RingSide Steakhouse — Restaurant in Portland

The service here is impeccable. Servers are attentive, pleasant and aim to take complete care of their guests. I was impressed with the service which is getting harder to find in restaurants recently. The atmosphere is nice, its low light makes for a romantic dining experience and they even have a fireplace (gas) that is a nice touch. When you arrive you're met with valet parking although they park the cars in their own lot. This was nice as they really pack the cars in and we didn't have any issues worrying out our vehicle while at dinner. for the cost of a tip, I liked the valet. My wife and I attended for an anniversary dinner. We made reservations in advance and were seated at a table near the fireplace and right next to the kitchen. I would not recommend this area as there is all the traffic of people coming in and out of the kitchen and the restaurant. Wasn't a big deal for us but something to think about if you're planning a romantic dinner. We ordered the onion rings (S) and crab cakes as an appetizer. The onion rings were pretty good a small portion was plenty for my wife and I. The crab cakes were really very good. They were laid on a bed of cabbage and had a chili sauce that gave them just a bit of spice. I really liked them and can't recall ever having anything better. My wife ordered the Oil Poached Alaskan Halibut Pavé and I have the 20oz bone in ribeye. The cod was altogether lacking in flavor other than just being fishy. It was served on a bed of succotash and tomato soup poured in table side which was just OK. My Ribeye came out and looked really good. It was ordered medium rare but when I cut into it it was still pretty rare. They were happy to take it a re-fire it. What I didn't know is they don't rest the steaks in the kitchen (assuming) and they are served on a piping hot dish. When I got the steak back it was cooked perfectly however the hold over cooking by the time I finished it it was going on being Medium-well done. The steak was full of flavor and was really great. The only weird thing was the meat close to the bone tasted like it was sprayed with chemicals. It was not pleasant and was not edible. Kind of defeats the purpose of a bone-in steak. I ordered it with the mashed potatoes and they were great. Because we were celebrating our anniversary, we were provided a Crème Brûlée and it was probably the best we've ever had. It was a little thicker consistency and bold flavor that we really enjoyed. We had a nice experience and would look to try coming back to try a few...

Strap in this will be a little wordy (but honest). Cost for 4 people before tip $514.xx The positives: My rating is largely based on the level of service we received not he quality or pricing of food. You will NEVER go without having a drink. Water is refilled seems like every 5 minutes. Our waiter (I forget his name) was just the ACES! He was funny, personable and actually knew wine and the menu like he created it all himself. I appreciated him so much I left him $100 tip. Total $614.xx.

The negatives: I didn't know what to expect so the party of 4 walked in blindly. Blind is right, the lighting is almost non existent which also made it extremely tough for my 51 year old eyes to read the menu. I had to use my cell phone light. I'm a farm boy from Iowa, I know great beef. The prices they charge simply didn't match the quality of food I received. I personally ordered the $148 34oz steak and the onion rings. I ordered the steak well done, it came out well/well/well extremely charred. (I have BBQ'd steaks equally as thick as this cut and they come out well done but are moist and juicy). They sadly annihilated this meat and maybe it's not fair to compare an open grill to a BBQ but the steak was literally a step above hockey puck status. I had waited 45 minutes for the steak (waiter had warned me of such time) and had I not been on a schedule I'd have sent it back. The onion rings were highly recommended to us. Alone they taste like any other onion ring you can get from a grocery store. Adding their house sauce helped but it reminded me of a packet of Hidden Valley seasoning mixed in Mayo? It was borderline bland for my personal taste. (and that's key, you might like it as is!)

In closing, to be perfectly fair here, I have absolutely no doubt the average "native" Portlander would think this place is fantastic. The service is absolutely excellent. Look at the current reviews, kind of backs that thought process up. I appreciated the experience, the excellent service we received and wish Ringside the absolute best in the future. For me personally, after spending that kind of money I won't...

This review is for dinning in the outside patio area, which is not a pleasant experience as the tent is fairly hot and there is little air movement. There is also a constant parade of employees either leaving the restaurant or just getting to their shift and if you're familiar with the typical restaurant worker, you can imagine the spectacle this creates. More than one of the employees was clearing flem from their throat while coming/going. The simple fact that the management would offer this space as an option for dining shows they are losing touch with the dining experience and are focused on quantity over quality.

The wait staff for our party was awesome. They did a great job and I thank them. Without them, this would have been a really bad experience.

On to the food and I won't say much as food is very subjective so who am I to tell you what you'll enjoy. The one item I will mention is the steak. The restaurant serves their steaks on a sizzling hot metal plate. Yes, you read that correctly. They serve their steaks on a sizzling hot metal plate that continues to cook the steak while it is sitting in front of you. The first steak I was served was medium well when I ordered medium rare. The next one they brought out I ate about half. It was between medium and medium rare but as it sat on the hot metal plate it seemed to grey up as time passed. The portion I took home seemed well done when I ate it the next morning. I ordered a dry aged bone in rib steak and received a cut off the last bone on the small end with absolutely no fat and almost no spinalis. It was tough and dry. Period.

So that sums up the visit. We're going to go back with an indoor reservation the next time. I will definately be more precise with my ordering when I return as I believe from all the positive reviews there is hope here. If you are considering going I would steer clear of the patio and be ready for your steak...