Vaux PDX — Restaurant in Portland

Delicious! I was traveling on business and was too tired to venture out of the hotel. So glad that I ended up here. Started with their gin cocktail of the night which was sweet but perfectly balanced. I had a cup of chili to start and it literally tasted like what I would make at home! It had 2 different types of meat...which I love...and just the right amount of heat where you feel it but can still taste your food. I had the short rib for my entree and was not disappointed. The meat was perfectly tender and moist and easily fell apart with my fork. It was accompanied by the most amazing spaetzle that was perfectly crisped to add an element of texture. The jus was spot on and the little bit of pickled shallot cut through the richness with the light touch of acidity. The food was so good that I had lunch the following day. I enjoyed a Reuben with their housemade corned beef....it was awesome! Great flavor and tenderness on the corned beef. I am always leery of ordering a Reuben for a fear of chewy meat...so glad I went with the risk. Will definitely be eating here again when work...

Two stars only because of the older gentleman last night who DID give good service.

We're staying here at the Hilton Canopy hotel, and Vaux is their restaurant. Usually Hilton restaurants' food is at least acceptable, but that is sadly NOT the case here.

NO paper menus, you must scan on your mobile (the hotel is very "trendy," and "eco friendly" and would likely NOT serve older people very well). Very limited choices, and several were "out of stock." The pizza we ordered last night had to be sent back because it wasn't hot, and when the new one (I assume they made a new one) came, it was barely better than a cheap frozen pizza. The Caesar salad had far too many croutons, which were soggy.

This morning, we attempted to order the breakfast sandwich, and the girl behind the counter was clueless and ended up saying, "Oh, I don't think we have any more of those."

We gave up and went down the street two blocks to Fuller's Coffee house, which...

Soup was dangerously hot, a sure sign it was microwaved. It was blended to a thin slime and had no flavor. No noticeable cheese, no chunks of vegetables, a sign that it was frozen. I added salt but nothing could save this cat food. It’s like everything here is from kits. Pizza oven is not hot enough. They can accommodate customization of a dish but the pizza dough is premade or frozen. No soul here. Vaux is only for the most desperate of exhausted travelers wishing for enough calories to remain alive.

Update: I finally sat long enough for my soup to cool and I added salt. It still tasted like microwaved water. (No, I’m not sick.) I took it to the counter to ask if maybe it was prepared incorrectly. They offered to replace it with anything on the menu. The next thing I got was properly salted but still obviously microwaved. I’ve bumped my service rating up but still do not recommend the food. It’s a lovely place for a drink, but don’t...