Inflation Eats: Bar Noveau

I got good at hanging out with myself when I lived in New York.

In this context, I want to differentiate the phrase “spending time alone” from “hanging out with myself.” I think people often tend to associate alone time with being at home, whether that means binging on a tv series, reading books, working on self-care tasks, etc.

For me, that kind of alone time isn’t quite enough to fulfill me. A desire to see new things and experience change has fueled a lot of my choices in life, which started with solo international travel and camping in California where I grew up; by the time I moved to New York, that further manifested in “solo dates” or solo hangouts to museums, concerts, and general city sightseeing before I made friends there.

However, to this day, unless it’s been in a travel context, I rarely take myself out on solo dates to nice restaurants. This isn’t because I feel any embarrassment about eating alone, but it’s because of the price tag. Well, to be honest, I’ll admit that it’s a little awkward to eat alone at restaurants that are especially date night-worthy. The dark lighting, the candles, and the overall ambiance of a romantic restaurant makes me stick out a little more.

That being said, while I had initially interpreted Bar Noveau’s highly praised aesthetics as a white girl’s French fever dream, I didn’t realize that also meant romance—until I walked in at 8 p.m. on a Saturday night.

Bar Noveau is one of the most lauded and reviewed restaurants in Portland food media right now. It receives nonstop praise for its aforementioned aesthetics, along with its maximalist “French-ish” menu design by renowned local chef Grey Potter, a mostly female staff, and checks that arrive tucked into romance novels—people seem especially charmed by that last aspect.

Prior to visiting the restaurant, I peeked at the menu online and had a feeling that this was going to be a pricey spot. Apart from the hors d’oeuvres, most of the items ranged between $18-40. I figured that I would, at most, have one entrée and a glass of wine, or maybe even just a couple of small plates.

To my disappointment, after arriving, I soon learned that the date night ambiance also corresponded to its menu structure. Entrées only came in sizes meant for two people, and that two out of the four appetizers had already sold out by the time I arrived. One of those appetizers was primarily reserved for a chef’s tasting that was, again, a two-person experience that cost $65 a person.

I had to pivot a lot. I picked some herbed butter rolls ($9 for two pieces), a small plate ($18 for an ahi crudo), and a dessert ($15). Along with a glass of wine ($15), the total came out to $68.71 after a 20% service charge.

Despite my extremely limited options, the bread is really the only thing I found to be overpriced for what it was. Apart from this item, I recognized that Bar Noveau isn’t a restaurant where you rate the value based on the portions. It wasn’t quite fine dining, but things were plated with enough intention and artistry that the size wasn’t really a factor that made sense to take into account of the overall experience. The ahi crudo and dessert were both visually ornate.

However, that still didn’t stop me from crying a little bit on the inside at spending almost $70 on what was essentially bread, a glass of wine, an appetizer, and a dessert.

I could tell the server was trying to work with as much as she could though as we both recognized how little of the menu I could experience. I felt a similar empathy for patrons with a ton of dietary restrictions, both servers and diners struggling to find a middle ground with one another.

While I feel like the desire to return to The Paper Bridge to try the food family style, for some reason I just don’t feel as incentivized to return to Bar Noveau, whether that be in a date context or with a larger party. While the food was certainly delicious and the ambiance was charming, I don’t feel like it’s anything especially different from the dozens of other chef-driven restaurants serving thoughtfully plated foods on precious plate ware. And that isn’t a knock on Bar Noveau, but rather a recognition at just how easy it is to have a very nice and expensive elevated dinner experience in Portland—if that’s what you’re into, that is. We’re spoiled on choices within that style of dining.

But if you don’t have the salary to fund that kind of experience on a somewhat occasional basis then… we’ve got great burgers too.

Service: 5/5
Atmosphere: 3/5
Value: 2/5 (-3 for the portions discrepancy)
Food: 3.5/5