Ava Gene'sExcellent all AroundThis was our first visit & it was amazing. We got the burrata which was melt in your mouth good. We ordered the small plate of sliced meats, phenomenal. We also ordered the artichoke, which was our least favorite, but still good. The kale salad is simple & fresh. We shared two pastas. The ravioli, melt in you mouth good. The other, spacing on the name, started with a 's' & last on the menu. Had red sauce, sausage and arugula. Handmade, fresh, spectacular. We each order a cocktail. Both were heavy on the booze, which is saying a lot for us. I could hardly drink mine. Their wine list is impressive, from very reasonable wines to the obscure. The service was awesome as well. Very pleasant & easily explained the menu. Great experience overall.5/14/2013 12:00:00 AMBest service in pdx. FoodBest service in pdx. Food is almost there. Polenta tied the dinner together. Needs some time to smooth out but will be back.
Thanks5/10/2013 12:00:00 AMPerfectWe had such a good experience here for my birthday dinner. So much to choose from in every part of the menu. We had a pane, two items from the giardinieri section (carrots, asparagus), and each had an order of agnolotti with rabbit, which were ethereal! Panna cotta for dessert, perfect ending to a memorable meal. The place is so attractive, and service is great and knowledgeable. Can't wait to go back.5/7/2013 12:00:00 AMWonderful!Every bite was delicious and the service was lovely. The menu was a little confusing for us, we settled on the three selections from the 'garden' section, a pasta dish and a wonderful fish dish. The open kitchen is fun to watch, especially the wood fired grill/oven. We will be going back with friends soon!5/6/2013 12:00:00 AMThe open kitchen was veryThe open kitchen was very entertaining, but the fire oven did get a little hot. Service was excellent, very helpful when selecting a wine from the extensive Italian wine list. Food was fantastic!5/1/2013 12:00:00 AMLoved Loved Loved Ava Gene'sFabulous meal, service, and high value. Every menu option tempts the mind, body and soul. Pick blind or pick with purpose...you won't be disappointed. We really loved Ava Gene's.4/28/2013 12:00:00 AMAva Gene's is a beautifulAva Gene's is a beautiful space. The menu is a delight to read .. a complete experience that left us anticipating our choices. We unhurriedly sipped our cocktails and enjoyed several antipasti perusing the menu. A tremendous wine list was navigated with the help of our server who also translated parts of the menu, suggested pairings and ultimately helped us create a wonderful celebration. We are two couples, late-40s, celebrating two birthdays, and the evening was perfect: languid and luxurious, replete with sumptuous repast, comfortable and elegant surroundings, and an attentive, warm wait staff. It is unanimous ... we all would recommend Ava Gene's unreservedly.4/27/2013 12:00:00 AMWe hade a very wonderful experienceWe hade a very wonderful experience at Ava Gene's. The food was exceptional including the dessert. Great service and very helpful staff. We will definitely go back and recommend to our friends and family. Lynne DiVittorio4/18/2013 12:00:00 AMThe food is excellent. TheThe food is excellent. The service is excellent. There is parking. They take reservations. I had the best pork chop of my life.4/16/2013 12:00:00 AMFabulous food, fabulous service,Fabulous food, fabulous service, and fabulous space!4/15/2013 12:00:00 AMFantastic food and drink theFantastic food and drink the service is outstanding - the staff is warm and welcoming.4/15/2013 12:00:00 AMThree girlfriends having dinnerThree girlfriends having dinner before a show . . . Our server was delightful and helpful, the food superb and the ambiance was classy/cozy. Perfect. . . and we'll be back!!4/12/2013 12:00:00 AMEverything was top-tier. WarmlyEverything was top-tier. Warmly greeted, we were offered bar seats for our wait. The bartender suggested a personal favorite -- and explained why -- as an alternative to one of our first choices, and her suggestion was a nicely balanced blend of sweet, sour and bitter. Our reservation was available on time. We shared several plates, and most enjoyed two selections from the Giardini section -- cauliflower, wild nettles and anchovy -- and Piatti section -- fritto of purple broccoli and kale rapini, tonnato, lemon. Both were perfectly prepared and rich in flavor. The