Roux

Another heart breaker. *sigh* … Gone? Closed?
But…what about my fried gator and chicken and potatoes and my ribs that just fell apart on my plate and my little salad that was yummy or my drinks that were BIG and STRONG and my rabbit that was mmmm
*sigh*
I came to Roux for Mardi Gras … it was one of those things where I didnt wanna hit downtown but I wanted to go out. and enjoy something indulgent… and Roux really hit the nail on the head.
They had beads out on the tables… Hurricanes by the umm… seemingly gallon… (I think I had 2 gallons myself! haha) and food to match.
The staff was in good spirits… even tho they were slammed. The place was another that you just wanted to soak yourself into. The side of the restaurant with the bar had big comfortable booths with rich red tones… old elevator pieces and parts… the other half was in with the very open kitchen. Watching chefs is always a joy… and this was no different.
Service was slow… but again they were busy… my beads from that night still hang on my mirror at home…
*le sigh* … I will miss you Roux… I wish we had gotten to know each other better… spent some more time together… shared another hurricane or 4…

I have eaten at Roux about 4 times in the past two years and I have to say that there are some common themes.
1. The food is mediocre. Actually the best thing on the menu was the huge burger topped with a fried green tomato, which has since sadly disappeared. What a shame.
2. The service is just plain bad! The last time I ventured there we waited forever to get our drink/​dinner orders and for him to bring us the check (even though the place was empty). Another experience was tainted by the server being super uncomfortable with our group of all gay ladies. Lame.
3. They added me to an email list without my consent and I have tried to unsubscribe THREE times, but their shitty newsletter emails still end up in my inbox all the time. Why Roux?

My parents took me here while I was visiting them, and it blew me away. i have to say it was one of the best meals that I have ever had. Every single dish we got was absolutely delicious.
We did the full deal– appetizers, drinks, entrée, and dessert. We got a half dozen grilled oysters amazing!), a side of corn maque choux, and a side braised collard greens. For the main dish, I got the mussels steam in beer with jalapenos and andouille sausage, the mussels were cooked perfectly, and the broth had just enough kick, but not too much. For dessert, beignets (of course), and a berry panna cotta, which was like heaven!

To be clear: I do (ux) love you (x), Roux.
I’ve come here on two occasions to say goodbye to dear friends, and the savory deliciousness and overall pleasant experience have saved me from tearful breakdowns both times.
The Food: always layers of flavors, generous with all of the things (salty, buttery and sweet) that are so good but so bad for you.
The Environment: always cozy and easy to settle in for the night, whether you’re with just one friend or in a small crowd.
The Service: always nice, though not always terribly attentive or um… I don’t know the right word… with it? together? cognizant?
The Menu: always confusing. Handwritten is quaint, but Wow! that’s a lot of words and cursive is sorta hard to read when I’m so tired and hungry. OK, I can’t tell — does this entrée come with something else? Oh, no you have to order all your sides separately? Hey why are all the sides not listed? Yikes this is really starting to add up.
…but it’s all OK, because by the end of the night, after the fine flavors and potent potables you’ve forgotten your initial flusters and you’re lulled into that loving fuzzy feeling you’ve been looking to grab and hold all your life. And how could you ever hold a grudge when all the world is so right?

With all the 5-​star Unilocal reviews and a $ 50 gift certificate in hand, I thought Roux would be a great Saturday night dinner date. We stopped by around 7:30 and were seated immediately.
Roux has a great atmosphere. Large, over-​sized booths that provide privacy from the loud yet classy bar area, and intimate 2-​person tables on the periphery. Very classy, and if you choose a smaller table toward the front, very romantic.
The waitress was very patient and attentive, and recommended the crawfish pie as an appetizer. We were blown away– thick, flavorful juice with crawfish mixed in and a really great butter crust. Sooooo good, I definitely recommend this.
We were really excited about what was to come. Boyfriend ordered the hamburger with fries, and was pleased but not impressed. I went with the shrimp jambalaya and to be honest, it was way too bland. With all the flavor exuding from the crawfish pie, I was surprised at how boring our entrees were.
We finished with a brownie raspberry sundae. The brownies were made with white chocolate and were delicious, but the raspberry ice cream was lacking– not creamy or smooth, but icy.
Unfortunately, I have to give Roux only 3 stars due to the lack of «ba bam» in their entrees. We both ate our food thinking «I could have made this, and probably done better». That’s never a good thing for a $ 20+ meal.

