Silk

If I could choose a minus rating I would. Two of my friends and I stopped for happy hour in the Silk bar on May 4th, Wednesday evening. The bartender was unsmiling, unwelcoming and just plain rude. The drinks were good but we certainly felt that we were imposing on him. The place was completely empty and I understand why. Stay away, they don't want your business or need it apparently. The dining room was completely deserted as well. The one star covers the drink, everything else was horrendous.... more

My wife and I ate at Silk last night. I ordered a lemongrass beef noodle dish that was the chef's special. We had already been to another place for appetizers so we weren't starving. I ate half of my dish and took the rest of it home for leftovers. Our server removed my dish to the kitchen, wrapped it up and brought us a take-away box. more

I really enjoyed dinner at this restaurant. Thought the food was innovative, with exquisite flavours. Friendly helpful service. We had a really enjoyable evening here. Pros: great flavours, great service more

I was visiting Portland for the holidays and come the morning of January 1st, a friend and i had set out to find some brunch. another friend had caught glimpse of us walking by and called us in to Silk. i saw that it was Vietnamese and was instantly down for the idea. see, I live in Seattle, a city full of fantastic pho, and had been craving it since being down in Portland. My excitement quickly turned into disappointment. Silk's service was less than impressionable. i'd get better service at a teriyaki take out store. i looked through the menu and found the pho, offered only in one outrageously overpriced bowl (considering that Silk has confirmed their high use of MSG - which is disgusting on a whole different level) and the pho noodles were mushy and soggy. not good at all. at one point, i had to get up to get my own refill since no one had bothered checking in on the table. i left Silk and never looked back. I've never been more disappointed with a pho experience. Pros: quiet, decor (if that even counts as a ""pro"" Cons: service, quality, prices more

My family and I enjoy many different types of Asian food and eat out regularly. Our young two-year-old daughter loves Asian flavors in general, although we usually stick to a few of our high-quality favorites so that we know what we are getting. With one of our favorites closed, we decided to try Silk, which was nearby. We regret our decision dearly. Our daughter ate food from the various dishes we had ordered, and particularly enjoyed a soup with chicken broth. Shortly after eating, she broke out in hives all over her body, which came and went for a couple of days. She has had no previous incident of food allergies, and has been exposed to an extremely wide variety of foods. A doctor explained to us that hives are a common result of ingesting a relatively large portion of MSG, especially in children. It was explained that our daughter does not have a food allergy, but experienced a reaction to a poison. Whether we react strongly to MSG or not, we are still ingesting poison into our bodies. When we called Silk to ask about their use of MSG, we were told that it is used in nearly all of their dishes, and in very high amounts in their broth (I credit them in at least being honest). As people concerned with what we put into our bodies (as most of us are), we were shocked to learn that an establishment that is regarded as high-quality (and has prices to match) uses MSG throughout their food. We ignorantly thought we stayed away from cheap Asian restaurants to avoid ingesting MSG. We suggested to Silk that they add a small disclaimer at the bottom of their menu that most (if not all) of their food contains MSG. There are many people who can not tolerate MSG in any amount and it actually can be life-threatening for some people who suffer from asthma and severe allergies. And while I know we can always ask about the presence of MSG in food, some staff may not be well-informed and some may simply not be inclined to be honest about such things. Food that tastes great -- even Vietnamese food -- does not need to contain MSG. It is a cheaper and faster way to produce certain results, but at a restaurant such as Silk, it is purely a way for them to make their profit margin higher at a cheaper cost to them. I ask you to think twice before supporting this restaurant and challenge the owners to think about their food practices. Pros: Decor appears nice/high quality Cons: MSG is a poison and allergen more

Am not quite sure it happens, but why when a restaurant is good, can they not keep up the quality and be consistent? The broth in the Pho was NOT good and the noodles used to be wonderful and they were tough...We haven't gone back, but may try it one last time... Pros: Wonderful ambiance Cons: The food just isn't what it was more

My boyfriend and I stopped in to have lunch because we love Pho. It was a late lunch and they were busy but not slammed. We waited for a few minutes to be seated - no one spoke to us. So we thought it wouldn?t be a big deal if we just sat down. We were finally spoken to about 10 minutes later and the lady asked if we seated ourselves - yes. She then walked away and no one spoke to us for 10 more minutes. Then another lady brought us 2 waters. We said thank you and received an eye roll! Finally my boyfriend and I had enough and left. I have never been treated so badly at a restaurant!!! Pros: Food is ok Cons: Worst service ever more

This is the most consistent restaurant I've been to In Portland. They serve their version of the most asked for Vietnamese dishes. Although it may not be ""authentic"", they have added a ""twist"" to several dishes that are very clever. It is a beautiful place with pleasant, helpful staff. They also use the best quality ingredients. My only complaint is not being served enough mint and cilantro. Pros: Consistent food, lovely surroundings, pleasant staff Cons: parking in the Pearl more

Perhaps my favorite restaurant in Portland. Everything I have tried so far has been terrific. I've eaten there more than any other restuarant in Portland and have yet to be disappointed. This last week I went twice for lunch and was pleased both times. The only small complaint is that sometimes the entrees come out before the apps, but as I was dining with small children in tow they did say that they tell the kitchen to bring it up as soon as possible when kids are involved so not a big deal and it did keep the kids happy. Highly recommended. If I could I'd eat there all the time.... Pros: Great food, good prices at lunch Cons: Sometime entrees come before apps... See review.. more

We found a little insect which I can't name but starts with a ""c"" in our salad and they only offered to buy the one meal not mine as well. I'm not sure what else is scurrying around in the kitchen. more

