This visit was one of many to Salty's over the past nearly 38 years (I was 16 my first visit). The restaurant and menu have changed over the years as it should but not necessarily all for the better. Salty's used to be "the place to go", my husband and I had our 2nd date there, and tonight our visit was for our 24th anniversary. The prices have gone up while the standard of service has decreased. Not that service is bad, it just isn't what it used to be as it is more casual, but the prices are that of a higher service standard restaurant.
What did I have?
My 1st Cocktail was a split of LaMarca Prosecco. $8 A good choice and always consistent.
My Starter was the Harvest Salad, it was really good with Blackberries, Blueberries and Raspberries, Manchego Cheese with a lemon poppyseed vinaigrette on mixed greens but there was way too much spinach in the mix for my taste. $9
My 2nd drink choice for dinner was Salty's Sangria, I have had better and I missed not having the fruit in it, an orange slice as a garnish doesn't count.
The Entree was the Chicken Panzanella; it was good but see my notes below. $26
For Dessert we got an anniversary slice of White Chocolate Mousse Cake, and I also got the Sugar Donuts. $9 They were so good that you can see I forgot to take pictures before starting to eat them. There were 3 donuts with Chocolate, Caramel & Raspberry Sauces and the cake was about a 3" sq. and dissolves the minute it hits your tongue.
My Husband had the same salad as I did and the Halibut with cherry compote $38, he said it was good. He also had 2 corona beers, $4.50, as the draft beers weren't working.
The total for my meal was $63 my husband's $65 for a total bill of $128 we received the cake for free and a discount on my over cooked chicken so the final bill was $103 and we left a $21 (16% of actual bill not discounted bill), for a total of $124 for the evening.
My Score for the evening is 63.125 out of 100. Here is a breakdown of the score:
Website: Score 7.125 out of 10
Points taken off for the menu not being up to date and no dessert menu (-1.25). Points off for not having a presence on social media other then Facebook (-.625). Also 1 point for only having a 4 out of 5 score on TripAdvisor. That is also the score that I will be giving in my TripAdvisor review.
Addressing Allergies: Score 5 out of 10
Salty's can make arrangement to accommodate my tomatoes allergy, and said most things can be made to order. Points taken off for not having a gluten free option for bread. (-5).
Not liking something: Score 7 out of 10
Management immediately address the fact that my chicken was over cooked and that the server did not inform me that the dish would not be served as published due to my allergy, The manager offered to replace the meal and did take a portion of the item off the bill. Points reduced for not removing the whole item from the ticket and not being insistent that the meal be replaced (-3). The reduction still puts this in the Very Good category and is what actually should be expected for the service standard of the restaurant just not the price.
Suggestions: Score 7 out of 10
I did not ask for suggestions as I already knew what I was having, but the server did not make suggestion other than to tell us about the special and asking if we wanted a celebratory drink (-3).
Service: Score 5 out of 10
Our server was very pleasant, and answered all of my questions, even some that really tested her knowledge of the menu. Points taken off for the server not relaying that my Chicken Panzanella would not be fixed as published due to the chicken being braised in tomatoes. So what was served was not to my expectation (-2). I would have ordered something else if I had known. My husband's 2nd beer was not served with a clean cold glass; he did get one after asking for it (-1). At the end of the meal the server got a little sales pitchy about coming back. We had already explained that we came often and really didn't need to get this pitch. It left me feeling like they are hurting for business (-2). I should also take away a point for the server trying to convince me that a Panzanella is a warm salad, it isn't. It is a bread and tomatoes salad with cucumbers, pepper, basil and a vinaigrette basically. But I am sure she was just trying to say that Salty's version was a warm chicken salad on arugula. (Wasn't really a Panzanella at all, especially when I took off the tomatoes.)
Food: Score 5 out of 10
The food at Salty's has always been good, never cutting edge or super creative, but always a safe bet that most of your meal will be good. Points taken off for my chicken being over cooked and not chicken thighs (-2). The salad was published as mixed greens, it was actually 95% spinach (-2). All though our anniversary dessert was free there is only one choice of what you can have, it was great, just not what my husband or I would have chosen (-1).
Drinks: Score 7 out of 10
My Prosecco split was good as I use the same brand to make my Sorbetto. My husband requested a beer from the tap, and was told that the taps weren't working (-2). My second drink was the Salty's Sangria, is was only so-so and lacked in wine for sure, as well as fruit that is so much a part of sangria (-1).
Value: Score 4 out of 10
This score is based on my fixed scale of total points to over all cost of a meal per person. A meal is a starter, entrée, 1 cocktail, 1 glass of wine and dessert. Salty's average price per meal is $79 putting them in the $$$$ category. The overall score without the value figured in is 59.125, which earns the score of 4 for value.
Decor/View: Score 8 out of 10
Very simple décor and there are always balloons for birthdays and anniversaries. View is one of the best in the city hands down. Points taken off for not having those little extra décor items that places of this price range have like fresh flowers and no creases in the tablecloths (-2).
Cleanliness: Score 8 out of 10
I did not check the ladies room, but the dining room was tidy and clean. Points taken off for not having servers clean off the tablecloth between courses, this is something that you would expect at this price range (-2).
Pros: Cons:
1. Management was on top of issues 1. Server didn't relay changes to the food choice
2. Allergies can be addressed by kitchen 2. No Gluten Free Bread
3. Offered Anniversary Dessert 3. Will not substitute special dessert
4. View 4. Noise Level
5. Server was very nice 5. The value isn't what it used to be
Salty's has been our place to go for so many years we will of course be back. But we may change our timing to take advantage of the happy hour which is more in line with the pricing for the restaurant. You can't get the view from the bar, but that is okay. The serves is always friendly I will give them that, and the food is good. I will just continue to lower my expectations as the years go and therefore will not be disappointed in the future. Don't get me wrong, it isn't bad it just isn't what it used to be.
Restaurant: Salty's on the Columbia Review Date: 9/8/2015
Address: 3839 NE Marine Dr, Portland, OR 97211 Review Time: 5:30pm
Phone: 503.288.4444
Website: http://saltys.com/portland#_=_
Hours: Mon - Thus 11:15am - 3:00pm / 4:00pm - 9:00pm
Fri 11:15am - 3:00pm / 4:00pm - 9:30pm
Sat 10:00am - 1:00pm / 4:00pm - 9:30pm
Sun 9:00am - 1:30pm / 4:30pm - 8:30pm
Ciao till next time.
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