Review of Portofino Italian Restaurant in Wyandotte, MI
About.com Rating
Portofino Italian Restaurant provides diners with a beautiful view and an airy dining space. While its menu and ambiance is more boathouse restaurant than Italian eatery, it has enough Italian cuisine to satisfy a craving for pasta or traditional chicken and veal dishes. While the service for lunch could use some attention, the dining experience at Portofino was overall a nice one.
Atmosphere
Portofino Italian Restaurant is located along the riverfront in downtown Wyandotte.
While neither its outside patio nor glass-enclosed River Room was open for lunch, the restaurant itself has an arc of windows and two-tiered dining area that gives most seats a nice view of the Detroit River, as well as a nearby dock.
Despite the name of the restaurant, the restaurant's main dining room is not particularly Italian in decoration. In fact, it is filled with murals of boats and pastel-colored booths, as well as light-wood section dividers and tables. While this makes for a nice, if not particularly memorable atmosphere, the room's high ceilings and consequently loud acoustics help to make the restaurant more appropriate to a boating crowd rather than a couple looking for a romantic Italian dinner.
The basket of bread that was served to the table, however, almost ruined our appetite for lunch as it was filled with soft, warm, buttery, home-made bread.
The Chicken Marsala came with a starch and roasted vegetables. The roasted vegetables included squash and carrots and were nicely roasted, soft without being mushy and very tasty. That being said, the Rice Pilaf was a little over cooked and somewhat mushy. The chicken itself was served in three smallish medallions. While the portion seemed small, especially for the price, the sauce was delicious. The basil could be discerned in the brown sauce and was a nice touch, although more mushrooms would have been appreciated.
Portofino Italian Restaurant provides diners with a beautiful view and an airy dining space. While its menu and ambiance is more boathouse restaurant than Italian eatery, it has enough Italian cuisine to satisfy a craving for pasta or traditional chicken and veal dishes. While the service for lunch could use some attention, the dining experience at Portofino was overall a nice one.
Atmosphere
Portofino Italian Restaurant is located along the riverfront in downtown Wyandotte.
While neither its outside patio nor glass-enclosed River Room was open for lunch, the restaurant itself has an arc of windows and two-tiered dining area that gives most seats a nice view of the Detroit River, as well as a nearby dock.
Despite the name of the restaurant, the restaurant's main dining room is not particularly Italian in decoration. In fact, it is filled with murals of boats and pastel-colored booths, as well as light-wood section dividers and tables. While this makes for a nice, if not particularly memorable atmosphere, the room's high ceilings and consequently loud acoustics help to make the restaurant more appropriate to a boating crowd rather than a couple looking for a romantic Italian dinner.
Menu
While there are several Italian dishes – pastas, traditional chicken and veal dishes – the menu includes several other categories of fare, including seafood and steak dishes. The entrees range in price form $14.95 to $29.95, with most entrees in the $16 to $18 range. While not particularly Italian in theme, the menu includes several sandwiches, including a club sandwich, burger and perch sandwich.Food
The side salad was served on a shallow plate with fresh greens and a balsamic vinaigrette and proved a nicely sized appetizer.The basket of bread that was served to the table, however, almost ruined our appetite for lunch as it was filled with soft, warm, buttery, home-made bread.
The Chicken Marsala came with a starch and roasted vegetables. The roasted vegetables included squash and carrots and were nicely roasted, soft without being mushy and very tasty. That being said, the Rice Pilaf was a little over cooked and somewhat mushy. The chicken itself was served in three smallish medallions. While the portion seemed small, especially for the price, the sauce was delicious. The basil could be discerned in the brown sauce and was a nice touch, although more mushrooms would have been appreciated.
Service
The restaurant lost a star on service. While it had a decent crowd for lunch, the restaurant was hardly at capacity. In fact, there were several waiters standing around. Even so, it took a while to receive menus and water. We were also sat at a questionable table given that there were so many available. Instead of a table close to the wall of windows, we were sat in the upper tier of the dining area and wedged next to a large party that seriously encroached on our space. When we eventually asked for another seat, it was apparently quite an inconvenience and required two waitresses and a hostess to work out the logistics. Once we were situated, however, are waitress was prompt and friendly.Descriptions
- Main dining room is to back of restaurant past a long bar
- Beautiful riverfront view
- Large brick dining patio with entertainment on summer evenings
- Portofino's double-deck ship Friendship hosts several themed Detroit River cruises, including moonlight, fireworks, Jimmy Buffet, Motown, etc.
- Glass-enclosed dining deck (OKA River Room) by Friendship dock
- Large parking lot
- Large children's menu for dinner
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