Ebb & Flow

My husband and I came to Ebb & Flow for New Years Eve and had a great dining experience. We had a res for 9:15pm which was the perfect time, as the earlier diners were leaving and the later ones hadn’t arrived yet. We were also out of there before the ball dropped.
To start off we were really impressed by the drinks. They make some really unique and awesome cocktails. They haven’t updated their menu online so I am blanking on the names. Next up was a dome of complimentary pita bread. It was flavored with a great spice blend. I had the ricotta agnolotti with a marsala sauce (so good, just wish the menu mentioned it was goat, since I am not a fan of goat cheeses) while my husband had the cuttlefish appetizer (a new to us fish). I opted for the scallops as my main, and my husband has the cioppino (so much food!). Everything was tasty, fresh, and hit the spot. We finished off the meal with a chocolate cake that was pretty good, but the savory items were the stars of the show.
I would defintely recommend Ebb and Flow to anyone from or visitng Portland.

My husband and I went to Ebb & Flow last night for dinner and had just a disappointing experience. The hostesses were rude and extremely unfriendly. However the waitstaff was excellent. The food was disappointing, the fritters were very doughy and the scallop entrée was so sweet I could barely eat it. The halibut special was ok, but not worth the $ 32 price point. Also, they need to dim the lights a bit! It was so bright in the there. With all the other great restaurants around we won’t be going back to this place any time soon.

Our first evening in Portland and we felt like we’d picked a real winner. Got a table right away (Tuesday in late September) and were immediately taken in by the modern yet warm interior décor. Minimalistic yet not cold. Service was great. we started with the meatballs. Fabulous! My hubby had the lamb shank and really liked it. In a dark hearty broth, moist with lots of flavor. My scallops were sublime each one sporting a cauliflower floret covered in delicious sauce. Lots of flavors done well.

What a phenomenal restaurant! In fact, I’d go as far as saying that it is one of the top 5 restaurant experiences I’ve had in Portland the past year.
I made a Monday reservation for my friend and I at 7:15pm, but when we arrived it was pretty obvious that it was not needed; there were only a few diners as we walked through to our table. As others have mentioned, the décor is charmingly rustic with beautiful exposed brick, pine (?) plank floors, and exposed wood beam. The space is probably bigger than it needs to be, but it’s fun to walk through and admire the details that went into the design.
It’s rare when a menu can transport you to a different time and place, but that’s exactly how I felt while perusing Ebb & Flow’s offerings. I’m no novice to the eating game, but I didn’t know what half the dishes/​ingredients were. And forget about the wine list. We probably took up about 10 minutes of our server’s time as he patiently explained each item we were uncertain about, and very passionately recommended his favorites. Speaking of favorites our server is definitely a Portland favorite now! He had a great rapport with us and definitely read us well enough to make a few well-​timed inappropriate jokes about our eating habits.
We ended up starting with a glass of wine each and an appetizer from the specials menu — unfortunately I can’t remember the name but it was delicious. And paired well with wine. I had the lamb shank for my main because I order lamb just about any time I see it on any menu. It was perfectly prepared and the flavors were great with the sides. I believe my friend had the slow roasted pork rib chop, and she had nothing but good things to say about it.
We both shared a chocolate cheesecake for dessert, at the recommendation of our server. Yup, he was correct again!
There were certainly a number of other items on the menu that I would have loved to try. Some of the ingredients and most of the flavor combinations are unfamiliar to me, so I’d love to come back and explore. I hope that Ebb & Flow makes it past the honeymoon period and establishes itself as a staple in the upscale Portland culinary landscape, much the way that Fore St and Street & Co. have. Their unique food creations and interpretations can take them to that level.

I enjoyed my meal here: friendly, informed service (though very slow). I had the roe almond milk spread with a truly giant, puffed up, deliciously fresh pita, which was flavorful and zingy. The salmon was perfectly seared, though it is served medium rare (and they’ll cook it more done if requested), with a lovely, fairly subtle watercress salad on the side. The salmon entrée was sizable, so much so that I honestly felt slightly ill when I ate a couple of bites too many and still couldn’t finish it. I love the rustic chic interior, which brings in plenty of light with the huge glass windows, and is great for people-​watching.