I’ve eaten here twice (Once in Mar 2008 and most recently in June 2008) and both times had an identical experience. The place was almost barren and it was prime dining hours on a Friday night. Perhaps it’s chance? Nonetheless, the service was actually horrible this most recent time (but was fantastic the first) as the waiter was unfriendly and very unattentive.
The food itself both times has been quite delicious and high quality, but when I spend $ 40 for a plate of something and one glass of wine, I expect to leave full (1). Neither time was I even remotely full and this most recent time the two friends I brought with me gave me awkward looks as I asked if they had had enough to eat. I noted I hadn’t and they laughed and quickly agreed. Between the three of us, our combined weight is likely under 400#, we’re not big people so it should be easy to stuff us full. We decided to go get another round of food afterwards. Montage provides 5x the food for half the price and the waitstaff is hilarious and almost OVER-​attentive.
I do have to note that the environment is fantastic. They’ve just installed plywood and crown molding from Home Depot to produce high-​backed booths but the way everything is lit it looks *great* as well as being private and quiet. I love that aspect at least.
I didn’t expect to find such high ratings on Unilocal,and maybe I’m just having a bit of bad luck thus far. I’ll have to go back one more time…
(1) — I ordered the mussels for $ 28 and received about 20 of them in a very delicious, but overly salty, broth. It came with nothing else. No pasta, potato or vegetables. The glass of wine was $ 10.

Roux, apparently, is a French word for a mixture of wheat, flour, and fat, that serves as a base for three of the most important classical french sauces: bechamel, veloute, and espagnole.
Roux is also a spectacular place to experience the delights of cajun/​creole food in North Portland. And really, Roux the restaurant is much easier to appreciate than the pronunciations, nuances, and complexity behind French sauces.
The food is delicious, perfectly portioned, hearty, and tasty. I enjoyed my inventive and authentic rabbit entrée (yes, I ate a bunny… it tastes like chicken). The remaining entrees were enticing and I did have a hard time making my selection — duck leg confit with a wilapa bay oyster stuffing as well as onions and dried cherries, hand-​cut steak, blackened dungeness crab stuffed trout, to name a few. The vegetarian selection is rather limited though, so beware. Prices range from $ 17 — $ 30, but the average entrée is $ 22ish.
Aside from sweet and attentive service, what really won my heart was the drink menu. Cocktails are definitely creations indigenous to the southern creole regions of our country and include various kinds concoctions often featuring: whiskey, gin or bourbon.
Other important facts: Happy hour lasts until 6:30! They serve what appears to be a delicious brunch. And they have oysters (always worth noting & appreciating).

I took my friend to this joint for his birthday, and we were about as happy as can be about this place. We got one of the booths, and that was a really nice way to have some privacy — it actually felt cozy and open at the same time. Really interesting feel that makes me a little quizzical even now just thinking about it.
We started with some oysters and the Croque Monsieur salad — both utterly delicious, and the salad was right up there with the best salad that I have ever had in my life… and I’ve eaten more salad than a rabbit. Speaking of rabbits, the pan roasted rabbit was fantastic. And the fillet was unbelievable. It was cooked to perfection, and the dirty rice was amazing… and I don’t even like rice.
Our waitress was perfect — friendly, polite, and came around enough but not too often… the sign of a well-​seasoned wait-​person for sure. The wine (Owen-​Sullivan — yum) was great… as expected. Just happy that it was on the menu since I do really like Washington wines right now.
Overall totally happy with this place… and will definitely return. Prices are a little on the high side… so it will have to wait until the next time I feel like dropping a couple bills on dinner (I know, it’s a major bummer that I’m such a wine snob — really takes the price up there, but since I wasn’t even really in the mood to have any wine, I figured that if I was going to do it — I would do it up right). Of course, there ARE some good $ 40 wines on the list too… so I’ll try to do that next time. Or perhaps if I don’t feel like drinking, I won’t drink. Novel idea, I know.

Let me just highlight what makes this place one of my favorite restaurants in Portland:
~Crawfish Pie… to DIE for!
~Duck L’Orange… the thought of it still makes my mouth water
~Cocktails… All amazing but favs are the Lavender Lemon Drop and the Pimms cocktail
~Happy Hour… Great food and Great drinks for Great prices… just Great
~Mufalatta Salad for 2… on the dinner menu & happy hour… YUM!
~Friendly Wait staff… always full of great suggestions
~Brunch… Beignets + Benedict = Bliss!

My foursome assaulted their menu. The house specialties were fabulous. Notables: craw fish pie, rabbit, any salad with citrus, catfish duck, scallops, oysters… I see where I am going just eat here.
House cocktails & NA drinks are a must.
The desserts were all well done & each with its own voice & subtlety.
The food was VERY well done & in no way pretentious, for this alone they receive the rating. Everything else is frosting. It it has a logo next to it, order here.

