My problems with the place date back to when I lived a couple blocks away, and could never catch a fucking break with the staff. If it wasn't your average rank and file server being unable to do the basics of their jobs, it was that woman who owned it saying, "seat them in the alley," loud enough that I could hear it. Lady this is Portland: sometimes people go straight from a hike to a fine dining experience, and should reasonably expect to not get shit on for it.

Add on inconsistent (to put it very politely) quality of food, and you have a place no one should bother patronizing, because come the fuck on.

Ate here recently and found it to be okay, but noticed some of the oddities mentioned in this article. A strange little place that seems like it should give you something much better than what it delivers.

Slide inn is one of my favorite new restaurants in Portland. I had gone to il piatto several times in the past, and, regrettably didn't like it a whole lot. When the restaurant took a new direction I gave it another shot. I AM SO GLAD I DID. I don't know why Chris failed to see the restaurant in a new light, but going in as an unbiased customer I very much enjoyed everything my table ordered. The restaurant looks entirely different too, in a cute and kitschy 70's way. I have gone back a few times since they opened, so I am pretty shocked to see such a negative response. I love the slide inn and have seen vast improvements in service, variety, and health conscious options

Cream in a carbonara is a deal-breaker for me. Not just for the dish, but for the restaurant that dared serve it that way. Thank you Chris for making this point.

i wish Eugene would comment on this article

um can someone give "Rich Bachelor" a xanax or something? Talk about holding a grudge...

In response to this, yes we're all fully aware this is portland and people have no sense of style (unless you consider birkenstocks and hiking attire 'good style,' which apparently you do based on your extreme offense to being "shit on" by the owner)..but did you ever think that maybe- just maybe, you got seated in this supposed "alley" also known as outdoor seating (there is no alley on this street for the record) and ALSO happened to be dressed badly at the time of the offense? Totally a crazy concept, I know- but just a thought.

relax "Rich Bachelor," this is portland ;)

how much do you want to bet all of the positive comments are from the owners? the last one especially sounds like commercial dialogue. I have eaten there, twice, and have found it to be over priced and mediocre food. If i want freezer burn I will save my money and dig out the oldies from my own kitchen...

The positive comments here read like an advertisement; they are undoubtedly posted by the owners as damage control.

@Marielle, if you are still listening:

With all due respect, I would say the Italian-language Wikipedia entry for Pasta alla Carbonara trumps epicurious.com for authenticity of definition:

http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasta_alla_carbonara

Let Google Translate do the work for you. Suffice it to say that cream is relegated to a variant recipe (with an inference that the result is inferior).

BTW: not shilling here, but Tasty n Sons does a fantastic, creamless, version.

Agree with Jake and Ophelia, please continue with the honestly Mr Onstad

rachel: hey there, employee of the month.

I didn't show up in Birkenstocks, because I don't own any. But good job insulting Portlander's style, fool. That'll get folks likin' ya'.

Mmm, I'm pretty sure I get to be mad at someone who decided to be a dick to me for no good reason. Whether or not there is "an alley," which seems important to you, is of no real concern to me, but apparently the boss lady thinks there's one, or she wouldn't have suggested so loudly that my date and I be seated there.

Aaand you don't really know if I was dressed "badly," either. I didn't look like a transient, I didn't act like someone who had no idea how to behave in a restaurant with pretensions toward being a fine-dining establishment, I wasn't abusive; nonetheless, I was treated badly by someone who ran a place with erratic service and generally awful food. I've never hesitated to tell people who considered going there those exact things.

That, and my friend who was fired from there for refusing to serve shrimp that was clearly past its prime.

I used to work at Il Piatto and can attest that Lenore and Eugene are very nice, typical small restaurant owners, i.e. crazy can't-see-past-their-own-vision-nose micro-managing, lovely people. Il Piatto went terminally downhill a long time ago. The food had about a stick of butter in each dish - that's both why it tasted delicious (back when it tasted delicious, before it got truly awful) and also why I spent the end of each dinner there in their bathroom trying not to throw up.
It appears that the same basic approach is governing The Slide Inn. I live a few blocks away and would love to go there with my family, but I know better. I know the food will be overpriced, the service lackluster, and the actual taste of the food mediocre.
We have so many options now, Portland, in this neighborhood. You can go to Ken's, or Bamboo Sushi, or Screen Door, or Luce, or Tabla....there is no reason to go to The Slide Inn. I truly wish that something great would be in that space. Until then, I wish Lenore and Eugene all the best, and hope that they consider renting out the space to another promising chef and just focus on collecting the rent.