I went to this place two years ago and they had their game on. Good service, happy hour, food, music, seating.
However, I went there on a Friday night, two weeks ago, and the service was pretty bad. First, the hostess decided to sit my husband and I (dinner for two) in the bar at the corner couches. So eating pasta bent over a little mini table? What was she thinking? So I had her move us - so then she took us way in the back near the TV and hall to the restrooms. The lighting was bad, table too big and I felt like I was in a closet. Every other small table was "reserved". Â
For the service. Â It took about 10 minutes to get our server to come to our table, our first round of drinks came another 10 minutes later. Our server took our appetizer order and never returned for our dinner order, so we had to flag her down.
The food - was just average and expensive for what we had. I can make better ravioli sauce than they can. And where was the offer of free bread or a salad to go with my $15.00 entree. To us, this was B.S.
As well, the manager walked passed us a few times and she only smiled. Never checked on us. Of course the food was another 15 minutes. We were done, and couldn't leave any faster. Â
We tipped her only $3 on a $50. I know that's mean, but the place deserved to know the service was bad!
Will I go there again? Â NO. Maybe for happy hour for the mussels! The music is ok. The atmosphere is elegant, but the service in NO way, matches the character of what they are offering!
Alright...we have had enough! The last 4 or 5 times we have been here we have been treated very poorly. Each time we have arrived early and walk in and see every table in the place with a "Reserved" sign on them, then no one sits shows up until 7 or 7:30! Come on!!!! We have been going there for quite some time and the owner acts like she is doing you a favor by even saying "Hi". The staff is not friendly either. When we walked in last night their was only 2 people inside and the hostess said everything was reserved...it was 5 pm and I said really??? She said ya, well she could put us at the end of the bar because they were not supposed to show up until  7:15!  Good lord....we are done with this place and WILL NOT recommend it to anyone anymore.....
Review Source:I enjoyed it here. Â A nice place in the middle of Milwaukie---hidden away, it's easy to drive right by it. Â Had no real expectations other than trying a new place nearby my work event.
Had a couple of apps (Anti Pasti Plate and Fondue) and wine with my brother.
Got there before music started and sat at the bar, it was delightful.
I would recommend. Â Appetizers were a little pricey. Â Service a little scattered, but friendly. Â They have a lot of different rooms, places to be seated.
The music was quality. Â People crowded in near the performers.
I really want to like this place, I really do. I would love to find a good wine bar in this area, but sadly, this wasn't it either. I have been back 4 times now (see, I really want to like it) but the service (or lack there-of) has been terrible every time. Last time we tried, we had asked the hostess when she seated us what the wine tasting was that they had advertised and she said she didn't know (guess it wasn't important enough to let you staff know about) but she said she would find out and let us know... well, we never saw here again. Then we sat there for over 10 minutes before someone finally came over to help us.
I ordered a cup of soup and the fondue and my husband ordered the raviolis, after what seemed like forever, they brought out my soup and his ravoilis and then 10 minutes later, my fondue finally made it out. Guess it takes 1/2 hour to heat up cheese. The food is okay but pretty pricey, my husbands raviolis were $10 and there were 4 of them, it didn't even come with a salad or anything else. The funny thing, I think, is they have a cheese and meat plate as an appetizer and it says right on it, "no sharing". Really? Its an appetizer and $11 at that. Â
The wine selection isn't too bad, but the service leaves much to be desired. The owner was even there and wandering through the restaurant, but she never once stopped at our table, just sat and chatted with what must be regulars or her friends. In all the times that we have been there, she has never said a word to us. I understand its important to keep the regulars happy, but if you aren't making new customers, where is the business going to go?
My new favorite cocktail place. Â I know its a wine bar and they do have great wine. Â I'm a cocktail girl though and very picky. Â Their spicy mango martini is to die for. Â I only get it sometimes, however, because I can rarely pass up the blueberry cosmo (it's true, sometimes I get both). Â My husband and I sneak in for a quick "mini" date on the way home from work sometimes and still make it home for dinner with the kids. Â When we do get a chance to have a full date night, the music has always been outstanding.
Review Source:OK Arrivederci, now that you have your makeup on, let's work on the part of you that matters; your heart and soul. Â (i.e. food/drink and service)
Most everyone can agree that Arrivederci's ambiance is charming, intimate and interesting. Â I particularly like the view of the Dolphin Strip Club across the street. Â It is stark reminder that you are in fact in gritty, strip-mall suburbia.
