April 1st

On April first, we'll be posting our newest review:

Gustav's

We went just last weekend and we're excited to get this updated. 

Charity's Pick: Alexis Restaurant

Restaurant Review

Date Visited: 3/5/2011 @ 6pm; no reservation

Type: Greek

Alexis Restaurant

215 West Burnside

Portland, OR 97209

(503) 224-8577

www.alexisfoods.com

Lunch:

Monday - Saturday

11:30am - 2:00pm

Dinner:

Monday - Thursday

5:00pm - 10:00pm

Friday & Saturday

5:00pm - 11:00pm

Affordability: $15 - 20 p/person for dinner

Dress Code: Casual

Overall Rating: 3 Lemon Twists

For nearly a decade, Alexis Restaurant, a cornerstone in Portland's Old town, has brought pleasure to palates and spirits alike.  Authentic Greek Specialties, serviced amidst a backdrop of Greek music, laughter, warm hospitality, and an occasional "OOOPPAAAAAA" from the festive crowd, make Alexis one of Portland's most revisited eateries.  Named Best Greek Restaurant by Portland Monthly, HB and I headed up there for dinner on, what we knew, would be a very busy Saturday night to test their finest culinary treats and attentive service.

Initial Impression:

Located on the corner of Burnside and 2nd Ave, Alexis was easy to find.  We found some street-side parking about a 1/2 block away.  From the outside, Alexis looks like a white warehouse with large Greek "A" sign on the outside.  Perhaps some misplaced fraternity housing?  The front doors are painted white and red, and neither have any windows.  The only clue that I had that I was in the right place were the sounds of footsteps and the musical ting-ing of plates and silverware from inside.

Once HB and I opened the doors, we're greeted by a small set of stairs leading to a landing with a small flight of stairs on either side and another longer flight of stairs leading to a second floor just behind us.  There, a gentle older man greeted us with a Grecian smile and pointed us towards the left side to a small table for two against the back wall.  There are about twenty tables around us; all but one other are empty.  Because of the emptiness of the room at this point, it gave me plenty of time to look around.  I walked in from a warehouse fraternity-type building into a Grecian family home.  The very-worn dark walnut hardwood floors were solid, but creaked like my grandma's screened porch door.  The textured walls were freckled with awards, reviews, and accolades in a mish-mash of frames.  The tables (no booths here) were all dark wood with dark wood and nicely padded chairs.  The warm lighting from the ceiling was dim and cast a comforting effect to the dining area.  HB and I found our table, and I grabbed my pen and paper.

Food:

Every table is served a half-loaf of wonderfully warm, homemade, Greek white bread with pads of butter.  DON'T EAT IT YET.  Just wait.  I promise.  It will be worth it.  It's tough, I know.  On their appetizer menu, you'll find things such as spanakopita, gyros, feta 'n olives, and much more.  HB and I ordered humous (in America, we call it Hummus).  Ok, NOW it's ok to eat the bread.  Just be sure to dredge your bread slice into the garlic, creamy, wonderfully amazing humous.  It was definitely worth the wait.

HB couldn't decide on a single entree, so he chose the Pikilia Piato w/ rice and vegetables.  This dish is a combination dish with Moussaka (eggplant casserole layered with ground lamb, topped with Béchamel sauce), Dolmathes (grape leaves stuffed with ground lamb, rice, and topped with an egg lemon sauce), Spanakopita (layers of fillo dough, spinach, rices, and feta cheese), and Souvlaki Lamb (tender cubes of marinated and char-broiled lamb served on a skewer).  I chose my favorite Greek dish, Pastitso (macaroni with ground lamb topped with Béchamel sauce).  According to the menu, every specialty is served with soup or salad. We both selected the lentil soup (lentils, tomato sauce, garlic, vinegar, olive oil, carrots, celery, peas, and onion).

The lentil soup was very light for a tomato-based soup.  The lentils had the perfect texture (if you've ever had under- or over-cooked lentils, you know what I mean here!), and the vegetables added a great balance of flavor to the soup.  The serving size was average, so don't worry about your soup being big enough for a meal here.

According to HB, his dinner was great!  According to him: the Moussaka can easily get mushy, but the eggplant stood up well and maintained it's firmness.  The Béchamel sauce was the best he'd every had--creamy, gentle flavor, and lightly browned on top.  He also commented that the Spanakopita, because of the large amount of spinach in this dish, can sometimes get "slimy."  Not here.  It was perfectly cooked.  He initially had concerns about the Domathes and the amount of Anise-flavor, but after a few bites, said they were the best grape leaves he'd ever had.  The lamb skewers were cooked a bit longer than HB prefers (he's a medium rare kinda guy), but said the flavor was good--smoky, grilled, moist, and delicious, but it wasn't the favorite part of his meal.  His favorite: Dolmathes. 