Roux is too expensive for me. It’s really freakin good, but you can drop a lotta scratch in that place. I’m betting that you’re probably familiar with how good the dinners are, and they are good.
But I’m going to let you in a a secret. I really shouldn’t tell, but just between you and me, we’ll share it. Hush hush. The sunday brunch is amazing. What’s even better is you don’t have to stand outside of the Tin Shed like a sycophant for 90 minutes to get a piece of french freakin toast and coffee on the house. If you’ve read this and you drove past the throngs of peeps with their spawn waiting for a precious seat there, turn the car around and head for N Killingsworth. But only if it’s Sunday. Otherwise head for Helser’s, the Francis, or any other worthy breakfast joint in the area.
I seem to end up with the crawdad (aka crawfish) omelette every time. Try it, you can thank me later.
So you’ll spend a few bucks extra, but it’s not lavish like the dinners (which are really good don’t get me wrong). Cheers.

There are not words to describe how phenomenal Roux is. Everything about this place is exceptional– the food, the atmosphere. even the website!
This is my perfect special night out dinner place. Extra love for it being in North Portland. :D

It was V-​day and had to wait 20 mins with reservation. Things were really slow even after we got seated and I didn’t think I would be writing a 5 * review.
But I am, and I am not being forced by cupids at arrow point!
When the food is that good, how could I not?
So the food:
— — — — — -
Shrimp Bisque:
Just the way I wanted, not too buttery. Nice consistency and had a good kick to it.
Fried Mushrooms:
Fried wild mushrooms w/​Oregon truffles shaved on top. If they have this when you go, just get it… some of the best fried things you will ever eat.
Stuffed Trout:
Sweet dungeness crab meat sandwiched between two fillets of blackened trout with crisp skin. WOW!
Baked Penne:
It is cheesy baked penne, whats not to like?
When the food is this good, you don’t need a degree in rocket science to give them [ * * * * * ]s.
Really, giving five stars to Roux is as simple as solving this puzzle, you wanna try?
))))) Find (x) in the triangle below (((((
/​\
/​\
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/​ (x) —\ — - Find this!
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/​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​\
I told you it was easy.

In a way, I’ve come to expect small menus with strangely named dishes, intricate combinations of ingredients and a ‘holier than thou’ attitude from Portland restaurants… Only to recieve a dish that looks nothing like I expected, the wrong drink and great service.
In, summary, my experiences have led me to be hesitant to eat out at some of the «progressive» restaurants in town and I am occasionally baffled by some restaurant’s popularity.
The lackluster atmosphere, spotty service and length of time it took us to get our meals at Roux made me want to write it off as one of those restaurants where it just doesn’t add up for me — resulting in me never returning.
That is, until the food came. Blackened trout stuffed with crab. It was just blackened enough and the crab was amazing! Presentation was lovely and the portion size was perfect. There were a few bony bites — and I mean ALL bone — but two bites out of a whole meal is not much to complain about. So, despite the fact that it took an hour to get the food I came right back up to five stars. And that was BEFORE dessert arrived…
Bittersweet chocolate cake. With ice cream. And a super gooey and chocolatey center. This is my new «last meal on earth» — its THAT good. It was just big enough that I wasn’t left wanting more, and it wasn’t so rich that I couldn’t finish it. It was a perfect little cake that tasted like it had a high end European chocolate bar melted in the middle. My mind goes all gooey just thinking about it.
The awesome company I was with made it a great dining experience — without that, I wouldn’t have enjoyed Roux as much. I suggest you go with great friends, order a glass of wine and the cake — you can’t go wrong!

Went on a Saturday night and was greeted by their pleasant staff.
Decided to have the clams for an appetizer. They were delicious and even asked for extra bread to soak up the broth. I ordered the rabbit which was marked one of their specialties. I was certainly not impressed. The rabbit was overcooked and the only thing that was enjoyable for me to eat was the caramelized carrots on the side. BF had the shrimp creole and it was good… but nothing to rave about.
Then came dessert. Get the peanut butter sundae!
Holy crap. WOW.
I would come back for the clams, the wine and the dessert.

What a great Sunday Brunch! First of all I can confirm the prior excellent reviews. So to start I tried there coffee, full bodied and delicious by itself (no cream or sugar needed) and the attentive wait staff had it topped off the whole time. In fact I think I indulged a bit too much as I was approaching jittery as I left.
Their fresh beignets are a wonderful appetizer and I would highly recommend them. If not done correctly they can be greasy but have no worries, they do it right.
I went with the waiters suggestion for an entrée — grilled pork covered in a spicy tomato sauce over grits is a close description, I which I had paid more attention to the menu, alas. While it was not really spicy it was great and I am happy I went with the suggestion. Every bite seemed to melt in your mouth and the textures were certainly designed to go together.
In closing, be prepared to spend a bit of cash but I doubt you will regret the experience.

