High Steaks: The Grill Room

A few weeks back, The Maven went to Portland for an all-day business meeting, and by noon, Ms. Preggo had already scarfed down a bagel and a croissant, and was thinking of going in for some fruit salad. Things were starting to look downright gluttonous when our hosts announced they'd be taking us to lunch.

There's nothing we like more than lunch in a foodie town. But when the destination is The Grill Room — a place we've been wanting to try since it opened — it's even better. The Maven is a big fan of Harding Lee Smith's other restaurants, The Corner Room and The Front Room, so this would make the triumvirate complete.

The Grill Room is a cozy, dark-wood, open-kitchen kind of place, and if you can get a seat near the action, you should — the kitchen staff here move like they're choreographed. 

The only downside is, the Grill Room is a steakhouse, and we like our steak so rare it almost walks off the plate — a no-no for mamas-to-be. So we conned a colleague into ordering a filet mignon sandwich for the vicarious pleasure and opted for the crab sandwich, instead.

Talk about a good choice — the crab was briny fresh and there was tons of it (by the look of it, an entire tubful), dressed simply with a squeeze of lemon and served on fresh focaccia with a schmear of remoulade. We're still dreaming of that sandwich. And the accompanying greens with champagne vinaigrette? Heavenly. There were baskets of fries for the table, and we're pretty sure Duckfat is the only other place in Portland that rivals their crispy deliciousness.

The warm ricotta appetizer was creamy and divine, and the Cobb salad topped with a fried egg looked phenomenal, but watching our friend eat the filet mignon sandwich put us over the edge. We can't wait to go back for dinner. After June. And we know exactly what to order: something that goes, "moo."

For more information, visit Harding Lee Smith's Web site.

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