My dinner was exceptional.  If you're looking for big bold flavor, don't order Pastitso. While I like lamb, I don't LOVE lamb, so the Pastitso is perfect for me.  The pasta in the Pastitso can easily become mushy, and sometimes the lamb flavor can be too overpowering for this subtle dish.  But at Alexis, they know how to do it right.  The sauce in the pasta was creamy, yet firm enough to stand up to the Béchamel sauce on top.  Just like HBs, the Béchamel sauce was lightly browned on top.  The ground lamb added a nice flavor to the dish, but again, didn't overpower it.

Our rice and vegetables with dinner definitely weren't the showcase on our plate.  It's similar to going out for Mexican food and getting rice and beans--they're usually not the highlight.  The side dishes were good, as indicated by our now empty plates.

For dessert, we had two choices: Baklava or Bougatsa.  HB and I have had really good Baklava before, so we opted to share a piece of Bougatsa (a warm custard in fillo dough topped with cinnamon and powdered sugar).  The presentation of the Bougatsa was average.  It was obvious that it was a slice from a large pan, and it had been warmed.  Don't let that fool you!  The texture of the custard was incredible.  The fillo dough was light and flaky (although a little difficult to cut with your fork).  Our plate was empty in a matter of seconds. 

Food Twist: 1 twist.

Service:

The economy has hit all of us; and in the food industry you see that reflected in labor reductions.  Restaurants can cut the quality of their food, but only so much.  So, as foodies, we've been subject to long waits for food, refills, and general service.  One of my favorite highlights of Alexis was this: they ratio of tables-to-servers was 4:1.  That's right, one server for every four tables.  I'll also add that there were two people seating newcomers and another person standing in the corner watching every table, every server, and stepping in to help the minute they notice a small bottleneck. 

We were immediately seated; had water, menus, and bread within seconds of seating.  HB and I delayed a bit on picking our entrees, but the minute I closed my menu, someone was there taking our order.  At this point, we had been at Alexis for about 10 minutes.  Those 18 empty tables around us were almost full now.  There were two empty tables by 6:30pm.

Our humous arrived within two minutes of ordering it--and we proceeded to eat like raptors in the movie "Jurassic Park."  Our waiter noticed our pending shortage of bread and said to us, "Uh oh, gettin' low on bread.  That's no good when you have humous at the table!" and quickly brought us another loaf of bread.  

I could give several more examples of great service; empty plates/dishes bussed quickly off our table, water refilled almost automatically, regular check-ins from anyone walking by; but I will sum it up with the use of the word attentiveness.  I never once felt like a single table in the middle of a now-packed Greek restaurant.  I felt like family, and I felt like they cared about my meal.  It appeared they genuinely cared about me and my meal with a subtle voice tone; a lingering smile; and a friendly attitude.

With that said, let me share what took this service from great to WOW!.  Seated at the table next to use were two young couples and a small toddler.  Based on their conversation, they were not very familiar with non-common Greek food.  The waiter came over a few times to check in on them; but on the third time he said this, "It sounds like you might be having some trouble deciding between a few items, so I might be able to help.  I heard you say you're looking for XXX.  If so, I'd recommend..."  At this point, he proceeded to make several recommendations; including what the toddler might even be safe to eat and enjoy. 

Service Twist: 2 twists

Summary:

3 Lemon Twists.  This is an amazing location and environment.  You won't be disappointed!  Be sure to join in when a table orders Saganaki--the waiter yells out to get everyone's attention and yells OOOPPPAAAAAAAA!! as he prepares the flaming dish tableside.

Total bill: $48.00 before tip.

Experienced Customer Service Expert and Contributor,

Charity

“Thai Noon Restaurant”

Lemon Squeeze (Summary)

Name: Thai  Noon

Location: 2635 NE Alberta ST, Portland (97211)

Phone Number: (503) 282-2021

Type: Thai/Asian

Reservations required? No

Site: thainoon.com

Overall Rating: Two Lemon Twists (See rating scale at the end of the blog)

Summary: Delicious deli-food for a sit-down experience or meal on the go.

Starting Off

I had the pleasure of doing two things that make me  happy. (1) Hang out in the Portland area and  (2) spend time with my guest “Dr. J.” Dr. J and I went to an incredibly authentic Thai restaurant in the Alberta Neighborhood in Portland, just East of downtown. We went right in and were seated immediately. As we’ve seen in another review, that’s the start of a great experience. We were handed the menus within seconds of arriving and even received some waters right away too.

