Jake’s Catering At the Sentinel Hotel

We have been celebrating Mothers Day Brunch here for over 6 years. The buffet is huge and at times seems to be too much. Seafood is spectacular. Crab, shrimp, salmon, and mussels. The usual suspects for breakfast; sausage, quiche. bacon, french toast. And omelette stations. Prime rib and sliced turkey breast also. Then desserts; mini lemon meringue pies; tarts; cookies; and chocolate cakes. So much to eat, we usually spend an hour and half dining. My son craves this place. My daughters both love it as well. My wife loves the seafood as to watch calories. The cost? $ 176 for two adults and three children, including gratuity.. It’s expensive but well worth it. It’s our tradition.

This review is specifically for Jake’s Thanksgiving Day buffet held in the Grand Ballroom of the Sentinel Hotel (executed by Jake’s catering, not Jake’s restaurant). This particular dinner was a supremely overpriced disappointment. Upon arrival, patrons waited in the hotel lobby before ascending to the third floor, to wait in line to pre-​pay ($ 40 pp + 20% mandatory gratuity), to then ascend to the fourth floor, to wait again before being shown to a table. This entire process, which was not at all efficient, took 20 – 30 minutes. The cost of the buffet covered food, tap water, and coffee/​tea — all other beverages, including soft drinks and alcohol, were additional. As it was a buffet, the servers were only there to take drink orders, refill water glasses, and clear empty plates. Once seated, our server came by exactly once for these purposes, not quite worthy of the 20% gratuity generally expected for full table service. Dinner, which included rolls, salad, pasta, stuffing, seafood, and a carving station, was mediocre at best. Some of the desserts, including the pumpkin pie and cookies, ran out early and were not replenished.

I had the opportunity of being part of an event team that held a corporate event at The Governor Hotel just a few weeks ago for around 300 people. The event space, managed by Jake’s Catering, is probably the most attractive space to hold meetings and other events in Portland. Historic, wonderfully preserved, and with one incredibly unique and impressive space after another, it was a slam dunk, it doesn’t get much better!
I was worried I’d be priced out of the space, yet Jake’s Catering offered both incredibly fair pricing and high quality options.
From the original RFP to the final LCD projector being turned off, the staff, lead by Melissa Maki, was incredible… actually, beyond phenomenal! Their close relationship with their on-​site and price conscience A/​V company, ability to accommodate last minute changes, and delivery of a precise and flawless event, 5-​Stars! I’d add another if I could!

We hosted a birthday party catered by Jake’s Catering in The Governor Hotel. The whole process from start to finish was fantastic! We had spent months researching venues and visiting with caterers at different locations throughout Portland. Initially we were looking to book in the restaurant, but we wanted less of a masculine feel to the room. Michael introduced us to Stephanie who showed us multiple rooms upstairs in the hotel that had a more neutral décor and she shared the history of the hotel and the banquet facilities. Stephanie assisted us in creating a perfect cocktail party menu from the selections available and she made great recommendations on the amount and type of food selections that would be in our budget. Between our initial meeting and finalizing the event order we wanted to make a few changes. Both Stephanie and Cecily in the Catering office were extremely accommodating and timely in their response with the updates. When we arrived for the event, the room was set up perfectly and the staff were very helpful. Stephanie was there to greet us and introduce us to the banquet captain. There were so many small details that the staff attended to that made the event set up and the event successful– votives around the room, beautiful buffet tables, extra chairs for the event, taping down cords and assistance setting up our cupcakes (from Bliss Bakery). We had requested signs to be made listing allergens for the food and a ‘menu’ of specialty cocktails, both of which were provided, making our guests feel comfortable. The Banquet captain, Jamie, was available throughout the event in a perfectly professional way, keeping us updated on the food and beverage situation (We had a hosted bar with a limit and we had the food come out at two different times due to the guest flow). The food was presented beautifully and tasted just as good as it looked– we didn’t receive a single complaint, only compliments, especially for the Mac and Cheese bar, the poached salmon and the bleu cheese-​stuffed bacon-​wrapped dates. Our banquet server was also wonderfully professional, keeping the room free of the clutter (and clanking) of dishes. Our bartender was wonderful too, creating delicious drinks and mixing drinks created by guests. As the event was wrapping up, the staff was still helpful– not once did we get that «closing time» feel. They provided assistance to those folks taking taxis to other hotels and transporting items to hotel rooms. After the event, a copy of the invoice was emailed to us reflecting the charges with no surprises. All in all, a perfectly executed event by Jake’s Catering team.