Cherylynn N.
Yelp
Saturday night started out fantastic but the night ended with me making googly eyes with a pepperoni pizza...and I hate pepperoni. More on that later...
Before dinner at Porta Blu, I was taking a stroll through Hotel Nia's beautifully landscaped courtyard - it was serene and sunny with a nice breeze. I could spend hours sipping on fernet in front of the fire pits.
As I was walking to the host stand to check in for my reservations, I noticed that our table in the open-air restaurant was already set up, overlooking the courtyard and they even had a water bowl filled for Tater Tot: https://bit.ly/2LIhfTo.
The kind staff said, if it became too windy for us to let them know and they'll move us.
Awww, so sweet - thank you.
While perusing the menu, a basket of freshly baked bread was delivered to our table: https://bit.ly/2xnqENb. There were two types of bread: sourdough and an olive roll. I tore a piece of the warm sourdough roll and slathered the soft butter on top. The sourdough roll was perfectly chewy on the outside and fluffy soft in the center. Mmmmm, carbs!
So far, so good...
Hotel restaurants have such a bad rep so I was happy that I gave this one a shot.
Well, I spoke too soon because soon after, everything came crashing down.
I ordered the That's My Jam: Vodka, apricot jam, lemon juice, simple syrup, thyme ($17): https://bit.ly/2J1mFqQ. Sadly, it was not balanced and very sour. Thank goodness, I pre-drank in my room before dinner.
Soon after an Amuse Bouche of "Ahi Tuna" arrived: https://bit.ly/2L7dkyL. It tasted like canned tuna with tomato jam but hey, it was free.
Being a Mediterranean restaurant, I had to order the Rack of Lamb w/ red wine, pomegranate molasses, black pepper, mujaddarah ($36): https://bit.ly/2GZhCWq. Unfortunately, it was overcooked to a well-done (requested medium rare). I hate sending back food but for a $30+ entrée, it should be cooked to your desired temperature so I sent it back.
Our apologetic server, kindly delivered a complimentary plate of Hummus & Pita Bread while I waited for my entrée to be re-fired: https://bit.ly/2IXeHPF. I appreciate the gesture but the hummus was overly thick, very gritty, and sour. The pita bread was dry.
I asked to take a bite of my friend's Portuguese Steak Frites: Grilled Ribeye w/ piri piri, cebollada, fried potatoes ($45 + $3 fried egg): https://bit.ly/2JfzKQR. While the steak was rare as requested, it was very salty. Luckily, the runny yolk and stewed tomatoes helped temper some of that salt.
When the re-fired Lamb Chops arrived, I was super excited to dig in. I sliced into a lamb chop and saw pink...yas, now we're talking!
But, when I tasted it....holy moly!
I asked my friend to please take a bite to see if we were tasting the same thing.
My friend immediately spit it out.
The lamb chop was crazy salty. We're not talking aggressively seasoned here - it was like, "Oppsie, I dropped a keg of salt on the lamb chops!" but *shrugs*. I took a bite of the mujaddarah (lentils & rice) and it was hard.
The entire plate was inedible and I apologized to our server, telling her I couldn't eat it. She was apologetic and asked, if she could bring me anything else but after two fails, I didn't think it was worth trying again. I politely declined (they took the lamb off my bill) and ordered delivery to my room from Pizza My Heart.
Porta Blu is just a month old and I would like to say, they have potential. I read an earlier review from a Yelper saying the food was very bland and now it's ridiculously salty. I hope the kitchen is eventually able to find the right balance of seasoning.
Not only do their drinks and food need a lot of improvement but they can't seem to decide on menu prices. The Steak Frites have three different prices: Online Menu - $38, In-person Menu - $40 (including the fried egg), and I was charged $45 + $3 fried egg: https://bit.ly/2LHo4Vw. Oy vey.
I wasn't the only one having issues as the lady who was checking out of Hotel Nia was complaining that she was charged $100 for a burger and a beverage, when her bill should have been $50.
Sorry but until Porta Blu can work out their kinks in the kitchen, it may be best to stick with GrubHub/UberEats/DoorDash food delivery if you're staying at Hotel Nia (there are no restaurants within walking distance). I hope that one day their food and drinks can be just as great as their gorgeous ambiance.