Montage

Traveller reviews for Montage (6)

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  delicious

  krystal182 1 1 -1 recommends this, May 25, 2011

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  Quite the Experience

  proud_portlander 1 1 -1 recommends this, October 1, 2010

  A friend suggested this place to my partner and I. As we got "deeper" into the SE industrial area, I got more and more worried. There didn't seem to be a restaurant in sight. Even after we parked and walked down the sidewalk to where the restaurant "should" be, it didn't seem possible that there was a place to eat anywhere.

  It's only after we opened the door to a low-light, elegant-looking dining room that I stopped worrying about ending up chopped up in an empty building. The wave of aroma that hit my nostrils was simply... wonderful. They have big "community tables", although you don't really feel like you're sitting with a ton of other people.

  The menu is very eclectic. It has alligator and several other "oddities" on it. The most surprising thing, though, was how proud they seemed of the mac n cheese. An elegant place like that serving mac n cheese? I had to order it. (AND a blue steak. YUM!!!) The macaroni was SO GOOD. It was surely the best I've ever had.

  Montage also has an incredible cocktails list that has some crazy names assigned to the drinks.

  The server was very cool, a hipster at heart. He was efficient, knowledgeable and had a sense of humor. Could you ask for more? Well, you could but you don't have to. When you have left overs (as you WILL), they wrap them up in enough tinfoil to make hippies shudder. BUT your leftovers are shaped into crabs, swans, roses.... FUN!!

  I highly recommend this place for dinner, either with friends or your sweetheart.

  Good for: Romance, atmosphere, food, friendliness

  Not good for: business meetings

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  An Awesome Portland Experience!

  kimbert 1 1 -1 recommends this, February 10, 2009

  Montage is that kind of restaurant that you recommend to people who are coming in from out-of-town and want to experience funky-chic Portland, Oregon. It's a classic Southeast neighborhood joint; I, myself, have been going to Montage since 1997, since I was *gasp* 17 years old...

  I keep coming back for the cute staff and awesome mac 'n' cheese.

  Tucked away under the Morrison bridge in Industrial SE, the neighborhood is slowly transforming from rundown warehouses to expensive restaurants and lofts. And, like its surrounding blocks, Montage's patrons range from old-school to yuppie-- this, because the food is both affordable with things like the mac 'n' cheese, and fancy with steak and pork loin.

  The food: I have never had an issue with the food but I don't stray far from a few favorite dishes. As mentioned numerous times above, the mac 'n' cheese and its various incarnations (Spicy, Pesto, Garlic, oh my!) are to die for. I also enjoy their Veggie Jambalaya and Blackened Catfish salad. The rest of the menu has the usual Cajun fair. I also recommend their martinis.

  The ambiance: Dim lighting, long tables, loud staff, and white linen -- this place is always bustling with conversation and excitement. It is not the place for a quite evening. Of course there is the artistic tinfoil surprise for those who find that they have leftovers; to experience a classic Montage moment, leave yourself some leftovers!

  Extra: I was very happy to see that the attached bar, La Merde, was a nice alternative to Montage. It's more low-key. And, it has my favorite drink combo: The Ex-Husband which is a generous shot of whiskey and a bottle of beer for 5 bucks. The slightly-grumpy bartenders are added atmospheric amenities that make it an instant classic Portland bar.

  Good for: Romance, atmosphere, food, service

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  Creole Meets Crass

  svenskaanna 1 1 -1 recommends this, February 1, 2009

  Dark corners that encourage another bottle of wine, a cocktail menu that includes the “Swell Lookin Broad” and sass with your sustenance, it’s what Portlanders have come to expect from one of their favorite restaurants. Hidden under the grand concrete towers of the Morrison Bridge, Montage is the city’s taste of Creole cuisine, served up with as much spice in the wait staff’s attitude as in your dish.

  On a busy night you’ll bump elbows with your tablemate, but cramming diners into the restaurant that on weekends keeps its doors open until 4am is all part of the experience. “Any-zing to dreenk?” is the classic question of the waiter known for his rose emblazoned jacket with the mysteriously French accent. If you don’t order a good glass of rouge he’ll probably frown upon your presence.

  Crawfish étoufée, alligator jambalaya and the city-wide known spicy mac and cheese are all the beginning; at Montage it’s the end of the meal that counts. Save at least a couple of spoonfuls so you can answer yes to “should we wrap that up?” Forget doggy bags, before you’ve gotten to your bill a creature fashioned out of tinfoil arrives, your leftovers covered in saran wrap and found somewhere in the middle. From swans to woodland squirrels, and sometimes even a long stemmed rose, the creative abilities of the foil artists in the back are one part part quirky, two parts impressive.

  Good for: atmosphere, food, Solo Travellers, service

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  A Portland Institution!

  alibabe47 1 1 -1 recommends this, January 20, 2009

  Make friends with your new tablemates, eat cheap but tasty macaroni, frog legs, or jumbalaya at 2am, enjoy the extensive wine list and fabulous cocktails, and take home your leftovers in a foil-icious work of art. The Montage is always a great place for a late-night gathering of friends, or to take out-of-town guests, as long as you don't mind sharing your table with a group of teens on their way to the prom, party-goers dressed in wigs, or activists winding down post-peace rally. Portlanders keep going back to the Montage, and now also enjoy the side bar, La Merde.

  Good for: Romance, atmosphere, food, Budget Travellers, Groups, service

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  Mac & cheese worth the wait!

  sonja222 1 1 -1 recommends this, January 13, 2009

  Prepare yourself to wait...sometimes for what may seem like an obscenely long time, in all honesty. If you can take the heavy dose of hipsters all around you, you will find yourself in cajun euphoria! The place looks a little grubby-chic, but the food is so rich, comforting, and delicious that I can never find myself anything but happy after going there. Afterwards, you must leave a little something on your plate because they are the masters of take-out sculptures! I don't know if kids are allowed very late--seeing as most of Portland is 21+, but I think the shouting servers and foil swans would be a welcome addition to any family outing,

  Good for: Romance, atmosphere, food, Groups, Families

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