Ebb & Flow was a great restaurant. I was a fan of the large, round bar. It was very welcoming, and the bartender was both friendly and knowledgeable. I knew what I wanted to order, but my mother was very indecisive, and the bartender was patient and helpful to concoct something suiting to her taste.
The hostess was sweet as well. Actually, all of the staff was very inviting throughout the evening. Mom and I shared a couple of drinks at the bar, and then moved to a table.
We shared the octopus and one of the spreads, both delicious. I had scallops, and my mother ordered the whole fish. Both were very good, no complaints.
I would recommend this restaurant, especially for happy hour.

I was expecting a little bit more out of Ebb & Flow based on the reviews, location and price point. It was okay but not great. The menu has a nice variety of selection but there were executional issues with everything that we got. (And on bad advice from the waiter, we significantly more food than we needed and at least got a good sampling of the menu)
The zucchini fritters were over fried and the filling was just dough — could have been done much better with an actual… fritter…i.e. shredded zucchini… which was lightly fried.
The melitzanosalata mezze wanted to be good — but they forgot to season it so was fairly bland.
The lobster roll was actually undercooked (I should really have had it taken back). The meat int the roll was very nice big pieces of lobster — but it hadn’t been cooked through. And in an attempt to make it a little fancier of an item, the bread used for the roll was a heavier egg roll or something similar — it was too thick/​dense of a bread and the flavor just didn’t work to pair with lobster.
etc, etc.
It was overall good — but I wouldn’t go back.

Went back for happy hour. Not impressed. Rude host, unfriendly bartender, and only 1 cocktail for $ 5.50, a pineapple daiquiri. Gross. Who wants rum? At least the Tap beer was $ 2 off (making it $ 5, the normal price of a beer elsewhere.)
Their regular menu is full price but you can only order a few things while sitting at the bar. We got a pea and chickpea hummus which was very very small with pita bread for $ 7. Pita was excellent though. The bravas potatoes again… More undercooked this time. Still love the atmosphere, but don’t think I’ll be back.

This is a great place with its big space, beautiful décor, great service, and wonderful food. I like Greek food and this place puts a great spin using local and imported sea food. For appetizers we had taramousalata, grilled octopus, and lamb keftedakia. The pita was amazing and the octopus was top notch. We also picked a couple of specials — langoustines and pickled Maine sardines. They were both great. For the main course we had the skirt steak, a horiatiki salad, and one of the specials — dorado royal. The steak was tough unfortunately (minus one star). The dorado royal was amazing. It was a whole fish from Greece. So you need to know how to deal with bones. For drinks the Malbec was very good, and the Mule and Gunpowder/​sand drinks were tasty. We passed on the desserts to go have ice cream next door.

My experience at Ebb & Flow was one of the best I’ve had in Portland, hands down. Of course the company was superb but the food and service were just as wonderful. God, I love this place!
Our group started with a few of the salads — one with beets and another with tomato, cubanelle peppers, cucumber and feta. Both were lovely and light — a great way to start off the meal. We were also served what I consider to be the best pita I’ve ever tasted. Yum.
I had my eye on the lamb dish from the moment I sat down. The large shank (it could easily have fed two people) was braised in Greek red wine (hence the name of the dish, Xinomavro) and tomato and served with a generous portion of papparadelle, carrots, fava beans and a tiny bit of pistachio. It was cooked perfectly. The flavors were superb. It was beautiful to look at and even better to eat!
I also ordered the angel food cake for dessert. The poppy seeds in the cake added a fun textural element but I think they may have weighed it down just a bit — I was hoping for something a little springier. Still, the lemony coulis was a lovely touch as were the strawberries.
I didn’t drink during this visit but I can’t wait to come back and sample some treats from the amazing cocktail menu.
What a fabulous evening. Our server was professional and attentive — not an easy task when you have a party of 10. And the space is absolutely gorgeous — especially the bar area. Five stars all the way!

