The Palm Court — Restaurant in Portland

Last night, I took my wife downtown hoping to find somewhere to have a nice dinner. We are full time caregivers for our disabled daughter, who requires 24-hour care, and breaks are a rare treat. After much consideration and researching online, we decided to have a nostalgic dinner at the Benson Hotel. It had many years since we had eaten dinner at the Benson, however, we had stopped in during the holidays a few times to have a Spanish Coffee and sit next to the fire to "cozy up."

When we arrived for dinner yesterday, we were stunned to learn that the 5-star dining experience downstairs had been replaced with a very small restaurant on the main floor, the Palm Court. We decided to wait until 4:30 when the Palm Court opened and enjoy a cocktail and light dinner. It wasn't long before we regretted that decision. As the waiter approached our table, he filled the air with a horrid, strong smell of tobacco. I don't ever remember being served a meal in any restaurant, of any kind, where the waiter "reeked" of smoke so strong that the scent remained in the air, and in our nostrils, for nearly a minute after he walked away from the table! It was bad!! The waiter obviously had a cigarette right before the restaurant opened and coming to the table to greet us. It was only a few minutes after greeting us and leaving to get our waters, that we heard his "smokers" cough" behind us for the first time, something he did frequently throughout our meal. When the waiter brought our waters, he held the glass where his hands made contact with the rim of the glass. As soon as he delivered the waters, my wife told me to "not drink the water, as she did not trust his cleanliness at all." Sure enough, at the end of the meal, when paying the check, I saw the waiter cough directly into his hand - and keep working!!

The food quality and drinks were average - nothing special. But we dare to think what condition the kitchen was in if the front staff were allowed to smell strongly like smoke, cough during their shift, cough directly into their hands without washing and keep working! No, the Palm Court will never compare to the "good ole days" of what the Benson use to be. But there is no excuse for hiring servers whose cleanliness and hygiene is not 5-star when serving the public. We will never go back to the Benson even for a holiday cocktail fireside.

In the past, going to the Benson was a special experience. Now, it is an experience that we will...

It was a very disappointing dining experience at The Palm Court. The dining room is way too bright for dinner service, which was odd for such a lovely space. The service was utterly lacklustre and did not match the environment at all. One would expect an elevated and thoughtful service from the staff, but that was not the case. While the food was okay, it was delivered in the wrong order with the overall presentation missing the mark. For example, the butter pat on top of my steak had melted entirely before I received it. I felt like we were in a dining hall, not a lovely restaurant. Whoever manages this restaurant has lost the plot related to service in one of downtown Portland's chicest restaurants. For example, a cocktail should be placed on a cocktail napkin, a steak knife should be delivered to the table in advance not after the meal has been served. Dim the lights in the dining room and add tealight candles to the table to catch the light of the crystal chandelier, and marble tables. This place and location has so much potential to be a wonderful bistro. I hope management sees this review. I'm happy to offer...

Was served by Bobby this morning. Biscuits and gravy breakfast. Coming from a south west home and cooking Biscuits and gravy almost weekly, was not greatly impressed with the Biscuit, which was A: 1, for the price it should be 2 at least, B: over cooked and hard even with the gravy, C: slightly warm like the gravy had done the job of keeping it warm. The gravy saved the flavor of the biscuit, which wasn't saying much for the flavor of the gravy either. Don't try to get fancy with the flavors. Sausage gravy is 4 ingredients and that's it. What gets the stars is the eggs where cooked perfect and the service. Thank you Bobby and Sandy. Will be coming back to see you again. If I could separate the stars, service is 5+, this breakfast...