Tusk — Restaurant in Portland

I’ve been looking forward to checking out this place because Ive heard so much praise from different people and I love love Middle Eastern food having traveled to Istanbul, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and really enjoyed this type of cuisine. I have to say that the food did not disappoint at all. If it weren’t for the high mark on the food, this business would have gotten 2 stars from me. Why the 3 stars? It started with a 25 min wait past our reservation time because it was a very busy evening but I can understand that and can let that go but the actual service from Marla B (our server) was very sad and disappointing. I was sad because I don’t see her treating the adjacent tables with the short and cold approach that she gave us. I think she overheard me comment on the service as she was checking on other tables and that is the only time she checked on us with a brief "everything ok?" Be professional and leave your personal preferences outside the restaurant. It doesn’t matter if your customer is picky with the ingredients and asking you things like is there refined sugar, etc etc. Especially if they are asking you in a nice polite way. If they ask you what are the popular dishes in the menu, don’t tell them that it’s a small menu and everything is good and popular. Engage them, ask them questions etc. That’s part of your job. Unless a customer is berating or asking you unreasonable questions or requests, put on your server hat – smile, be pleasant and engaging and just treat them as if they were a guest in your home because they are expecting to be treated like so especially if they are spending their hard earned money and their valuable free time to have a wonderful experience in your restaurant. I have a feeling that this restaurant really would not care for these types of feedback because they already have a loyal following. I hope they do because PDX is growing and you will always need new customers especially from different backgrounds and orientation. Im new to the area and am looking for inventive and innovative place that serve really good food and I mean really good not just PDX standards but national, even international standards to bring in guests and business clients. My husband who is the most laid back and nonchalant person who may not agree with me at all times with service levels totally agreed with me on this one. And yes my tip clearly reflects how I felt this experience. The timing of the food was also a bit disappointing. Does it really take 30 mins to bring out the bread and hummus? We are already starving from waiting almost half an hour to be seated and then another 15 mins for Marla B to show up, the least thing you can do is put out the hummus which is one of the appetizers we ordered sooner instead of waiting for the rest of the appetizers to get completed no? How long does it really take to scoop that out of the container coz im sure they already made a batch of that for the day. The bread was disappointing too, it was not warm and a bit chewy. That bread is your intro to the evening and sets the pace for the rest of the meal. I was expecting to be wowed by the bread. A lot of Middle Eastern restaurants pride themselves with this simple staple. The place is also way too loud to have a nice relaxing conversation, the Music was too loud and it is hard to have a conversation coz everyone tries to raise their voice so you end up with a LOUD atmosphere which is not a good recipe for a nice dinner. In a city where there are so many good restaurants, service is what can set you apart so don’t take that for granted. A restaurant gets away sometimes with mediocre food because they have outstanding service. Ive been to the most causal even dive restaurants as well as the most extravagant and expensive ones around the world and those with amazing food and outstanding service eventually are the ones that stands the...

#1 would I come again…. Probably not Goodness finding parking is horrible but I mean too bad it is what it is. Reserving was a breeze Ambiance is great, loved the outdoor patio, expect apparently they sat us in the forgotten corner of shame for bringing a kid. Service was soooooo bad I mean bad There’s 100 people working and walking around with eyes in the sky and no one does anything Apparently Mondays, the happy hour menu goes on all day which was amazing because we got to try a bunch of stuff. We ordered drinks, I got a hot tea and my friend water, because they have no soda, closest is $10 sparkling water The tea pots suck, tea was cold after 4 mins I asked for honey and I got the weirdest look, like how could I ask for such a weird thing. The guy said “no but I’ll go ask anyway” Another server brought me a little serving of honey and I said thanks. Were they gonna charge me for this? Maybe? The hummus was bomb I mean delicious. Bread was great. I asked our server if we should order one or two ordered. They didn’t say how many came in each order, they said order two.

Bread came out and it came with 4, the server came back and told us ooo they brought you 4? I was like “looks like it” and walked away. I’m pretty sure it was just added to our bill, even though that was not our mistake and we only ate two. Food came out super fast

The falafel was my favorite, Baked cheese was way too salty Beef skewer was delicious I would completely skip the lamb poutine 🤢 salty and bad. I would skip the rice I hate cooked cherries The smash burger would also be a pass, not bad but I rather eat double falafel. Now I must have asked the server 4 times for the check and boxes. After waiting 30-40 mins I finally started waving my hands In the arm and it was like everyone was turning and ignoring on purpose lol. Finally I got a ladies attention and she went to go tell the sever. The server came back and said sorry “I told another server and they must have forgotten” Went to get boxes, came back with two. Then he needed to get the check lol Came back then he said I’ll bring another box Took the card and brought a box. lol i felt it was a whole fiasco Hahahha The server then said “I took the liberty of taking a bunch of things off the bill” I said ooooh thank you checked the bill and wonder what did they take off Hahahahaha. The $1 chimichiri sauce and maybe the extra mistake bread they brought out ??????

I hate places that add a 20% tip automatically, it puts the servers (not all) in a mind set of “I don’t care” I’ll get 20% anyway good or horrible service. In the end it hurts the restaurant I’m not going back because the service was horrible. Food undoubtedly is very tasty. I really really wanted to try the olive oil cake but didn’t wanna wait...

Honestly one of the most bizarre experiences I have ever had in a restaurant and I am not one to leave a bad review. We had a reservation and a party of 6. Everyone in our party works in the industry. Our server was completely standoffish and not at all friendly. We ordered the large mezze platter to split between the 6 of us. Then she came around to take our main entree orders. I ordered first and then the second person in our party placed her order and she stopped her and announced to the entire table “the mezze platter is big and if everyone at the table is going to also order their own meals that’s going to be A LOT of food.” We all just kind of paused and looked at each other. And I stated that my partner would like the dish she ordered. One of the couples in our party decided to share the oysters instead of each getting their own meal as planned.

I totally get warning people if something is a big portion. But it felt weird and shamey and I’ve never seen a server try to actively encourage someone not to order something and not want to upsell which only means a higher check and higher tip for the staff. Everything she said to us was snarky and it seemed like she was annoyed that we were even there.

She asked us once when one persons first drink was almost gone if anyone wanted another cocktail and two were ordered and then she never asked again. She could have easily gotten several more drinks added to the tab. We ordered both desserts for the table and were chatting and sharing. Another employee came over and started grabbing everyone’s plates, spoons, and both desserts even though they were not finished. The golden milk cake had a few bites left and the other dessert was only half gone. They never asked “Are you guys finished?” “May I take these away?” I’m not sure if we were trying to be rushed out. Our reservation was at 7. And we were there until just about 9-which is closing and we were aware of. There were several other tables still there throughout the restaurant. Our party of 6 spent around $350.

The food was all delicious but truly one of the most bizarre and uncomfortable experiences I’ve ever had in...