Christina S.
Yelp
I think we can all agree that years ago, Besaw's became something of a local icon among those who considered themselves food-lovers. It's a true Portland institution that has existed since 1903. So naturally, when they reopened after a long pandemic-related hiatus, many of us rejoiced. Besaw's has truly returned to Portland! All is well in the city! Well anyways, I finally went there yesterday to relive the glory days, and here is how it all unfolded. As a caveat, this is a brunch review, so dinner experience may vary...
The highlights: Besaw's is strategically placed right in the heart of Slabtown. If you don't know what that is, think newer buildings, sleek interiors, and restaurants that budding instagram foodies flock to for photo ops. It's a fun little area, and I feel like any place that is located in Slabtown automatically becomes "cool". The interior of Besaw's is beautiful; high ceilings, funky wallpaper, brass finishes, emerald-green leather seats...they really put effort into creating a lovely atmosphere. The option for outdoor dining is also a plus with the weather being so pleasant lately, assuming your allergies don't overwhelm you (couldn't be me). Their menu offers a variety of brunch dishes, such as chilaquiles, chicken and waffles, and different benedicts. My eyes and mind wandered to the ancient grain bowl, a menagerie of roasted sweet potatoes, quinoa, sautéed greens, and a LOT of snap peas. It felt relatively healthy and was tasty after a few pumps of Cholula. Portion sizes are fairly generous, which makes one feel less guilty about spending almost $20 on a single dish. And for my mimosa (it was obligatory for brunch, after all), the bartender must have had a heavy hand when pouring the Prosecco, something that I never mind.
The improveables: When a party makes a reservation, the assumption is that they will be seated promptly after checking in with the host. A slight delay is forgivable if the restaurant is bustling; it is less easy to overlook when nearly every table is empty. Despite arriving on time for our 11:15am reservation, we were not seated until almost 11:40am. A decent line of people formed outside of the front door due to this delay, which I can only assume is related to a severe understaffing situation (our host had disappeared, then reappeared behind the bar with shaker and bitters in hand). I can understand the difficulty with staffing issues, and I try my best to have some sympathy...but Besaw's reopened almost five months ago, and I may not know much, but are these not kinks that should be worked through? Especially with how long Besaw's has been an institution? Anyways, I'm rambling. We had a strange incident as well where we inquired what the seasonal pop tart was, and the response from our server was having the pop tart plopped onto our table without asking if we even wanted it. "I guess we'll eat it?" we resigned. But the childhood joy of a frosting-covered flaky pastry was squashed by the cold, bland, dry puff pastry dupe of a pop tart, filled with a feeble amount of strawberry jam. The rest of the meal was fine at best, forgettable at worst. As I mentioned, the grain bowl was okay after coating the surface in hot sauce; whatever avocado dressing was used needs an overhaul to actually contain some semblance of flavor. My partner's chilaquiles consisted of a plate of tortilla chips doused in tomatillo salsa and crema, a combination that seemed difficult to justify the $19 price tag, and you would have to inhale that plate to avoid the chips becoming a soggy mush pile.
As I said, I try not to be a massive jerk and complain about service when staffing is an issue. I'm sure I don't understand the nuances of what goes on behind the scenes at Besaw's, so I will give them the benefit of doubt. This place earns 3 stars because it was not the worst brunch experience I've had in Portland. However, when combining the subpar service with lackluster meals, the outcome is a restaurant that leaves a poor impression. I've said this before; just because a restaurant is pretty and has become locally iconic does not mean they get a hall pass to put less effort in (I'm looking at your, Portland City Grill). If Besaw's wants to keep up their image of being one of Portland's poster children, they need to start fine tuning everything from the staffing and service to the flavor profiles of dishes. For now, let them figure out their issues and opt for one of the hundreds of other brunch locations in town.