My wife and I attended La Traviata at the Zeller Auditorium last Friday night, and we dined at Carafe both before and afterward. We have eatten at Carafe numerous times the past 4 years, and we have always found the food and service to be excellent (my wife is a professionally trained chef, and we dine out often). We arrived at the restaurant, prior to the show, without reservations, and we were quickly seated. We told our server we would be attending the opera that evening, and that we were looking to have a small bite before the show. Our server suggested a couple of dishes, and my wife and I shared the tureen of rabbit- it was tasty; served with a small dish of tomato relish that was a perfect compliment to the rabbit. We set a reservation for after the show before we left the restaurant, and once again upon our return, we were promptly seated. The menu after the opera was a limited offering of classic Bistro fare, and my wife and I each dined on the steak frites. The food was perfectly prepared, and the wine we chose to have with our meal was the perfect compliment. Speaking of wine, their wine list is one of the reasons we dine at Carafe. They offer a solid selection of great wines, from around the world, at great prices, as well as select higher end wines, should you desire something that is a step up. Upon completing our after opera meal, we booked dinner reservation for 4 a few weeks in advance of a visit from friends coming from Minneapolis. Our friends have only been to Portland once before, and we look forward to sharing one of our favorite Portland places with them!
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