Melody D.'s Profile

One thing to know right off the bat: there are nine more legitimate 4-5 star ratings for this place that Yelp has "filtered" for some reason.  It should be appearing higher in the rankings than it currently is.

Now for my take:

I come here as much as I can.  The breads are scrumptious: light and airy, and not overly sweet. I particularly love the savory lox rolls, the chocolate crumble brioche, and the sweet rolls with the cream cheese frosting.  I love how pretty and quiet the bakery is, how warm it is in the winter, and how sweet and cheerful the girls behind the counter are.

One thing no one yet has mentioned is that Nell serves some of the best coffee in the city: better than Soma, Pourhouse or Feast.  Try the Columbian roast the next time you're in!

I'm guessing the reason this place has a three-and-a-half star is because it caters to hipsters.  And ohhh, how the hipsters love it, but ohhh, how they hate to let you know they love anything, so they'll dole out two and three stars while mentioning (offhand, of course) that they're bound to be back.  Jerks unlimited.

Look, I may wear Hudsons, but I can't abide that shit. This is crazy good food, like crazy delicious, and you don't have to take my word from it. The chef from El Bulli made it one of his *two* restaurant stops in the bay this year.  And if Ferran Adria wrote Yelp reviews, you'd know he f'ing loved it.

(Order anything with the words "pork" or "eel" on the menu. Order the tall blonde model for your waitress. Rinse. Repeat.)

I've been going to the Deluxe for the past four years and... well, every time I go back I remember why it's the only hotel in Portland I'll stay in.  I've been meaning to try all the other places again, but really, how can I ever say no to this--?  

This hotel is all about the details. The lobby has a wonderful smell to it.  It's cold outside, you walk in, and there's this toasty-warm scent wafting through the air, on the wings of some Dean Martin ballad. The young valets look old-school dapper, the concierge is flashing a megawatt smile, and if you wander into the Driftwood, just off to your right, the bartender will mix you a champagne cocktail for the price of a cup of coffee.

I come here years apart, but somehow the staff remembers me.  When I had a valet check my bags this time, he even remembered the car I'd driven up the summer before.  "Funny what you remember, isn't it?" he asked.  And I wanted to say: "Shocking you can remember that at all!"  (And I'm younger than he is, I'd bet).

Well, and this is the other thing:  There's no turnover, which tells you what a good operation it must be. The faces I saw on this visit are the same smiling faces I've been seeing for years. The pretty lady who checked me in - typing at what must have been 150 wpm - checked me in the first time I ever visited.  And the tall, handsome valet who looks like James Bond and must be the best in the business?  This is what he *does* for a living.  Sure, another hotel might offer you a slightly larger room, or fancier hair dryers, but is that really what you want to be paying for?  If you want to feel like a movie star, come here. No straight iron is going to make you feel the way these people do.

The Deluxe is about understated glamour, warm, memorable service, and don't forget: $5 champagne cocktails, every evening, until 6:30 p.m.

I still love this place, but the price-creep makes me a little sad.  The drip coffee is a dollar to dollar-fifty more now than when they opened and the $2 standard cup is, well, still $2, but often now more like you're getting what you paid for.  Like over-roasted scraped-off-the-bottom-of-the-pot. Not all days, mind, but maybe three out of five.  (Which I don't get, frankly.  Do they just leave the coffee sitting out for hours, so it goes all stale and soggy?)

Back in the day, they were just killin' it.  Now that the fan base is here, standards are slipping a little on the bean-front.  Can't knock 'em too hard though.  They're still better than the local competition by a long-shot, and that bread pudding!  (And that ham-and-cheese croissant!  And that fresh squeezed orange juice...)  Jesus.  What I wouldn't do...

Go go go!  Love everything about what they're doing here.  I'm home for three weeks and I've already gone here, what, six times?

Short ribs and pork belly are killer.  Yukon golds = crispy fried mouth-watering scrum (which you can dip in aioli to your greedy heart's content).  If you make it here early enough in the day, do not pass on the cinnamon roles.  Just insanely good.

Haven't made a discovery like this in Los Feliz since Yuca's.  (...Back in '93).

Every person I've sent here has come away happy!  

The food is simple, delicious and inexpensive. The owners are charming.  The service is fast and friendly.  Like other Turkish restaurants, the cafe has the front of the space reserved for floor seating, which is comfortable and relaxing after a long day.  For a causal night out, or a lazy afternoon snack, this restaurant checks all the right boxes.  You'll feel comfortable, you'll eat well, and you won't leave hungry!

Turkuaz has a broad selection of pides, in small ($6.5) and large ($11) sizes, and kebabs, chops and racks (from $9-$15).  Every entree comes with a hot red lentil soup and tomato and cucumber salad.  Tea is just a dollar more, coffee is two.  Alcoholic drinks are BYOB, no corkage.

Is Turkuaz 'authentic' as some reviewers claim?  Having eaten Turkish and Mediterranean food at many restaurants, in many cities, I'm not convinced.  Actually, it tastes distinctly Americanized to me.  The lentil soup has more garlic in it; the entrees have more cheese; the spices definitely add flavor, but are far more subdued than they might be.  Still, this is definitely not a knock on the restaurant.  The owners are simply steering their flavor profile toward the palette of their customer base.

So, so great.  They give my crazy dog treats, feed me cupcakes and give me discounts.  I'm not sure what more there is to want from life.  Or a copy shop.

The waitress we had here must have been one of the most startlingly beautiful women I've ever seen.  I can't begin to guess what she's doing waitressing; I hope the tips are as good as what she could be making on a Parisian runway.  There was something thrilling and (almost) heartbreaking about having her take our orders; I felt a bit like I should take her by the wrist and march her into the Louvre, where she might be properly appreciated amidst the old masters'.

Funny enough, the girl was every inch like the restaurant, which is over-the-top Victorian era elegant, with achingly tall ceilings and a garish redworks chandelier.  One is struck at every moment by a sense of affected wealth and glamour that seems - perhaps a little odd, for a restaurant situated on the corner of Shattuck.

Well, and perhaps I should say something about the food.  It was fantastic.  I had the duck confit hash, which was wonderfully rich and flavorful.  I was also surprised by how delicate my brother's waffle was - they did the creamy sweet finish just right.  Really decent, for the price.

One thing I would say is that we arrived on a Sunday at about 11 a.m. and there were only two or three other parties in the place.  That meant that the service - while somewhat slow - wasn't harried, and the chef obviously had the time to get each dish right.  I'll reserve a "five star" until I've seen what they can do under pressure.

For now: go for brunch and stealing beauty.

Young, beautiful hipsters emigrated from Berlin four months ago to live the dream in the city of angels.

You can go here and :

--practice your German (rusty)
--get full on fantastic street food (try the paprika)
--get spicy (levels 1-4)
--get salty (try the fries with fried onions and mayo)
--crush on the gorgeous owners (spice level 5)

One (minor) gripe: I'd love if they got a liquor license so we could pair some tasty German brews with the currywurst.  Assuming that's pending.  BYOB?

Slickster, no-nonsense chicks with growly voices serving your coffee.

Half the price of Intelligentsia, arguably better beans.

Plugs, outside seating, newspapers.

Come.. escape the rich-bitch hipsters and their little dogs..