Before I list the results, a few observations. 1) If a restaurant has only been open a few months, it can hardly be coasting on its reputation. 2) McMenamins has a reputation? 3) Old Wives’ Tales? Really?!
- 2010 – Higgins, Jake’s, Bluehour, Wildwood, Ringside
- 2012 – Higgins, Jake’s, Bluehour, Paley’s Place, Pok Pok, Toro Bravo, Wildwood, Clyde Common, Beast, Le Pigeon
I am not surprised by the inclusion of Higgins, as they always make this list. However…
In 2013, only a few restaurants made the list, but all four got a large number of votes:
- Higgins
- Pok Pok
- Paley’s Place
- Bluehour
nate says
McMenamins has a well-earned reputation for mediocre, overpriced food and lousy service (along with beautiful restorations of historical buildings). In my recent experience they have been living up to that reputation in every conceivable way (and I was at Ringler’s just over a week ago, though I left after not being served for 45 minutes). To accuse them of coasting seems harsh.
Food Dude says
;)
jimster says
I never get the Higgins vote here. Is it the inventive specials rolled out on a nightly basis? Is it the two soups (one of which is always vegan) that are routinely excellent? The terrific wine list? The massive beer program? The professional service? The great bar? The addition of a generous happy hour with stuff like confit duck wings? Is it that they started doing farm to table 20 years ago and that is oh so passé now? Seriously I’m baffled by it.
Food Dude says
I think it is just the quality of the food. Unless things have changed drastically since my review, it’s no longer the restaurant it once was.
jimster says
I eat there around 50 times a year. Just ate there three nights in a row for their twice a year salmon dashi. One of the best fish dishes I have ever eaten. Simple, smart, local, elegant and delicious. Soups are amazing. Their steak preps are terrific. The do an ever changing risotto that is fantastic. They have an interesting, changing and generous pasta dish. They change their menu with the seasons. If anything, in the past couple of years their food has improved and refined. I would put it up against the food in virtually any restaurant in the city. Ate at Pigeon and Higgins back to back nights. The salmon dashi was the best of all the dishes. Pigeon is broader across the board but has its misses for sure. To say Higgins is resting on a rep is ignoring the actuality of the restaurant.
JandJ says
So you say… but that wasn’t our experience when I last dined there some 2 years ago or so. Was very disappointing with a couple of the things we’d ordered seriously flawed (over salted meat, way overcooked vegetable). Those plates should NEVER have left the kitchen. We haven’t been back since and really have no intention of trying it again soon, in spite of your enthusiasm. Glad you’re enjoying it, but from other blurbs I’ve read here and elsewhere, our own experience was far from unique.
Food Dude says
Jimster, I’m glad you feel so strongly about it, and as Higgins is frequently crowded, you obviously aren’t the only one. Unfortunately, you’ll also find a fair number of people who don’t agree.
jimster says
I’m just surprised. I eat there enough to know their food. Certainly familiarity brings an extra level of service, etc. I don’t discount that. I would say, for comparison sake, that if my one recent experience at Pigeon were the only experience I had or had had recently I might wonder about what the fuss was about. Two of the dishes just weren’t very good (halibut with smoked oysters was fishy and poussin with figs was way too much on the sweet side of the sweet/savory combo). On the other hand the foie with fried couscous was inspired and a couple of other dishes were great. Certainly in the restaurant biz all it can take is one bad experience to drive away a potential customer forever. My point is that I think in this category Higgins obtains votes from people over the years who haven’t been there in quite some time. In this category I voted for a place I love, still love and have eaten at multiple hundreds of times in my life and have eaten there several times this year. I probably have a unique eating out habit by most folks’ standards.
I will extend this. I will go to Higgins with you and pick up the tab. Order whatever you like. I think your perspective might be different than the last time you went. I’m a believer, living in the one restaurant deficient area of town Higgins is the closest place to me worth eating at (IMO) and I am happy to champion it at any turn. I’ll put my money where my mouth is. I presume you can get my email through this site. Please contact me and we can set something up. I’ll bring a cool bottle of wine as well.
LandL says
I’ve eaten at Gruner, Lardo, Corazon (thankfully shuttered), and Oven & Shaker. Gruner had horrible ambience and the food didn’t have any pizazz to it. Lardo was messy. Eating at Corazon was the worst restaurant experience I have ever had. Oven & Shaker was over-hyped because the food was flavorless and expensive for what we received. I’m willing to give St. Jack and a few other ChefsTable restaurants the benefit of the doubt, but it seems like the entire group is coasting by on their perceived celebrity reputation. At no point have I ever been wowed.
Jill-O says
My favorite Chefstable restaurants are St. Jack, Racion, and Ox. I was also a big fan of Ping.
I love Gruner’s burger, so I think of it as a great lunch spot if I want to sit down downtown, but I don’t love the style of food there (don’t hate it either, just not really my thing – good cocktails there, though).
But the others I mention above? Give ’em a whirl, they are definitely not coasting on anything.
I love St. Jack – it is a humble French bistro (with an awesome cocktail program/bar), but it never disappoints me. I love their food, drink, and service.
Racion is a fun and delicious time, a great value for really interesting and tasty food and drink. Cafiero is a very talented chef.
And Ox, well, there’s nothing bad on that menu – meat, fish/seafood, veggies – it’s all awesome. And the cocktails there are also fabulous.
And give Kurt Huffman some props, he knew no good would become of Corazon and he pulled the plug in a few months, and Racion rose form those ashes…