Our server, who had a subtle smile on his face greeted us and offered to take our drink order in an Asian inspired bright deli-like atmosphere. It is tempting to order a hard drink considering just feet away there’s an attached bar to the eatery. The trim, chairs, and bar are all outlined in cherry wood which is one of my personal favorite products when it comes to decorating and furnishing.

In addition to a large dining room, guests also notice a smartly placed to-go station to the right of the foyer, a generously sized banquet/meeting  room for groups of up to 25 people, and a kitchen you can look into from many angles (always nice when you’re curious, right?). This setting and start to the meal was just what I would want for a quick bite out during a day in the big city.

Food

Thai food is tasty,  let’s face it. There are a variety of different types of foods in this genre but  rice and noodles are some of the most common. Dr J ordered the tofu Pad Thai and I ordered chicken fried rice. At almost any Asian restaurant, my default choice is some type of fried rice. While this isn’t too adventurous, it’s enjoyable and each locale has their own variation of this.

The tofu Pad Thai was good. I actually had a bite and enjoyed it enough that I might order this next time myself. With these entrées being less than ten dollars, this is a great value as it has fresh pasta, great veggies, and a taste that’s not overpowering or too sweet--- as this can happen with some varieties of this dish. I’ve had Pad Thai at several locations in the Northwest and even a fairly up-scale location in New York and it’s not as enjoyable as Dr J’s plate. Yummers!!!

My chicken fried rice was better than I anticipated. Since this my default dish, it is a great meal for comparison. Chicken fried rice is going to be a little leaner than other meats, which is a great choice. Additionally if needed, Thai Noon also has Gluten Free and Vegan Choices if requested. My spread added broccoli, tomato, and onions into the mix too. The one aspect of this dish that was noticeable was that you couldn’t see or taste the oil used. At many other establishments, you are left with a visible or edible remembrance of the skillet. Not with this plate. That takes the cake.

Dr. J noticed that the smaller noodles made it easy for her to get the pasta onto the chopsticks. When I started listening, I quickly noticed that you can hear fresh products being chopped. When you can see, hear, and taste a fresh wholesome product, you know you’re eating healthy. Couple that with a great value and you have a successful edible feast that earns its respectful one lemon twist for the Food Section.

Service

When it gets down to the heart and soul of my blog, it all comes down to service. How they take care of me. How they handle special requests. How I feel when I’m working with my server. I’m pleased to write that I am satisfied with my experience. Really, when it comes down to it, all my little “isms” were met. Our server took care of us and got our drinks right away including refills.

Our server took care of us by getting our food in less than ten minutes from order to table. Pretty fast by anyone’s standards. We asked for recommendations of what would be the best and he quickly made his recommendation: Pad Thai. Good thing he was honest, Dr J truly enjoyed what I’m sure is one of their best dishes. This proves he’s a true menu expert, something that is key to any strong server.

Our server further met my expectations by ensuring my soda was refilled without asking, constantly having a smile on his face, giving Dr J chopsticks immediately when asked, and being efficient without giving a rushed feeling. Dr J described the experience as “friendly without hovering” which fits so perfectly with the experience holistically

Since I was pleased and my strict expectations were met, Thai Noon and their team earns one lemon twist for the Service Section.

Heading out

With a quick street side escape awaiting us, it was time to leave. We left a little after noon and things were starting to get busier in this bustling Portland district. We got out for less than $20 with tip and with dinner price not that much higher this is a great place to go for a quick bite for lunch, a healthy meal to go, or even a convenient dinner destination, this is a top choice.

If you add up the Lemon Twists, we’re at two of the three possible ones and I’d love to hear from any of you who decide to visit Thai Noon Restaurant because of this review. Enjoy!

Your Customer Service Expert,

Nick

Do you have questions or comments? Feel free to leave a comment below or email me at the address in the profile section of the site.

Evaluation Scale/Rating:

0 Lemon Twists: Avoid the location
1 Lemon Twists: Go whilst drunk as you won’t want to remember your visit there
2 Lemon Twists: The location would be great to visit overall.
3 Lemon Twists: AMAZING location; highly recommended.

Coming Up

Hello Favorite Readers-

I'm VERY excited to announce that my next blogging location will be Thai Noon Restaurant in Portland, Oregon. This review will be different than the first two as it will be a lunch meal. My guest who will be going with me is a favorite reader AND almost soley eats different Asian foods when eating out, so what better choice?