Ebb and Flow. It’s big and beautiful. The bar is huge! The drinks are decent. The lamb keftedakia (basically ground lamb meatballs) is mouthwatering. The pita is a giant disc of pillowy goodness. The grilled octopus is amazing.
So, why only three stars? Because the rest of the menu is mediocre. I have had a few of the salads. A bit pricey and really not that great. The entrees? I’ve had had the Dry-​Aged New York strip steak with oregano fries (a very small portion of fries I might add). Not bad per se– but not worth the $ 37 price tag. Last night I got the roasted chicken with gremolata and fingerling potatoes. The chicken was pretty basic and not at all warm. And the handful of potatoes were boring and just rolled around my plate, unencumbered by any sort of greens or topping. Basically, I got a plate of blandish, brown food.
We also had the lemon angel food with cake strawberries which I found pretty disappointing. The angel food cake was pretty dense and the strawberries were hot. Last time we got the semolina custard wrapped in phyllo which was alright.
Overall, I think this place is great for a couple drinks and splitting some small plates, but I don’t think I’ll be back for dinner.
But make sure you get the lamb keftedakia! Delicious.

I think I have a food hangover.
Let’s frontload this review with all the amazing things in case you (or I) don’t make it to the end:
The octopus has ruined me for all other octopus. The crisp, grilled edges. The melt-​in-​your-​mouth slightly fatty sections. I didn’t even know octopus could do this. Is this some sort of octopus-​pork hybrid? I mean seriously. seriously. great.
Cocktails. The $ 12 price tag is a bit terrifying, but DAMN. You remember those fruit-​and-​crème life savers? The Persephone’s Sour tastes like one of those in the best way possible.
Taramarsalata. This is how this dish is described on the menu: «Whipped roe. Almond milk. Our bread.» I don’t even know. It’s salty and delicious. Kind of like whipped salmon cream cheese? I like weird things.
OK, so, everything else: tasty bites, good company, lovely atmosphere, attentive service. Potatoes and (hot, fresh) pita. What’s not to like?
I may not recover. Send help in the form of chaste salads and juice cleanses. Quite possibly the best meal (of this caliber, I’m not comparing against, say, breakfast sandwiches or donuts) that I’ve eaten here in Portland.

I have mixed feelings about Ebb & Flow. I have decided to just list them in order of best to worst.
The Lamb Keftedakia. Wonderful little meatballs.
The Charred Octopus: crunchy edges, wood smokiness, tender meatiness.
The service, no complaints at all.
The huge beautiful bar.
Cocktails and wine list. A bit pricey but not surprisingly so given the location. Tiny nit to pick. why isn’t there a squiggle on top of the n in Albarino. I don’t know how to make it happen here in a Unilocal review, but my standards are higher for menus.
The giant warm home made pitas. Very tasty, but I wish they were thicker and doughier. But that’s just my personal taste.
There is a painting in the men’s room of a train station. It’s signed Bill Paxton. I choose to believe that it was painted by the actor. This is the middle of the list. Neutral. But for some reason it strikes me as weird every time I go in there and I feel the need to mention it.
On the topic of art, why is the bar are decorated with lots and lots of photographs of white horses frolicking in shallow water. They are printed in an odd, cold tone black and white. One picture of horses would be a bit out of place, but 6 – 8 of them makes you feel like a 12 year old girl had a say in the décor.
There is a huge partitioned off area in the other dining room that appears to be set up for side work or as an extra bar area or something. But I’ve never seen any staff in there, and it would be better suited as a news stand on the set of a Broadway play. It’s big and sickly green and just sort of lurks there taking up space.
And finally… the entrees. This isn’t a good place for a restaurant to have it’s weakest link. I’ve had some or all of 4 of them: the chicken, strip steak, scallops and pork chop, All of them felt lacking. If I had to point a finger at why, I guess it would be the accompaniments. The scallops themselves were good, but the only thing on the plate with them was some hazel nuts and a bunch of large, under cooked cauliflower. Something non-​beige would have been nice. The pork chop again was itself very nicely cooked, but it came with an onion purée on top, a couple little figs and a bit of cooked prosciutto. No vegetables, no carbohydrates. The steak did come with fries. But at a Greekish restaurant, and for $ 37, I’d expect something more than just a pretty good steak frites.

