Friday, August 2, 2013

Portland Restaurant: The Picnic House

What: The Picnic House
Where: 723 SW Salmon Street

Rachel and I got together for lunch on Tuesday to celebrate her new job, VP of Membership and Events for the Homebuilders Association! This lady is going to be busy so we had to sneak in a lunch before the craziness began. 

Also, sorry in advance for the horrible picture quality of this post...


So here's the deal with this place. Well, I don't really know what the deal is with this place... I think it's almost cute, but maybe a little tacky. The front part of the restaurant has an outdoor feel with bistro lights, moss, street lamps, tree stencils and the back is more formal with large paintings and a mid-1920's feel. Hmmm.


Well the decor might have fallen just short of being the right thing, but what about the food? The menu is definitely really varied and there are many healthy options. Rachel and I both went for the combination option and got a sandwich and salad for $12. 

Rach got the Buffalo Chicken Salad and the Nutty Brown Rice. The brown rice was mixed in with sweet potatoes, roasted cauliflower, carrots, turnips, and sugar snap peas in a roasted hazelnut vinaigrette. 


I went for the Roasted Turkey with a blueberry glaze, aged white cheddar, apples and arugula. We both got our sandwiches grilled, but the baguette was so thick that it didn't really do anything and the sandwich was totally overwhelmed by bread. It would have been so much better with thinner bread and more panini action. I also got the Farfalla Salad. The pesto was tasty and those roasted carrots were so good. 


Overall, I'm not sure there was anything exceptional, but it was good. It was reasonably priced and offered a lot of options, but I'm not sold on the "vibe" of the place. It could definitely be a convenient lunch option for many people that work downtown so we'll see how this place progresses.