Our party of about 12 was there for a birthday party, so of course we had a reservation.  Naturally, you would think that the restaurant would be prepared for us and for the usual business that comes with a Saturday night.  NOPE.  They ran out of meat sauce so certain menu items were not available.  They ran out of ingredients for one of their most popular cocktails.  Some of us waited 45 minutes just for just an appetizer and then FOREVER for the entrée.
The food once it arrived, was OK.  I would just like to mention that if I ask for no onion and bell peppers in my entrée don't you think it would follow that I would want to have no onion and peppers in my salad?  Just sayin'...
Our table was right in front of the house band. Â Every once in a while, they would play something beautiful and instrumental and the owner who plays the sax would join in and that was pretty cool.
Let's just add insult to injury. Â After excruciatingly slow service, running out of menu items, let's just tack on $5.00 cover charge per person to the bill. Â According to the website, the cover starts at 7:30 PM. Â Our reservation was at 6:30 PM. Â LAME.
Aptly named: Â Arrivederci.
Food was mediocre at best, Wasn't told we would be charged a cover charge even though we were seated for dinner 1/2 hour before the so so music started. Men's restroom looked as though it hadn't been cleaned in days, makes me wonder what the kitchen looks like. $10. for a raviolli entree, sauce was fairly good but the raviollis were definetly cooked from frozen. They came in a small bowl with no bread, salad or soup. Won't return..
Review Source:Oh dear god. Â Don't be misled by the other reviews. Â I heartily and freely admit that I am a complete food/wine snob, and if you are, too, then stay the hell away from this place. Â
I really should've known by the giant replica Statue of Liberty in the parking lot, or the RV dealer next door. Â
Essentially, this is a slightly more kitschy Olive Garden - sort of if the OG and Cost Plus or Pier One had a horrible lovechild - full of plump suburbanites. Â The "jazz" is a couple musicians in one corner, essentially inaudible to 75% of the restaurant (combination of poor sound system and general din of the restaurant patrons). Â I can't comment on whether they were talented/good because I couldn't hear that they were playing.... and I was about 30 feet away. Â
I ate a very edible antipasto plate (this seemed like a safe bet -- how hard can it be to turn olives, cheese, and other pickled/smoked things onto a plate) and counted the minutes until it was polite to leave after meeting some people for a drink. Â The wine selection was fine... but in the Pacific Northwest, the wine selection almost everywhere is fine. Same with the salad my friend consumed -- fresh, tasty, same salad you get everywhere (chevre, nuts, strawberries, etc.). Â The rest of the menu seemed like the same forgettable "italian" fare churned out by a hundred other places.
If you like the safe, "homogenized chain" feeling you get from suburban restaurants, this place is going to be right up your alley. Â And, for the rest of us, for good Italian go visit Built to Grill (regrettably just a food cart), for good Jazz go to Jimmy Mac's, and for good wine go damn near anywhere in Portland.
One of Greater Portland's semi secrets, it's now more commonly referred to as the Arrivederci Wine and Jazz Bar. Open only four days a week (Wednesday through Saturday), evenings only, the "Derci" has some of the best jazz musicians in the Pacific Northwest performing regularly, every night. Add to that the excellent Italian cuisine, the friendliest owners and wait staff you could find anywhere, and you have a real winner. I've been a regular customer for about two years now. It's my home away from home, and there are many other devoted regulars. Reasonable prices, and naturally a large selection of good wines in addition to a regular full bar and taps.
Review Source:The Arrivederci is the place to be!! Great food,ambiance,friendly staff,and the best live music in Portland!! Go to <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2FArrivederciwine.com&s=74250b95b57f481fcfaf248d39ae3e127f3523379615c7df6aed8e1a81629b96" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://Arrivederciwine.c…</a>,and sign on their e-mail list. It is a restaurant and night club unparallelled by any other. so get your butt down to the Derci,you won't be sorry,that I can guarantee!!!......One more thing,prices are very reasonable!!!!!!!1  Sincerely,Debbie
Review Source:Some friends of ours went to school with  Barbara Lush who was performing last night at Arriverderci's and they invited us along to listen and have dinner.  I was looking forward the music and some wine, but did not have any expectations that the food would be any more then average.  What a very pleasant surprise!!!  The food was very much above average, hot and flavorful.  We started with the Cheese fondue and Bruchetta and both were generous for 4 people to enjoy and the cheese in the fondue was had a nice smokey flavor to it.  I had the  Grilled Chicken Penne and it was a very nicely spiced dish had good fresh Roma tomatoes and chunks of grilled chicken.   They had a wine special called "Random Reds"  for $15.00 to move some low selling bottles.  I don't normally get a bottle of wine since my husband and friends are not really wine drinkers, but at $15.00 it was too good to pass up.  Server advised that tonight they were featuring pinot noir and Merlot reds and I went for the Merlot.  It was a 2003 from St Joseph's in Canby and after letting it breath for a few minutes it was thoroughly enjoyed by my friend and I.   I see in some reviews below they talk about slow service.  This was true last night, but the server did advise us and apologize about it.  But since we were here more to listen to Barbara we did not mind the wait.  It is  almost unfortunate that this  fine gem of a bar/music venue/dinner spot is in what can only be described as it's "blink-and-you'd-miss-it" location on SE McLoughlin Blvd in Milwaukie.  But it is well worth the venture out when you are looking for a nice night out of entertainment, good food and fine wine ( and full bar).