Great time! Appetizers and salads were delicious! Not a huge wine selection but definitely something for everyone. Service was wonderful!
The meal fell a bit short as the pork was a bit over done, but compared to everything else it didn’t take away from the experience. Would dine here again.
The whipped goat cheese is a must!

The 3-​star is for the restaurant week menu, but the great service and atmosphere (and what I can only imagine the actual NON-​restaurant week menu dishes) would/​could definitely be a 4-​star experience.
While our dining experience itself here was solid, I wish with all my heart that we hadn’t gone for the restaurant week menu. Do yourself a favor and order off the regular menu where you’ll get larger portions, greater selection, and the complementary appetizer that everyone raves above (which you will NOT get if you order the restaurant week menu, even though you’re paying ~ $ 50/​person).
The food itself was solid in flavor, but it was hard not to stare enviously at the plates of the other diners. Instead of feeling like Ebb & Flow gave us the best they could do in 3-​courses, compelling me to want to try flavors from the regular menu next time, I felt Ebb and Flow fell short of expectations and served us an over-​priced 3-​course meal that needed to be redeemed.
Let us talk restaurant week menu food (which we tried everything but the soup):
Appetizers:
#Salad — Simple shredded greens topped with cheese. Good flavor, but not memorable and not very unique. Better off going with the artichokes!
#Artichokes — you get 3 perfectly grilled half artichokes with bits that are also too tough to be edible (to make portions look bigger?, i suppose). Flavors are A+, especially lying on that tasty creamy aioli sauce, but texture and portions could be improved.
Mains:
#Pork Osso buco — Rich flavors infused in that juicy fall-​off-​the-​bone meat, but a little on the overly salty side. Meat itself can also be said to border off having sat in the heat for a tad too long. Portion size also needs to be upped!
#Fish and clams — Again, flavors were great and even airing on slightly too much salt like the pork, but what what brings everything down is that both the fish and the clams were overcooked. The fish was on the dry side and the edges were almost crisp. Clams were already cool and the juices sitting in the clam shells had that layer of shiny grease that collects and floats on the top when soup cools and settles.
Desserts:
#Chocolate mousse cake — Looks dark and indulgent but was maybe not as creamy or rich as I imagined a melt-​in-​your-​mouth mousse might be. It’s more on the fluffy side… think I loved the panna cotta more!
#Green yogurt panna cota — Rich, creamy, tart, and topped with cinnamon apples. This was the dessert I had been waiting for. I googled a recipe as soon as we left the restaurant so I could make this at home. Mmmmmm mmmmm!
You might leave still feeling hungry after the restaurant week menu, so take it from us, order off the regular menu for a better bang for your buck, and probably leave will a fuller tummy.

We ate here last night for restaurant week. The food was really really good choice of 3 starters, entrée, and choice of 2 desserts.
I had the lemony chicken (Greek) soup. Very light and delicious. My daughter had the artichoke appetizer. Although good, there were parts that were to tough to chew and eat. Main courses were pork osso bucco served with polenta. I loved it. Moist and fell off the bone. My daughter chose the fish over celery root purée and tiny Brussel sprouts. Hers was equally as good. Desert for the both of us was a large portion of Greek yogurt panna cotta with cinnamon and apples. Very good but we should have shared one! My only pet peeve was that our dirty silverware was not changed out between courses. One waitress actually took the dirty silverware off my daughters plate and placed them back on the table. We had 3 servers who combine for the tables. For me, the caliber of a restaurant is affected by not changing out the silverware. That is why I gave 4 stars instead of 5.

