My Brother's Crawfish — Restaurant in Portland

"My Brother's Crawfish" in Portland, Oregon, is a disappointing embodiment of culinary potential gone awry, presenting a regrettable fusion of flavors that leaves patrons underwhelmed and disheartened. This establishment, rather than delivering on the promise of a delightful dining experience, falls flat, showcasing a series of missteps that reflect a lack of understanding and respect for the art of gastronomy.

From the moment one crosses the threshold, a sense of disillusionment permeates the air. The restaurant's attempt to blend seafood with an eccentric assortment of ingredients and concepts feels more like a misguided experiment than a thoughtful culinary endeavor, leaving visitors with a sense of puzzlement and regret.

The name "My Brother's Crawfish" itself hints at a sense of camaraderie and kinship that is tragically misplaced. The unfortunate combination of family-oriented terminology and the disappointing culinary offerings only serves to underscore the disappointment that one encounters when faced with the lackluster menu.

The menu, if one can call it that, showcases a collection of ill-conceived attempts at Cajun cuisine that fail to impress. This approach undermines the essence of crawfish cuisine, sidelining tradition in favor of a hodgepodge of elements.

The presentation of the dishes at "My Brother's Crawfish" adds to the overall sense of letdown. The disjointed arrangement of plates featuring uninspiring concoctions is enough to dampen any enthusiasm for the meal. It's a visual representation of disappointment, reflecting the confusion and lack of coherence that characterizes the entire dining experience.

The service, or lack thereof, further compounds the sense of dissatisfaction. The staff's disinterest and lack of engagement with the patrons mirror the restaurant's lack of commitment to providing a memorable dining encounter. Their indifferent demeanor appears to convey an acknowledgment of the restaurant's shortcomings, resulting in an atmosphere that is far from welcoming.

The disappointment of "My Brother's Crawfish" extends beyond the boundaries of its walls. It tarnishes Portland's reputation as a culinary haven by presenting an uninspiring version of gastronomy in a city known for its vibrant food scene. The restaurant's failure to strike a balance between innovation and reverence for culinary traditions serves as a stark reminder that respect for the past is a crucial element of any successful dining establishment.

In a city that celebrates culinary exploration and creativity, "My Brother's Crawfish" stands as a disheartening reminder that pushing boundaries should not come at the expense of flavor and satisfaction. It should serve as a reminder that true innovation is built on a foundation of respect for ingredients, techniques, and a deep understanding of what makes food enjoyable.

In conclusion, "My Brother's Crawfish" in Portland, Oregon, disappoints on multiple levels. It misses the mark by attempting to fuse disparate elements without a coherent vision, leaving diners with a sense of letdown rather than culinary enlightenment. This establishment's lack of understanding of what constitutes a satisfying dining experience is a disservice to both its patrons and the rich culinary heritage it attempts to...

Oh boy! Sit down for this review, because it's going to be a long tea spilling. First, I want to say that I have followed this place since it was a much smaller restaurant in the corner location of the shopping center they are in now. Almost 7 years ago, they were great! Small, not as known but great food and service. I understand that they expanded and are super known now and so the service may not be as great since they are SO busy. My partner and I went wanted to go to their location for a celebration dinner. We were told it would be a bit of a wait for a table but it was actually not that bad of a wait. We got a table in like 10 mins. We sat down and our waitress took our drink order and our food order right away. We were told it would be a bit of a wait since they were so busy and we had no problem with a longer wait than normal. After 10 mins or so, we asked to add rice to our order. Our waitress brought over a side of rice within a few minutes, but still no drinks or food. We waited for 45 minutes more and then we realized that we still had not gotten our drinks OR had had our server check in on us since she dropped off the sad bowl of rice 45 mins before. We looked around and saw that people that were seated minutes before us had gotten their food already and were almost done. We wondered if our server forgot about us, because we had not even gotten our drinks. We gave her ten more minutes and then she still had not checked or dropped off our drinks. We got up to leave and that's when she finally came over and asked if everything was okay. I told her, no we were leaving since it was taking so long. She looked over at our table and said okay, sorry. I feel bad writing this review, but it's an honest event and if she had communicated with us or at least brought over our drinks or side of fries while we were waiting for the main dishes it would not have been such a drag. But we patiently waited for over an hour, and got nothing but water, no refills, no sides, and a sad bowl of cold rice that waited for food that never came. I would not recommend them. I think there are other places that have similar food and better service and are less expensive. I think this place is super hyped up and no longer a good service location. It's sad because they used to be super nice, fast...

Both stars are knocked entirely because of the restaurant's menu issues.

Trying to access the menu on the website before even going to the place is a process. You're forced through a third-party app that requires entering your name, suggesting you connect your Google account, asking if you're SURE you don't want to connect your account, and mashing away the prompts until you finally get to the menu. If you navigate away, guess what: do it again. The menu is easily viewable on Google Maps, but not your own website?

The restaurant prioritizes its QR code menus- BIG thumbs down even without the other issues. Real menus exist, but they aren't offered unless you ask, and then you're informed that they are actually outdated. Accessing their QR menu is the same excessive process of being prompted to sign into a third party app and make an account and mashing through it. And once you've picked your order on the website, selected it and added it to your table, does it get sent to the relevant parties? Like you'd expect with digital ordering - the reason you'd choose to have digital ordering in your restaurant? No, the server comes and you tell them what you picked and they write your order down manually like usual. Except if you've closed the menu page and forget what you wanted, you have to go through the whole rigamarole of opening the third party website again. I would’ve hated all this when I was a server; it's just an absurd misuse of technology to make everyone’s lives harder. And this ain't how we do restaurants in the south, either.

If you can't change your website then at least please prepare actual menus for your restaurant that are offered directly to your customers and contain correct information. It can be a simple white piece of printer paper even. If you have to write "market price" for the seafood, that's fine. The food, by the way, was good, served timely, hot, and plentiful. But I'm not frequenting a restaurant that makes looking for their...