The Honey Paw — Restaurant in Portland

A Culinary Delight Marred by a Deceptive Junk Fee

The Honey Paw is a gem in Portland, offering an extraordinary dining experience that leaves your taste buds dancing - yes, I said dancing. From the moment we walked in, we were greeted by a friendly and energetic staff, setting the stage for what promised to be an unforgettable meal.

We started with the chicken wings, a perfect balance of crispy, sweet and spice. The farm veggies (broccoli) were fresh and bursting with natural goodness, while the bluefin crudo was a delicate, melt-in-your-mouth delight. Finally, the Mee Goreng was a great finish, incorporating just the right amount of spice and flavor that made it a top notch noodle dish. Sitting at the bar, we had the pleasure of being served by a bartender who seemed to operate at warp speed. Despite the frantic pace, she remained attentive and friendly, ensuring our glasses were never empty and our needs were promptly met. In fact, every staff member we encountered was equally impressive, radiating warmth and professionalism.

However, the evening took a disappointing turn when we received the bill. To our dismay, we discovered a surprise junk fee of 5%, supposedly to pay the talented kitchen staff a living wage. This deceptive business practice by owners Andrew Taylor and Arlin Smith left a sour taste in our mouths, undermining the otherwise stellar dining experience. It's baffling why the owners don't simply pay their kitchen staff a reasonable wage instead of sneaking in an unwanted fee. I've never met anyone who appreciates a surprise junk fee, and this one was no exception. The great service we experienced meant we planned to leave a generous 25% tip, but thanks to the surprise fee, that tip got shaved down to 20%. It's a real shame that a fantastic restaurant is tainted by such an unscrupulous business tactic.

In conclusion, while The Honey Paw offers some of the best food and service around, the deceptive 5% kitchen staff fee leaves a bad taste and leaves it a step below the numerous local competitors who don’t choose this shady path. Until the owners decide to respect their patrons and staff by paying fair wages upfront, be prepared for a less-than-pleasant surprise...

We were walking to have dinner at another restaurant on Memorial Day, saw the full house at Honey Paw, went in to check the menu out, and decided on the spot to change our plans and grab dinner there instead (they're closed Tuesday-Thursday and we were leaving Portland on Friday). It turned out to be a great decision, and this restaurant should be on the list of anyone visiting town.

For starters we shared the halibut crudo, which as you'd expect from a seaport town was amazingly fresh. The sauce had plenty of bite thanks to the Szechuan oil, but also had more complex flavors with the cilantro and turmeric. It was a light and refreshing way to start the meal, and paired well with the sake we had (my partner got the nigori sake cocktail, I got a bottle of the Ozeki Dry sake).

Next were the mains, and we were blown away at how intense and flavorful the dishes were. I got the local kelp torchio, which was a phenomenal fusion dish combining Italian pasta with Asian seasoning. The pasta was al dente, and the seasoning was very complex with the parmesan dashi, Szechuan peppercorn, kelp butter, soy hijiki and cured egg yolk.

My partner got the khao soi, which she loved (and she has a very high bar for Thai food after spending a lot of time in Bangkok). The coconut curry broth was again intensely flavorful, and the smoked lamb was very tender and offered a different twist to the typical preparation. We drained this bowl down to the bottom.

I think we could've walked away at this point feeling great about the meal, but we're suckers for soft serve ice cream and thought we'd give it a try here. We got the sweet cream soft serve topped by cookie crisps and coffee toffee, and if that's not one of the best soft serves we've ever had - think an Oreo McFlurry from McDonald's that's 100x higher quality and you...

I was intrigued by the unique menu at The Honey Paw. We arrived when the restaurant opened at 11am, and though we were 5 people with a reservation for 4, they were able to accommodate us since it's communal seating and most reservations were closer to noon (I'm assuming). We sat at the center table, which is very large and has plenty of room for sharing food.

As everyone has stated, the honeycomb ice cream is crazy! We were all shocked at the first bite. The flavor is an incredibly intense meld of salted caramel and honey. The texture is a bit melted/soupy, but it did not matter. It was perfection. The honeycomb and dark chocolate were also great. I would come back just for this. We got 3 ice creams for 5 people due to the rave reviews -- this was slightly too much, and we probably would've been fine with 2. It is very sweet, so I would be able to eat half at most.

Other things we liked: The bluefin tuna tostada special was delicious! The Mee goreng was a bit sweet for me, but the rest of my family loved the wok charred noodles and vegetables, and the ample amount of lump crab. The lobster tom yum had really tender lobster and big juicy mussels. This was a good dish if you like tom yum/sour soup (I don't, but I still liked it).

The chicken wings were also really intensely flavored, and unlike any wing flavoring I've had before. A bit sweet for me, but I'm glad I tried them! The lobster toast was pretty good but not a must-get. I didn't like the mazemen -- the seasoning was just sour and creamy. I also didn't like the Hot Goss mocktail -- extremely sour.

Overall, The Honey Paw definitely delivers on unique Asian fusion seafood dishes that you can't get elsewhere. And you have to try...