I was a little concerned coming in, having read a fairly negative review in the newspaper. I walked out feeling highly fulfilled across every element of the experience.
I booked a table over Open Table, but must have screwed up the date as our names weren’t on the list. No matter. We were immediately under the spell of the awesomely appealing bar (the whole place is architecturally stunning), and grabbed two open stools. We were quickly greeted by a super-​friendly bartender who quickly delivered us two strong, tasty warming cocktails. while the sounds of The Pixies emanated from the ceiling speakers. Sweet.
After being read the impressive list of specials, we quickly ordered the crab croquetta special app and an order of Mezze Htipiti (sp?), which was a super light, superbly seasoned warm pita with a cream cheese –like spread of whipped goat feta, roasted chiles and some sort of tomato. The Mezze was delicious. Words wanted to come out exclaiming just how delicious. Unfortunately, I couldn’t remember how to speak at that moment. Foodgasm.
The crab croquettas were, by comparison, just OK. Not bad, but i didn’t find the filling all that appealing. A little bland, a little pasty. The accompanying sauce underneath for mopping helped.
The entrees were fantastic. I was between the two specials: pork osso bucco and some kind of lightly roasted fish I never heard of. Went with the pork. Extremely tender, fall off the bone with exceptional flavor. Adorned with a tomato-​based sauce that was ridiculously good. Some sort of whipped something underneath. Could have been potatoes, could have been cauliflower, could have been really tasty drywall spackle for all I know — whatever it was, it was impressive, especially with the natural juices of the pork and its delectable sauce seeping into the mix.
My wife lamed out and got the roasted half chicken, and while she regretted her decision when my osso bucco landed, it was a very moist, well-​seasoned half chicken. So she had that going for her. And in the end, it turned out to be a good choice.
We finished the meal off with a couple of beers and then wandered next door to the Ri Ra Ro Re Ru Irish bar or whatever it’s called… yea, a Guinness to combat the –400 degree weather turned out to be the perfect capper, before wandering back out into the tundra for some additional frostbite en route to the parking garage.
We’ll be back.

I never went to any of the establishments that were previously housed in the space, so I have no basis of comparison. To me, this is a brand new place that is a seriously fresh of breath air. It’s open and the décor is rustic (all that wood and exposed brick feels warm and comfortable like this establishment always belonged here), and is versatile enough to be a perfect spot for awkward first dates, romantic anniversaries, special occasions, no occasions, fancy planned dinners, or spontaneous drinks with your pals after work. How they accomplish that level of malleable-​ness I’d impressive.
I like dinner here — it feels upscale without being pretentious. I’ve had the:
— 1. Olive oil-​fried zucchini fritters with mint and yogurt ($ 8) and fried local goat cheese with quince conserva and grilled Treviso ($ 14): Both items were just okay, kind of unmemorable, and nothing I’d personally order again. The fritters were on the heavier and blander side, the fried goat cheese dish was underwhelming and confusing.
+ 2. Patatas bravas with dried Manchego and roasted garlic ($ 7): I think about this dish way too often, that’s how perfect it is. As a matter of fact, frequently when at other restaurants eating their food, my boyfriend and I will say,“You know what I really want? The patatas bravas at Ebb & Flow.” Perfectly fried potatoes matched with the brittle sweetness of the manchego, and a creamy aioli. Yes. Yes, please. All the time.
+ 3. Classic Hortiatiki with greenhouse heirloom tomatoes, barrel feta, Cubanelles, cucumber, and oregano ($ 15): I have NEVER seen a wedge of feta that big in my life before. And I can’t remember the last time I tasted feta that was so tangy and creamy and crumbly and lovely… It’s literally this huge chunk of cheese on top of a bed of fresh veggies. Definitely a nice break from traditional salads.
But, I like happy hour more here. I like that specialty cocktails are $ 5, I like that there are complimentary small snacks (and if you’re a vegetarian — just tell them, they’ll make sure not to serve you the meat snacks and may even come up with another option for you! Accommodating? They are effortlessly!). You will not go wrong with the:
+ 1. Limoncello… if you’re going to drink ONE thing here, make it the limoncello. Straight, in a cocktail, whatever. It’s a mistake not to get it, friends.
+ 2. Any of the cocktails, really. I’ve tried many now, and I’ve liked them all. They are unique, complex, and interesting. Also the bartenders are impossibly nice people!
+ 3. Htipiti (whipped goat feta, chilies, roasted tomato, $ 7) or ANYTHING off the Mezze section. All will delight your palate and leave you craving more (but seriously, I wish they’d be a little more generous with the Htipiti portions… because I could eat that stuff straight out of a bowl with a spoon [sorry for the super unclassy image there, but it’s true… it’s all goat cheesy and spicy like… *drool*]).
I hope Ebb & Flow has a long stay here in Portland, because they really are doing something special and much needed. From a price-​appropriate happy hour to a style of food underrepresented here in town… I. Dig. This. Place.