Had a recent birthday dinner at Roux. First impressions were good impressions.
Service was really good, attentive but not overbearing. Although billed as Cajun, it wasn’t over the top.
Wine list was balanced with a good selection of affordable. Had a lovely Bordeaux.
Oysters were perfection. slurp.
Duck Confit was delish, nice assortment of sides and you can get a sampler trio to check them out.
Too full for dessert, darn. next time … and I didn’t sample cocktails although they looked and sounded very tempting.
The atmosphere was very convivial and inviting.
All in all, a lovely first visit.

Stunning. That’s all that needs to be said, really. But since it’s Unilocal,and I’m in the mood to write, here comes my full review.
We were in Portland for the weekend, and my dear friend recommended we all go to Roux for a nice dinner. We made reservations and arrived on time — our table was all laid out for us, and the place smelled fan-​flippin-​tastic. Red curtains, dark wood, light walls — clean and simple with class. Some people in our party had been to Roux before and recommended some dishes to start with and share — now I will recommend them all to you, because each one was just as good (if not better) than the last.
— Crawfish pie — nice spice in this beautiful dish, with little crawfish mixed up in an amazing sauce inside a homemade crust.
— Hushpuppies — yeah, they’re fried, so they’re good — but these were *really* good, and the mustard sauce served on the side is good enough to eat on it’s own. So I did.
— Potato croquettes — whipped potato mixed with tiny pieces of bacon and scallion — helloooo? To die for.
Our waiter (wish I’d gotten his name!) was just fantastic — attentive enough, and friendly, and always seemed to appear right when we needed him. He helped us choose wine, kept our glasses full and held on to the corks so we could take them home and buy the wine on our own!
Dinner was ridiculous, in that over the top, heavenly way — I went with the filet mignon, wrapped in tasso, and may I just say, for the record — I have never had a better filet ever, anywhere, in my life. It was out of this world, grilled to perfection, with that crispy seasoned top. Served with a twice-​baked potato and a side of greens, man! What a treat. At $ 30, this was no everyday meal, but it was worth every dime and penny.
Desserts were also insane, and if there were any courses after it, I would seriously run out of adjectives on how to describe them. Lemon curd on fluffy pillows of awesomeness, peanut butter ice cream… man!
As my love said at the end of our meal:
«We should move to Portland for Roux.»
Interesting proposition. If I could have that meal every night, I might just consider it.

5 stars for the tasty drinks — YUM! I am so sorry I forgot the bartender’s name but she rocks! I told her she should move to the Bay Area — I love her drinks… I really really love the drinks!
The Acadiana — imagine lemon drop w/​a hint of lavender, divine!
Rouxby Red — pretty, tasty and refreshing!
Joie De Pimm’s — perfect combo w/​just the perfect hint of ginger and cucumber
Miss Molly’s French 75 — refreshing, the sparkling wine is the perfect touch
Makes me thirsty just writing the above, man I really LOVE those drinks. The service was fantastic, the bartender rocks — attentive, friendly and fun but not over bearing.
I only had oysters — 3 dozens, YUM! So fresh and so tasty — why do you need to eat anything else?
Husband had to eat — got the pan roasted rabbit w/​cornbread-​andouille stuffing & mustard jus. He said it was really good — must be not bad because the plate was quite clean!
The Tri-​met is less than a block away so it’s easy to get to.
Good vibe too…

It’s true, it’s true, it’s all true. Classy Cajun is alive and well in Portland!*
Roux is one of those fantastic places that truly lives up to the hype. Expect to spend between $ 20 — $ 30 per person for a drink and dinner, and expect to leave reveling in how completely worth it Roux was!
Walking in, I was instantly comfortable in the simple, clean, urban atmosphere. We were seated immediately on a Friday night and I would give it an extra star if I could for how quickly our bread and wine arrived.
We both ordered seafood, and the presentation was as wonderful as the taste. They warned us that the salmon would be cooked medium rare (which we LOVE, but were pleased to know we had the option of) and the attentive service never fringed on obnoxious or pushy.
Fantastic atmosphere, food, and service. I only wish I had saved room for some Cajun delicacy like a beignet or 10. Unless you’re short on cash, there is no reason you should wait to ask that special someone on a date to Roux.
*since my review didn’t really provide any new information, here is a random fact for your collection:
«ROUX» is a mixture of flour and fat, usually butter or oil and is a key ingredient in Louisiana cuisine. Hmmm… that’s interesting!