tonnato -- tuna blended into aoli -- quickly found its way onto everything edible. We moved next to Primi. The anneloni was fine, but unremarkable. Polenta? Stellar. Thanks.4/9/2013 12:00:00 AMDelicious, great service,Delicious, great service, amazing experience, thank you4/8/2013 12:00:00 AMA must try!So wonderful! Lovely, lovely food and an amazing ambiance can't wait to go back!4/5/2013 12:00:00 AMExcellent vibe to the place,Excellent vibe to the place, especailly liked the music playlist. Innovative pasta dishes, we all enjoyed our dinner there.4/1/2013 12:00:00 AMService was great. The menuService was great. The menu was densely packed with Italian, but there was a helpful key at the bottom to make translation easier. Intimidating wine list (most everything was from Italy) but the staff was patient in helping us pick something out. Can't wait to go back.3/29/2013 12:00:00 AMSuch a fantastic selectionSuch a fantastic selection of dishes but the menu is difficult for the average diner. I guess we would all like to be as cosmopolitan to be fluent in Italian but alas, most are not. I think this is an undue burden for the servers to have to explain every dish. And on that note, our servers were WONDERFUL. Absolute joy without being obtrusive or annoying. Thoroughly enjoyed them all but in particular our personal server, Bonnie. And might I say when I inadvertently left without my credit card, Bonnie tracked me down at the pie place ACROSS THE STREET to get it back to me. That was over the top and well appreciated! I will come back and refer this gem to my friends.3/29/2013 12:00:00 AMSimply fantastic! Best mealSimply fantastic! Best meal on our trip to Portland and Seattle. Service was impeccable and the food... I don't have the words. Romantic, quirky, lovely, OUTSTANDING. A must visit.3/28/2013 12:00:00 AMAva Gene's is everything IAva Gene's is everything I am looking for in a nice Italian restaurant. Great pasta. Since you DO NOT go to an Italian place for a light meal, it was awesome to see that there are plenty of options for multiple course. Our server was a very nice lady who organised our meal for us once we had everything picked out. We had the burratta to start, which was wonderful and buttery and soft. Followed by a romaine salad of some sort (I cannot remember the name as I was a few drinks in by this point). The pasta was cooked correctly and had a great flavor, the fennel sausage sauce was delicious. Our mains were the baramundi (can't say its a fish I have eaten before but I would definitely order again) and the pork chop (which was delicious).3/26/2013 12:00:00 AMWOW !! Couldn't be more thrilledWOW !! Couldn't be more thrilled about this addition to my dinner out list. Had a lovely experience in every respect. Three in our party had three different pasta dishes; all were perfection. The portion size is perfect as well -- you feel totally satisfied without the glow of carb overload!! VERY tasty!! Tried three salads -- the brussels sprouts were delicious (who'd have thought?) and the sun choke/celery/date salad was particularly interesting and fresh. There's a chocolate sorbetto on the dessert list that must be experienced. GO NOW before the crowds are too deep!!3/24/2013 12:00:00 AMTake your time and enjoy!The menu is in Italian but fairly easy to decipher. I recommend sharing each course with your partner as the portions are generous. The service was great although the atmosphere is open with close seating. We will most definately return.3/24/2013 12:00:00 AMWe were treated very nicelyWe were treated very nicely at Ava Gene's. The food was a solid attempt at traditional italian cuisine and the service was equally solid (although at times it felt a bit negligent in a very busy place). They even let us order off the menu--apparently, there is a tasting menu offered if you ask for it, and it was lovely--what we were served was very nice, with great local ingredients.3/22/2013 12:00:00 AMFabulous meal! EverythingFabulous meal! Everything is fresh and tasty. If you are looking for great Italian cooking this is the
Place. Great wine list and knowledgable servers to guide you through the food and wine choices.3/15/2013 12:00:00 AMThis was our second time toThis was our second time to Ava Gene's and the food was elcellent on both occasions. The chicken liver appetizer was special and our pasta dishes were well prepared. A good spot.2/2/2013 12:00:00 AM