Review Source:We were introduced to Arrivederci's or "Derci's" in 2007, it has become my favorite place to relax and enjoy the music! Â It doesn't catch the eye from the street, it is on the right side of the street when you are heading south.
I am pretty sure that a couple of the bar stools should have my name on them, as I have probably spent enough to buy several. Â If you enjoy people who share a good time then this place is great! Â Steve, Katie and Derek do a great job of making it feel like it is a very crowded living room.
I have enjoyed so much live music there that I am spoiled, but some great artists come through and play.
The wine is good, the beer is good, I don't order the mixed drinks cause I prefer a bottle of red thank you.
I have tried most of what is on the menu and it is all good and fairly priced. Â Again if you are looking for a white table cloth and stuffy atmosphere this ain't it. Â If you are looking for a friendly, fun, comfortable place to relax and let the music feed your soul, then this is a great place to be.
Been there once - with high hopes after reading some of the reviews. Â Even though it's reservations only, they were kind enough to find us a seat right away. Â Off to a good start. Â Went quickly flat line after that. Â We were offered bread... which never came. Â The menu was uninspiring - nothing really stood out. Â The salad we got was average - nothing to write home about. Â The entrees were equally mundane. Â To be fair, it wasn't bad, it just wasn't great - certainly not worth 5 stars! Â And the fact that they charge a la cart for EVERYTHING was a real buzzkill. Â But, the live jazz is very cool. Â Might be a better venue for drinks and apps.
Review Source:I live in a 5-mile wide bubble in Portland. Â My office, in Milwaukie, is about as far south as I can go without having a panic attack. Â But late on a Friday afternoon, when the work peeps want to go have a drink, why the heck not? Â I like trying new things. Â And my insular tendencies aren't really doing me any favors. Â
The gals picked Arrivederci, on McLoughlin, in an easy-to-miss small strip in front of the famous mini-Statue of Liberty, across the street from The Dolphin (holler). Â After several disastrous attempts at navigating through some neighborhoods after I'd missed the turn-in to the parking lot, I finally made it and posted up with the gals at a nice, big window table near the bar. Â
This place was a total crack-up. Â The family owns all three retail spots on the strip: a travel agency, a salon, and this bar. Â All staff, including who we dubbed the "bar baby" (really... an actual infant) freely waltzed between the three as if there were no distinguished spaces at all. Â Cocktail menu was a small selection of hussy drinks (read: fruity, sugared rims), the wine seemed varied enough for most tastes, and while they list a full section of bourbons on the menu, the waitress had a really hard time understanding my order, which was "Bulleit on the rocks". Â
"Ummm, I don't think we have that," she said. Â "Ummm, yes you do, it's right here on the menu." Â "Well, how do you make it?" Â Dumbfounded, I said, "Bulleit. Â Over ice. Â In a glass." Â I was tempted to end that sentence with, "Capeche?" but decided that would have been only funny to me. Â (Thus began an evening of me wanting to use the 4-5 words I know in Italian at inappropriate times.) Â My pour was so tiny, I decided to switch it up to Manhattans for the rest of the evening. Â Those were excellent, albeit on the small side, but that was probably my only saving grace from having to sleep in my car. Â
I was surprised at how good our snacks were. Â The cheese fondue was excellent. Â Fondue is a delicate thing, and this was definitely done right and served piping hot with bread chunks and grilled sausage slices. Â Our two bruschettas were also excellent- one was a mixed mushroom and another a classic tomato. Â Definitely better than average. Â
The place itself is huge, which you cannot tell at all from outside. Â Every nook and cranny is filled with wine-themed decorations and "stuff", from shirts to linens to corkscrews, etc. Â Bottles for sale all seemed reasonably priced. Â They're set up for live music every night, and we enjoyed a couple of acts, including one of the owners on saxophone! Â It is clear they've got money from the other businesses and this bar is for their own personal enjoyment. Â That would be awesome, I must admit. Â People watching here was highly entertaining... if you live in the area, this is definitely a hot spot. Â
By the end of the night, six hours later (seriously, how did we not get kicked out of there?), we'd met every staff member/the entire family, and were basically their Favorite Table Of All Time. Â The median age of clientele at this place is about 79, so we were probably the youngest group ever to hang out there. Â I'll be back for the fondue, but I'll stay for the entertainment... intentional or not.
