potatoes and fried capers.

It was a really fun experience, and I had the opportunity to try a lot of spices and flavors I'm not that familiar with. It was somewhat pricey, but the food was great, and I'd...