Featured in Restaurant Guide 2009

See and be seen at the Heathman, where state and local power brokers break bread and form partnerships alongside tourists and West Hills mavens and their men. Portland’s answer to the Four Seasons in New York, the Heathman, on the ground floor of the hotel by the same name, is flanked on one side by tall windows facing Broadway, which offer views of downtown Portland that never cease to entertain. Inside, solicitous waiters do the same as they eagerly refill water glasses and replenish bread plates, even when there’s plenty of both. The menu at the Heathman changes according to the season—on one recent visit, the dinner menu included pesto-crusted salmon, halibut cheeks and several varieties of oysters. Of course, seafood is not the only specialty on offer. The menu boasts an extensive selection of entrees with chicken, beef and lamb, making it the kind of restaurant a twentysomething or thirtysomething Portlander might take visiting relatives (with traditional tastes) to celebrate a special occasion. Best of all, perhaps, the restaurant’s location puts diners within close proximity to the Schnitz and downtown movie theaters. Order dessert and you’ll still have time to walk to your concert.
Order this: The halibut cheeks came with a rich risotto.
Best deal: Forget about dinner. Head to the Heathman for lunch and save, on average, $10 per entree.
I’ll pass: The Caesar salad. By any other name, the salad would be a couple of leaves of lettuce with little pizzazz.