Hugo’s: That time we walked out of a restaurant in Portland…

Initially, Hugo’s had my interest piqued at ‘blind tasting,’ a farm to table concept, a James Beard pedigree, and recommendations from some palates that I more than trust.  Basically, everything I could hope for in a night out.  Unfortunately, after our arrival, the meal quickly and irrevocably went downhill.

So, what does it take for me to leave a restaurant?  Like, actually get up an walk out?

Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I left a restaurant before the meal was finished.  Especially during a tasting menu.  So, what does it take and how bad is it that I can easily convince the entire party to do follow suit?  Let’s get into it, shall we…

• Not clean tables.  Upon sitting down, we realized that our places at the table were rather sticky.  Like, distracting and to the point that our glasses had to be wedged off the table every time we picked them up.  When Hubs politely pointed this fact out, it was explained that the varnish on the table needed to be redone (and the implication was this was somehow his fault…).  The space in front of Hubs was wiped down, but the rest of the table was left still sticky.  Nope.
• Timing/pacing.  Much like our visit to Core by Clare Smyth (review posting soon), although in the complete opposite direction, our meal at Hugo’s had significant pacing problems.  In this, after happily placing an order to try the tasting menu, it was 40 minutes before we received the first course, and 90 minutes before the second course.  We were closing in on almost 2 hours when the third course finally arrived and we decided enough was enough.  I was hungry.  Worst of all?  The four top DIRECTLY next to us was clearly also enjoying the tasting menu and seemed to zip straight through the courses.  The two top at the bar that arrived after us?  Yes, they were about to pass us.
• A lack of training.  On a Saturday night in peak summer season in Portland, I expected a well-run restaurant and a memorable night out.  Instead, we had complete and total awkwardness.  In nearly every conversation, something went wrong.  Empty glasses and dishes were left on the table.  A minor discussion would be, my sister’s empty glass was collected, that was it.  Not a “did you enjoy it?” or a “would you like another?” Thus, she was left without a drink for twenty minutes.  It’s not just a money-making opportunity for the restaurant; it’s the idea of taking good care of guests.  We also are still waiting to find out just who ‘Ben’ is.
• Inflexibility.  As is usual, the tasting menu is ordered for the entire table.  No problems there.  Hubs and I wanted to do the wine pairing.  Our waiter had to check if the request could be granted.  It couldn’t.  Honestly, I don’t know why a restaurant would turn down a $75 per person request.  Especially if we had been a two top, which I assume would’ve gone over just fine.
• Not pouring at the table.  It’s a pet peeve of mine, but my sister’s glass of prosecco came to the table in a strange glass (albeit with a generous portion).  We didn’t see the bottle.
• Strange pouring.  Our Sauvignon Blanc was shown at the table (yay!) and then set on a ledge next to the table.  We were informed it was currently a bit too cold, and thus needed to be brought to temperature.  I get that, but why just leave it on the ledge behind me?  Why not follow up with a…I don’t know…bucket, or really any device made to keep wine.  We poured the remainder of the bottle, as no one ever came to see that we were enjoying the wine or its temperature.
• A lack of follow up from management.  See below.  Without a chance to provide additional feedback, as a customer, I’ve now completely lost interest in this venue.

Some good things came out of this:

• A professional manager.  When we did finally give feedback, it was handled in stride.  The meal was comped (not what we were after, but the correct decision), and we were promised a follow up a few days later (this happened on Saturday night and as of now, neither my sister nor I have heard anything).  She offered to personally supervise the rest of our meal, but at that point, I had no confidence that our meal would be finished in any normal amount of time.  We thanked her for her offer, tipped the wait staff, and left to go get some pizza (mashed potato pizza, which was heavenly).
• The food.  While the first dish was lacking salt, I loved the soup and the toro (pictured) was quite nice.  Such a shame that we’ll never get to try the rest of the menu.  Altogether, the food was not enough to keep us in the restaurant.

Would I go back to Hugo’s?  No, not at this time.

Who is Hugo’s best for?  Those who want to dine at the bar, or can’t get into Eventide next door (which is awesome, BTW).  If you’re looking for drinks, head down to Portland Hunt + Alpine Club.

Have you walked out of a restaurant?  What prompted you to do so?  What would you have done in this situation?