Exceptional bartender. Food was upper class, but not too filling. Great atmosphere and very friendly staff. Pros: Great for drinks and ambience, interesting food dishes. Cons: If you want to get full off food, there are better places to get your fill. more

I don't get it - the negative reviews of this wonderful restaurant. I've had lunch here once (or more often) a week for the past few years, and dinner several times a month. Have brought tourists here as well as friends. (Happy Hour is nearly unbelievably inexpensive for what you get.) Silk is high-end cuisine without high-end prices. Some of the things we've liked most at lunch or dinner: the appetizers: ""toastettes,"" beef salad, the freshest salad rolls (aka spring rolls) with peanut dipping sauce, lotus salad, seared ahi tuna, crispy fried spring rolls. The seafood soups are excellent. Presentation is beautiful. Occasionally the service has been slow, especially compared to places where they RUSH you. However - ""slow"" service is the genuine article in a lot of the world (people like to take their time in a restaurant - and I didn't find it offensive here. If at the outset you tell them you're in a hurry you will likely be accomodated. Note regarding authenticity: I've eaten street food and high-end food in Hanoi and Silk measures up just fine. Some of the organ meats that find their way into soups in Vietnam would NOT be welcomed by the great majority of Portland diners and I don't think Silk is unreasonable to skip them. All is all, a wonderful restaurant. Pros: Food, variety, decor, not noisy (bar separate from dining room - yay!) more

Some of the best food I've had in Portland. Delicious! My friends and I go whenever we can. Mmmm. See you there! Pros: All Cons: That they aren't in NE more

Went for a Wednesday night dinner and place was still quite busy for a weekday evening. Neat environment, and seemed like a trendy restaurant that fits into the Pearl environs they are trying to create. As we were with a large group, we just ordered family style and shared. Pros: Good environment Cons: High prices more

I took a date to silk two weeks ago, we were seated very quickly and the hostess was extremely nice. We happened to have a great pation seat, which was nice to people watch and talk to my date at the same time. We order the spring rolls for an apetizer and took our time choosing the antres. When the waitor came back to take the rest of our orders we still had not gotten our spring rolls. I had noticed the two tables next to us had already gotten theirs. I had to go to the host station and ask the hostest if we could get our spring rolls after about 20 minutes b/c I could not find our waitor. She was very nice and went back to the kitchen and we finally got them after a total of 30 min. We ordered the braised duck and carmalized shrimp. Both antres were great and enjoyable. The waitor was not very knowledgable about the menu so he could not help us choosing anything. I liked how he was honest but still frustrating that their staff did not know the food they were selling. A positive to the night was the decor, I loved the location and the interior of everything. The hostes was the one person from the staff that actually smiled and thanked be for coming in. Thank you! She also made sure that our drinks were always full or taken care of. Pros: Decor/Location Cons: Servers & Price more

My wife and I were noticed Silk while walking the Pearl during first Thursdays--I wish we'd never seen the place. We were seated quickly on a Saturday night at peak dinner hour, which in hindsight was a bad sign since everyplace else we tried was crowded with up to an hour wait. Although the decor looks hip and well-appointed from the sidewalk, once seated we realized it's just a well-lighted veneer. The seats are cheap and uncomfortable, and the flat black ceiling complete with plumbing and ductwork reminds you of a dirty warehouse nightclub--sorry it was really hard to ignore. We started with some dull and flavorless salad rolls that tasted like they'd been sitting out since lunch. This was followed by a Salmon dish for myself and ""Shaken Beef"" fillet for my wife. The grilled Salmon was served over a half cup of lifeless vermicelli noodles, nothing special for $18. I've had better at half a dozen lunchtime Bento joints for less than half the price. The ""Shaken Beef"" was actually cooked and seasoned nicely, but there was hardly enough of it for her, let alone enough to share. At $24 for the plate I would have expected it to be accompanied by a side dish, and it was: a thimble full of dry ""Jasmin"" rice. After watching her eat the entire entree and ""side dish"" in about three minutes, I realized she was still hungry when she started picking at the two unripe tomato slices--does this count as a second side dish? Honestly, at this point we started joking that we had such a glut of ripe tomatoes from our garden that perhaps we should drop a few off. In sum, we left hungry after paying the $65 tab, and ended up going to Macaroni Grill to split an order of Seafood Fettuccine. Places like this make a killing on the unwary by taking advantage of a good location and some slick lighting. Stay away from this overpriced tourist trap. Pros: Location, no waiting on a Saturday night--we found out why. Cons: Food, service, and price. more

silk so bad vietnamese food NOT! imitate food for american bad service , food taste so bad that went i think of it make me sick fancy location this restaurant should relocate somewhere else. vietnamese people don't go this kind of restaurant cause they are not original. Pros: no good Cons: bad more

I just love Silk. What a great place. The staff is so friendly, the bartenders are hot, and the drinks are SO good. Had my family visiting from Los Angeles recently, and they loved it. Great meal and everyone had an awesome time. Pros: good food, great drinks, cute bartenders Cons: pearl parking more

Poor service. Food's nothing special. -- Sorry to say, I have to agree with the other reviewer who felt the service was VERY slow. It took forever to be seated. They forgot my drink order and the tea was awful, especially for being Asian. The host did not announce my name at an audible level, and when didn't respond sat someone ahead of us rather than walk a few feet and announce the name again. Waiter was slightly rude at ""pay-up time."" Appetizers were ok. For a Pearl district restaurant at lunch, I expected a whole lot more for a $50 lunch. What a shame! Go somewhere else. There are plenty of other options than Silk. Pros: appetizers, ambiance Cons: service, teas, wait-time more

Visited on a Thursday night and the food, service, and ambience were exceptional. Tasy and imaginative drink selection. more