Sex And The City - Milwaukie Style!!
Well, perhaps it was just four coworkers looking for something fun to do on a Friday night. Our first priority was to find someplace close to our office. Check. Alcohol? Check. Food? Check. Entertainment? Check. Easy parking? Check. Statue of Liberty in the parking lot? Â Check.
The four of us (plus James Bond...don't ask) arrived at Arrivederci at 5pm on Friday evening. We enjoyed some tasty appetizers of: Spinach-Artichoke Dip, Cheese Fondue, and Wild Mushroom & Chevre Brushetta (in hind sight, I can see now, that if we had enjoyed more of the appetizers, perhaps Cardboard James Bond AKA "CJB" would have stayed in the trunk). Next time...
The wine list is heavy on reds, and has a nice range of moderately-priced bottles from a variety of regions.
During the course of our 6 hour stay at Arrivederci, we were entertained by a pianist and then by Tall Jazz.. Both added to the festive ambiance. We also appreciated the owners' presence. Â It is clear that they care about their customers.
I think it is safe to say that the four of us will find our way back to Arrivederci (but I am not so sure about CJB). Â It is a little oasis in a sea of sketchy dive bars and strip clubs. Â If you are in the area and looking for a reprieve, I recommend you stop in. Â Look for the gals in the corner...if you see James Bond, you'll know it's us!
I am such a fan, I want to make this a weekly stop off!
The decor is fabulous, with lots of earth tones and little hints of Italian influences. The bar seats a bajillion (or so it seems) and the staff was just wonderful. The menu is pretty extensive with many choices in appetizers, salads, pastas, pizzas, and even desert. I thought their prices were very reasonable with most items coming in under $10.
Since this is a wine shop as well, they have a large selection of wines to choose from - either by the bottle or by the glass. My group settled on a really exquisite bottle of Reisling, served at the bar in a chilled bucket. And the price of $21 was spot on. We also shared a pizza and a salad, both of which were just as exquisite.
Apparently they are only open Wednesday - Saturday with live music on all but Wednesday evenings. The night we went there was a two piece jazz ensemble (do you call it an ensemble when it's just two? or would you call it a duo???). These two were later joined by a saxaphonist that might have been owner Steve and on a few songs were even joined by a vocalist who reminded me an awful lot of Michael Buble.
When they brought the bill out tacked to a tiny board covered in corks, we had a little chuckle over the originality of the presentation.
Great wine, great music and great people. Â This is a little known hotspot in, of all places, Milwaukie. Â Steve and Katy Hanneman, along with son, Derek have brought a little "Pearl-essence" into our suburban community. Â Live music with all the local hot talent in Portland, this place can get hopping on a Friday or Saturday night. Â Don't be surprised if you even see owner Steve break out his saxophone and play along.
The menu is not extensive, but it doesn't need to be. Â With gourmet type thin crust pizzas, all with fresh toppings, great salads, antipasto plates and delicious hot out-of-the-oven rosemary bread for dipping, it's all you need to pare with your favorite wine. Â I guarantee they have what you like.
When you stop by, be sure to ask to sign up on their email list. Â Katy sends out monthly calendars of the entertainment line-up and invites you to special tastings or other events.
My only reservation in posting this review is that too many folks might find out about my favorite evening spot and I might have trouble getting a table. Â So, if you don't mind, will you please move over and squeeze one more in at your table?
Oh, and I should also mention that since this is Milwaukie, don't hit this place too late and expect it to still be rocking. Â They usually wind down by 11pm. Â It's easy to miss when you're driving by. Â It's in a orange/brown building with Nassau West Salon and travel agency (which the Hanneman's also own). Â If that doesn't do it for you, it's right across from the Dolphin (the strip club).
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