I am very anxious to get down to Portland. Looking forward to having this posted by March 1st.

Thank you,

Nick

Can't let this go

Hey Favorite Readers!! If you're only reading this for my customer service or food ideas, please disregard this post. If you're reading my blog because you like hearing my opinion, then read on! [My next blog for RESTAURANTS will be posted in March. :) ]

Below is a copy of an email I sent to Adventist Medical Center in Portland, along with asking them to forward a copy to their COO. The whole issue: there are conflicting reports about an incident that occured this week in which a man in their own parking lot DIED because they didn't respond fast enough to the incident. Reports range from a few minutes to about 20. The bottom line though is that it should never have happened. Read on to see the email I sent them.

This email is intended for Robert G. Carmen and the Site Director of the Portland Medical Center. I am DEMANDING a copy of this email be sent to both mentioned parties NOT their support teams. Thank you.

A copy of this email has been mailed to the Governor's Office for the State of Oregon and posted on my Blog.
Site Director & Robert Carmen:

I have recently heard, as many of Oregon's residents have too, about Adventist's recent alleged lack of response in an incident in your parking lot. There are a few conflicting views on how this went down. I've read your response, and heard the TV updates.

One thing is for sure, no matter how it went down, this was a difficult case for staff and the family of the deceased. That said, it's unacceptable to wait EVEN ONE MINUTE to respond to an incident on your campus. In the medical industry, SECONDS count. SECONDS can mean the difference between life and death. When ANYONE asks for help from your staff the only appropriate response is TO respond; waiting even one minute in unethical.

I wanted to write to you to express my anger, disappointment, and support of criminal and civil action against Adventist Health Systems due to this clear result of avoiding ethical (if not legal) obligations to patients and the public. Please know that the lack of action and care in this case have directly resulted in the public instantly losing trust with your team, along with my personal distaste for any business or employment opportunities with Adventist.

The only appropriate response at this time is for your site to take ownership of this error, rather than trying to down-play a critical, fatal error of judgment and policy. Please understand the only way the public will forgive your organization is for you to take this ownership.

Thank you for making the appropriate policy changes and apologizes going forward,
Nicholas A. Wiens
Twitter: http://twitter.com/NickWiens
Blog: http://diningwithaservicetwist.blogspot.com/

Review Number Two Gets Number One Spot

“Caruso's Italian Café & Catering”

Lemon Squeeze (Summary)

Name: Caruso’s

Location: 5745 Inland Shores Way North, Keizer 

Phone Number: (503) 393-8272

Type: Italian

Reservations required? Strongly recommended

Site: carusositaliancafe.com

Overall Rating: Three Lemon Twists (See rating scale at the end of the blog)

Summary: The place to go for fantastic Italian food in Salem, hands down.

Starting Off

Isn’t it amazing to walk into a restaurant and just know you’re at home? And, really, how often does that happen? Well, every time when you eat at Caruso’s! I had the pleasure of visiting Caruso’s recently and was very excited with my experience.

I walked right in to an “Italian villa” type foyer and was greeted by a friendly host who pulled up my reservation immediately. Upon being seated, within seconds of talking with the host, I was greeted by my server. She was friendly, a smile gracing her face.

I made the reservation for two a half people. My guest, who I’ll call “JB” brought his adorable 2 year old son “Little J.” This was done intentionally. While it is common to go to dinner with two or four people and sometimes larger groups, it is also occasionally necessary to bring the little one(s) to nicer restaurants from time to time. What a perfect chance to test how the restaurant handles children as VIP guests in their eatery. In this case, the booster seat was already in place and they brought the kids menu just as Little J was being seated.

The overall décor of Caruso’s is soothing and frankly, romantic. There are several small dining rooms with the tables angled in different directions so you only see a few people at a time. This creates an intimate environment where you can focus on the members of your party rather than those around you.  It has the typical subtle Italian décor one would expect such as pillars, but is highlighted by candles adorning the table, mood lighting from the ceiling, and Saat Lake on the other side of the glass. It was a perfect setting to make me comfortable enough to focus on my conversation with JB and the amazing food that was about to be put in front of me.

Food

To start off my multi-course experience, I actually got a glass of wine. I ordered a glass of Shiraz, which is imported from Australia. It was recommended by our server because I wanted a sweet wine. I didn’t ask for a pairing wine for the meal as expected, primarily due to my personal tastes---I only enjoy sweet wines, so a pairing may not be the right choice for me. This wine did not have a lot of legs, but was sweet and wasn’t overpowering. It ended up complimenting the meal very well.