Very convenient to make a reservation via Open Table. The space is absolutely stunning, without being intimidating. We decided on sharing a nice dinner the night after Christmas to calm down after a very busy holiday. We were seated at a two top, and not the smallest two top we’ve ever sat at. Thankfully, the place wasn’t too busy, just a nice steady.
Unfortunately, our experience wasn’t the best. We weren’t greeted, at all, for over 5 minutes after we were seated. Come to find out, the lady that had been staring at us and talking with a different waiter ended up being our waitress. She filled our water glasses up and came back ten minutes later to get our drink order. The entire process just seemed a bit much for her. When she took our meal order (we only ordered mains because we had been waiting so long) she also mentioned that bread would be right out. Unfortunately, another strike. The bread, which was tasty; a large type pita drizzled with olive oil and herbs, came out LITERALLY one minute prior to our main meals and about 20 minutes after she had mentioned it to us. The table was too small for the bread plate and our two dinner plates that a different waiter apologized and tried to rearrange the setting for us so that everything could fit.
I ordered the scallop and roasted cauliflower with sprinkled peanuts and my bf ordered the strip steak with potato. There was way too much crunch on mine, I would have liked it better if the cauliflower had been mashed or a risotto texture, as the peanuts were crunchy as well. He really enjoyed the steak, but felt like there wasn’t much to it, a little bland. Coming from the least picky eater I’ve ever met, this didn’t fare well.
I believe our waitress had to take on a big table, but there was awful communication — she was extremely untimely and neglectful (which was awkward because she would stand by the computer where they order food next to the kitchen and stare). It seemed as tho the older waiter had to pick up her slack at her surrounding tables. Being a former waitress, this was too noticeable.
I’ve heard the happy hour here is great and I will give the place a second chance. I was just superbly disappointed coming in with high expectations, but leaving wishing we had eaten elsewhere. Terrible thought after dropping a pretty penny.

I was able to get the full Ebb & Flow experience on a frigid Friday night. I made a reservation for three on Opentable which was a good idea, as the restaurant was mostly full at 7 pm. We were promptly seated out back at a comfortable table with cushions on one side. Our initial server was excellent, but halfway through our dinner she was switched to a different server, which was a little odd, but didn’t impact the meal.
As an appetizer the mezze again was perfection (though as an amateur with these foods, it still is basically amazing naan bread and cream cheese spread to me). The specials were only appetizers on this night, so we went with classic entrees. The salmon was delicious and was a good sized portion. The accompanying greens were also good but the meal could have used one more side. The grilled chicken was enormous and tender and the generous helping of potatoes made it very filling.
It’s a beautiful dining room, the mixed drinks are top notch and the food is satisfying. It fits in nicely with the many new upscale restaurants in Portland, and I’d definitely go back.