I was feeling lazy last night, so I decided to eat dinner at the restaurant on the top floor of my hotel. 'Restaurant' is a loose term... this is more of a lounge that happens to serve (pricey) food. Departure is actually a pretty hip lounge at night, but I've only been up just to look at it. When I went for dinner last night, it was still light outside, but here is what the entrance looks like:
It clearly has a space-y, lounge vibe. When I approached the hostess and said I'd like a table for one, she pointed me to the bar and said they served a full menu there. While I didn't mind eating at the bar, I didn't appreciate that she didn't offer me a table. Yes, I'm dining alone, but she could have at least given me the option of sitting at the bar or at a table. One downside to the bar is that you sit with random people, and in my case, there was an older man sitting two seats away from me who stared at me throughout my meal. He tried to engage me in conversation, but I had my kindle to read, and I ignored him. I won't blame the creepy man on the restaurant, but that wouldn't have been an issue if they had seated me at a table... but I digress. The interior of the restaurant was cool. Very angular features, and lots of light (when the sun is still up).
I also liked the maps that were on the walls.
I ordered a few dishes, but was disappointed that they were out of the first two things I tried to order. The menu is asian-fusion, and I tried to order the BBQ beef short ribs, but they were out. Then I tried to order the malay meatballs, but they were out. For my third choice, I picked the seared beef and butter lettuce salad with chili and puffed black rice.
The salad was actually very tasty. It had nice thin slices of seared beef, and a great dressing that packed a nice kick from the chili. I also liked the puffed black rice for the texture they leant to the salad. While it was a great salad, I was a little disappointed with its size (it was more of an appetizer size, rather than full entree). At $12 for the salad, I was hoping for a little more. I ate quickly due to the creepy dude at the bar, but did enjoy my meal. The bartender was great, as well. He was very attentive and helpful when my first two choices were not available. But despite the tasty salad and (mostly) helpful service, I won't be going back anytime soon, at least not to eat. I thought it was too expensive for what I got, and was disapointed that they were out of my choices from the menu. Although I wouldn't mind going back for a drink on a nice summer night to take advantage of the rooftop patio the restaurant has.
Departure
525 SW Morrison St, Portland OR
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| Entrance to Departure |
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| photo credit: StarChefs |
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| photo credit: the Nines |
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| Beef and Butter Lettuce salad |
The salad was actually very tasty. It had nice thin slices of seared beef, and a great dressing that packed a nice kick from the chili. I also liked the puffed black rice for the texture they leant to the salad. While it was a great salad, I was a little disappointed with its size (it was more of an appetizer size, rather than full entree). At $12 for the salad, I was hoping for a little more. I ate quickly due to the creepy dude at the bar, but did enjoy my meal. The bartender was great, as well. He was very attentive and helpful when my first two choices were not available. But despite the tasty salad and (mostly) helpful service, I won't be going back anytime soon, at least not to eat. I thought it was too expensive for what I got, and was disapointed that they were out of my choices from the menu. Although I wouldn't mind going back for a drink on a nice summer night to take advantage of the rooftop patio the restaurant has.
Departure
525 SW Morrison St, Portland OR