Once we received our beverages we got our house salads shortly thereafter. I got my salad dry, but since it had tasty croutons and freshly shredded cheese, it was enjoyable. JB enjoyed his salad and also ordered the soup of the day. We enjoyed these courses along with the amazing fresh-made bread. I could write for pages about this bread. Let’s just say this: It’s fresh, it’s yummy, you will love it.

We had asked earlier for Little J’s children’s spaghetti to be expedited since we all know what will distract the little ones---food! They quickly got the children’s meal out and this was only 15 minutes from order to table. Our meal took slightly longer at around 40 minutes from ordering time. This is expected on a busy Saturday night and with salads, ambiance, and great conversation it goes by quickly.

I ordered one of my personal favorite Italian dishes: Fettuccini Alfredo. This is my preferred mix of cheese, cream, and pasta but Caruso’s showed me how it should be done! It had freshly made in-house pasta, delicious cream sauce, and the perfect cheese combination. I will now have a difficult time eating this at any other  restaurant.

JB ordered the special of the day. For the life of me I can’t remember the name. Isn’t that terrible? A FOOD blogger forgetting the name of the meal his guest ordered? Well, keep in mind I am here to focus on the customer service. That being said, I can still describe it. He ordered a chicken dish which was paired with mashed potatoes and a fresh medley of grilled veggies. JB described the chicken, which I enjoyed a bit of,  as “delicious” and “exploding with aroma.” It was moist and was even rubbed with fresh herbs before being cooked. This is the kind of meal you’d get when you visited a family member or friends home whilst in Italy. Simple--yet perfect.

All around, the food was impressive and really made the menu shine with promise for other entrees too. I cannot wait to get back there. As you can tell, Caruso’s has earned the one eligible Lemon Twist for the food section of the evaluation.

Service

From the opening paragraph, you are already under the impression as the reader that we had a great experience when it comes to customer service. My expectations were that Caruso’s would be average to slightly above average when it came to taking care of their client. Boy was I wrong.

Our server took care of us the way your best friend would. You know, the person in your life you trust to take care of every little detail without asking you or without any effort? She blew me out of the water! When it comes to having a superb experience like this it comes down to the details.

Every time I looked up our server was available. When she turned to us while running back to the kitchen for another table she would ask “How is the wine? Is it what you were looking for?” She would also refill our waters without us asking, or having to push the glass to the side of the table. She was proactive with offering to box up any leftovers.

She went above and beyond making us feel comfortable having Little J there too. She accommodated our request for his expedited meal like I mentioned, and she also made quick comments to put JB’s mind at ease about the slight mess Little J was making, as young ones can do. She was on top of it. And as if that’s not enough, she was doing all of this with a smile on her face and an eagerness to serve.

I cannot express any more the “good feeling” that type of service gives clients. It’s what every other restaurant strives for, it’s what schools train for, it’s what I’m looking for when writing this blog. THANK GOODNESS I went to Caruso’s. Thank goodness. If my excitement wasn’t clear enough, I am proud to give this place on the lake the first ever two Lemon Twists for the Service Section of the evaluation.

Heading out

We got our checks and headed our separate ways. We were thanked for coming in and I was happy that we had given Caruso’s the chance we did. I was so happy that our server got an usually large tip. Wine by the glass ranges from $8-$9 per glass and meals range from $16+  with most entrées in the high $20 range. This is a little on the costly side for Salem, but there’s no skimping on the quality or service. You get what you pay for and what you get is a truly grand experience. Caruso’s gets three Lemon Twists and my strong recommendation for you to visit. Hey, why not for an upcoming holiday, birthday, or special occasion? Head over soon!

Your Customer Service Expert,

Nick

Do you have questions or comments? Feel free to leave a comment below or email me at the address in the profile section of the site.

Evaluation Scale/Rating:

0 Lemon Twists: Avoid the location
1 Lemon Twists: Go whilst drunk as you won’t want to remember your visit there
2 Lemon Twists: The location would be great to visit overall.
3 Lemon Twists: AMAZING location; highly recommended.

Next stop!!

Hey ya'll!!! (a little Paula Dean for everyone.)

I'm thrilled to announce my next location: Caruso's Italian Café & Catering. I'm excited to have the opportunity to visit this exclusive eatery located in Keizer, Oregon. The date of the review will be the 29th. I'll be getting that review over to my editor to follow that and have the blog uploaded in February---I'm shooting for no later than the 15th.

I'm still in the process of choosing the person who will go with me; that'll be fun too. Can't wait to have you folks check this out. Post at ya soon!


Nick