Spenger's Fresh Fish Grotto

Contributor 

on Citysearch

19 years ago

Clubby corporate restaurant draws seafood lovers with fresh daily catches and posh atmosphere. – In Short Upscale and sophisticated, this chain features art deco-inspired trappings such as dark wood, shiny brass and beveled glass. Servers clad in black and white weave through cocktailing couples and businessmen at the bar. The cassic American, seasonally inspired seafood menu changes daily; specialties include starters of Dungeness crab cakes and oysters on the half shell, plus entrees like cedar plank-roasted salmon, sautee... read more

darluu 

on Citysearch

19 years ago

Excellent seafood – Very large selection of fresh seafood. Nice atmosphere, relaxed at the bar while we waited a short while for our table. Service was excellent, very courteous and attentive. Had a stuffed sole which was good, ended up taking some home because of the amount of food. Parked in the ramp around the corner. Not cheap but felt that for what you get it really isn't much more than what you could pay at a chain restaurant either. 

jadran 

on Citysearch

19 years ago

All about hype – M&S has become somewhat of a local institution among the yuppie and upper class blue-hair set. Riding mostly on location and lots of money to spend on atmosphere, all of the restaurants in this chain, including the Harborside, have ridden a wave. Many people go here because of the lovely location on the Willamette, but the chances of seeing the river from inside this cavernous place are slim, especially if you go during a busy hour. The service in the restaurant tends to be decent, though it's such a huge pl... read more

yayeer 

on Citysearch

19 years ago

Worst Meal in PDX EVER – We recently dined there. The server was nice. But the soup tasted burned, and the garlic bread that came with it was stale. The mussels had so much garlic, it tasted bitter. My husband's catfish tasted like dirt. 

ladyskandal 

on Citysearch

19 years ago

I joined citysearch just to write a review of McCormick and Schmicks... – We went to McCormick & Schmicks this weekend for my husband's birthday. Our reservations were for 5:30, buyt we arrived shortly after 5:00. Not only did they go out of their way to get a table together for us, they let us sit outside on the patio, when I changed my mind at the last minute. The manager then had the staff remove the umbrellas and replace them with heaters since my year 1/2 old daughter was outside with us. (We were the only ones sitting ... read more

kattc 

on Citysearch

19 years ago

Just Okay – It was just as I expected, okay food, decent service, nice views. You can definitely get a better meal elsewhere. It's not bad, but it's nothing special. 

deucebeagle 

on Citysearch

19 years ago

My wife and I had two $50 gift certificates, so we figured we'd get a nice meal. When we ordered our dinner, the waitress(she was nice, actually) asked if we'd like a salad with it. We ordered the 'tomato' salad, which turned out to be a plate of lettuce, a few frozen shrimp, and two sliced tomatoes on the side. They threw in a big hunk of mozarella cheese as well...strange indeed. For the main course I had the shrimp and scallop pasta, my wife had the salmon and halibut dish. The food was just decent, but nothing to write h... read more

hezmodo 

on Citysearch

19 years ago

Find good seafood elsewhere! – I'd been going to Spenger's for 35 yrs + when McCormick and Shmick took ownership. Spenger's was never GREAT; it was what it was -- fried seafood platters, seafood gratins, cioppino, lobster. Though they kept some of the old faves, M&S upscaled, and failed miserably. Mediocre old-school seafood is tolerable and sometimes just what you want; wannabe frou-frou dishes that entirely miss the mark in preparation, freshness and presentation, and high prices just take all the fun out of putting on a l... read more

mammawong 

on Citysearch

19 years ago

grease, in three acts. – We had gift certificates, so they had more than one chance to get it right. On each visit the service was always adequate, however the poor staff seems to have had their souls sucked out of them by the corporate beast that McCormicks has become. I couldnt help but feel like we were being attended to by a zombie fresh out of a miss manners training course. Perhaps I wouldnt be so bitter had my food contained flavor, or shown any evidence of care or creativity in its preparation. In fact I may have eve... read more