Street & Co — Restaurant in Portland

I’ve been fortunate to dine in nicer establishments across the nation and at a few around the globe.

This experience was the worst.

After 46 minutes of waiting on two simple orders of swordfish, we were informed it would be another 15 minutes.

We were then told it would not be an hour since we ordered when we would eat because it had only been 46 minutes (they had the time check) since we ordered.

With the expected 15 minutes more, that wouldn’t be an hour.

That would be an hour…and a minute. You know…math.

Like many people, we’ve had a few bad experiences in nicer restaurants, but when we’ve had, I usually say: charge us whatever you think this experience was worth.

We declined to wait an hour to eat and asked this question.

You don’t pay 3-5 times what it would cost you to prepare a fish at home just for the fish. You pay in large part for the (alleged) experience that accompanies it. You don’t have to cook, you don’t have to clean, and you receive your meal in a reasonable time.

This was an apparently new concept to the young manager. He charged us the full price of our drinks.

We paid, left a cash tip for the server, and departed.

On the way out, we indicated that no one had expressed any regret for what had occurred. At that point, someone expressed a modicum of regret. Sincerity wasn’t close by.

These are first world problems for sure; remember: we are all paying first world prices expecting just a normal dining experience.

We went next door to a restaurant and had nice meals served within 15 minutes. At the bar, we met another couple who had migrated over, they said, after a bad experience at the same previous establishment.

The young manager had said we needed to understand this was the 4th of July. As if the holiday wasn’t on the calendar and had snuck up on them. On a holiday evening in a resort town, isn’t it just common sense to staff up for a larger crowd? You’re expecting more revenue, so pay more to have adequate staffing - does that not make sense? Apparently not.

We will never eat here again and, based on our experience, would advise avoiding it. We are close to advising to avoid Portland, Maine, period. In four experiences at restaurants so far, the last one was good. But it’s so far the only one above just competent. And it’s a town based on shops and restaurants - driven by a service economy. .

No one at the first place took ownership (what type of management does that tell you they have?) and they defended what - at least at these prices - seems indefensible.

An hour later, at the neighboring restaurant, we received word that the former establishment wished to buy us a drink.

Yes, it was that bad.

We said: thank you, but no.

In a town and a region based on tourism, that in part counts on return business, there is just one chance to make a first impression.

And they had made it.

And it’s a...

We had a 7:15 pm reservation. We arrived at 7:05 pm to ensure we were on time for our reservation.

We were told to stay close as “they were running true to time”. We ordered a few cocktails and waited. 25 minutes later we were finally taken to the table in the dinning room, and put into the far back corner. We sat for a few minutes and our server promptly came, asked for any additional drinks, we ordered more wine, she told us about the additions to the menu for the evening. We ordered our starters and entrees promptly.

I ordered the salmon pate as my starter and the lobster linguine for my entree. My spouse ordered the grilled octopus as a starter and the whole bass as the entree The wine eventually arrived along with some water, and a side of bread. 35 minutes later our starters arrived.

Overall, my spouses grilled octopus was decent, good flavor. My salmon pate was a complete sodium bomb (and I like salt). I could only eat half of it. I left the rest.

During this period, our waters had not been refreshed nor had the table been bused from our starters. The server came back finally and noticed and bused things herself.

We sat for another 25 minutes with nothing. The server came by again and said our entrees were in the next batch (which means they had not been fired yet). We sat for a bit longer and when she back to apologize again, we requested our check to leave.

Meanwhile, a party of four women with the voices of 10 were loudly engaging in laughter that filled the entire restaurant. The table next to us made eye contact and raised eyes like “wow”.

The manager came by and apologized and stated they have an extremely small kitchen. My response to her was in a kind tone, but that they’ve been in business since 1989, they should know by now how to scale reservations to the size of their kitchen.

Overall, we were now at 2 hours since our original reservation time and the entrees were not there. The manager removed them from the bill, I paid, tipped the server 25%+ as none of this was her fault. And the management did not proactively offer anything to help remedy the situation.

With Portland being a foodie city with amazing options, this one has probably run its course and should likely be avoided. Poor management, poor food quality. Serviceable bar. Polite server but zero support. I will...

In my quest for excellent oysters and after reading Yelp reviews, I walked to Street & Co.

The Pros. The oysters are properly shucked by people who know what their doing, and the oysters served are outstanding. I was informed of their oysters of the day and it was highly suggested I try the Pemaquid's as they were incredible. The word Incredible nailed the description of these oysters and my picture doesn't do them justice. They were extremely plump, not obnoxiously large, rather the right size. They were served with a vinegar blend dipping sauce and from an oyster lover, these were one of the best oysters I have ever had. Two thumbs up. The service I experienced was excellent.

The Cons. They are over-priced. I know, tourist season, etc., regardless, they are way over-priced. It's food, it's Portland, it's still not gold. Next issue is their beer selection, poor at best.

More. Before I left I walked the restaurant and the building is very unique, with garlic strands hanging in the dining room. The kitchen is exposed and the smells of the dishes the chef was preparing kicked up my olfactory senses to the next level. I was so tempted to order a meal but was already full from snacking as I explored Portland.

I do recommend this restaurant for adults but if you have kids, suggest you go elsewhere. Why? You're going to put out well over $100-150 for a meal for 4 and your kids will not appreciate the flavor/textures of the dishes being served. This restaurant is perfect for a couple to enjoy and appreciate a very...