I was pretty disappointed with El Gaucho. The service was slow and awkward and our waiter and bus boy reeked of cigarettes. It was so dark you could not see what you were eating and it was a relief when the amplified musical group took a break so that our party could hear one another. The food came extremely slowly. We were there on a slow Sunday night and dinner took 3.5 hours. The shrimp and roqufort salad was blah and my dinner, diver scallop brochette, was cold, bland, and oversalted. The steak was not as good as it should been for the reputation. The menu is unispired and required no thought on the chefs part as you get slab of meat on a white plate and it is up to you to pick your pairings (which of the five we chose were unispired, salty, and bland). With all the good food in Portland why do people still eat here? Save your pallete and nose and go somewhere else.
Pros: Steak house nostalgia
Cons: Salty uninspired food, waiter smells of cigarettes
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