I really enjoy Portalis as a cozy, classy alternative to the usual suspects up and down Ballard Ave. Â It's not all that often I'm in the mood for a glass of wine when I'm out and about, but when I am, Portalis always comes through with a varied selection of regional, domestic, and imported wines by the glass.
I've never partaken of the modest but varied menu, and I've only ever bought wine by the bottle after being duly impressed by one of the tasting pours and trying to secure a few of the remaining bottles. Â But the service has always been friendly and knowledgeable - it seems that many of the staff currently work, or have previously worked, at other tasting rooms around the area so they're very familiar with regional wines, winemakers, and appellations.
It seems that the most likely time you'll find me there is when I'm waiting for my name to come up at Rudy's, but every time I'm in I remind myself to find a different occasion to visit.
We attended a wine tasting and decided to stay for dinner. We started with the charcuterie plate. The pâté is exceptional...and my wife doesn't like pâté. I had the game hen and she had the scallops. Neither of us was willing to share. Interesting wines, reasonably priced. We will become regulars!
Review Source:Truly a hidden gem in Ballard. Â I stopped by after leaving Shilshole Bay Marina to burn some time until the traffic on I-5 died down. Â The service was outstanding and the wine selection is excellent. Â The staff was very attentive and a super friendly. Â Rhiannon and JJ obviously enjoy their job and it makes the whole experience that much more pleasant.
Review Source:I had the best 30th birthday party here, so I had to leave a review! In addition to having a great selection of wine (My best friend was thrilled to find one bottle from an obscure vineyard in Argentina that she had visited), Portalis has a beautiful little space in the back for private parties. Everyone remarked how lovely it was. Gina made us feel very welcome and taken care of, and she's great for suggestions of wines. A few of us split bottles all night and chose a different country for each round. What fun! I really couldn't think of a better spot to celebrate with some good friends. The only reason I'm not giving the place five stars is because the food selection is somewhat limited. *Other things to note about that space... The room holds about 20 people, and there is a $500 minimum.
Review Source:I love Portalis so much I probably shouldn't be allowed to write a review.
This is the kind of place that when I hear others mention having recently discovered it, a certain smugness seeps into my demeanor, as I nod knowingly... Â for this has been one of my top favorites in town for over 7 years - and a lot of great freakin' restaurants have opened in this town during that time. In fact..... wait.... doh.... ANOTHER ONE just opened while you were reading this!
Portalis is that kind of place - the kind of place that inspires proprietary emotions; the kind of place you want to keep a little bit  secret (he says as he writes a Yelp review...) for fear of having it overrun by yahoos. Then again, yahoos would hate the place....
But I've never had a bad meal here. Meal? Yes, meal. Yes, it's a wine shop - one of the best - but they have a dinner menu that is laser-focused on "just enough" items done, how you say, "perfectly."
Jens and his staff know what they are doing and, as others have written here, it's a perfect respite in a hectic neighborhood.
I'll see you there.
Cheers.
PS - the categories below don't lend themselves to the nuances and base notes of which Portalis is composed. They don't have a "full bar," but they do offer an excellent selection of scotch, whiskey, bourbon.
One of my favorite secret spots in Paris is a wine shop. Â The particular wine shop I am thinking of is tiny and serves a multi-course meal, and epic food pours out of a pint sized kitchen. Â Here, one dish is better than the last. Â It goes without saying the wine they pour is excellent.
Portalis on Ballard Avenue is a Seattle wine shop, and while we have only ever come here for drinks, and not for food, it feels to us like another secret spot all the same.
A handful of tables at the front of the shop, dimly lit with flickering candles, and behind that a full bar with stools sits alongside a wine shop with stacked bottles in wine  cellar formation. Â
Portalis is a good quiet spot to grab a glass of wine before dinner, or a Jameson or port after dinner. Â Its melllow, unassuming, casual, wine forward. Â It happens to be far more low-key than some of the hyper, fun, loud activity on Ballard Avenue, making it a nice (sshhh!) spot for couples or friends hoping for a conversation & ambiance. Â A little secret spot worth sharing.
Great meet-up place for after work, just a low key place to chill with some friends while people watching in a beautiful evening. Â Nothing uber trendy, just straight up very well-edited wines-by-the glass selection and some snacks to help wash down your wine.
Service was really mediocre in terms of friendliness and speed. Â He could have had a much bigger check if he hustled more - our glasses sat empty on 2 occasions - but he did know his stuff and introduced us to varietals we hadn't ever tried. Â That's no small feat, considering my wine-loving friends and me.
My wife and I stopped in for the first time for a couple glasses of wine. Upon entry, we were pleasantly invited by the aromas and cozy dark atmosphere. The wine shop, small seating area and bar with its intimate decorations were pleasing.
You may be wondering why the 2 stars, well, it did take a few minutes to be greeted, "No worries, it's Friday night," we think to ourselves. Great first glass of wine with an appropriate pour size. Once finished with the first glass it takes 15 minutes for the someone to first acknowledge our being finished. They hand us another wine menu. We immediately decide and set the menus aside. Another 5-10 minutes go by, we finally order our second glass and simultaneously request our check. Of course, we didn't expect the check too quickly since we had just gotten another glass. We were nearly done and asked again for our check, takes about 10 minutes and another server asks if we are done yet the other server had already taken our card 5 minutes ago and didn't remember he had. She takes care of it and hands us our check. We quickly sign and leave.
All in all, 2 glasses of wine, 2 hours later we leave. Hmm. We went in thinking we would/ hoping we would/ wanting to like this wine bar. Both of us were very disappointed and even more so sad to never return. We might give Portalis a second chance yet have very low expectations. They missed out on us spending the rest of the evening there and tipping 25% (first time in maybe 4-5 years I tipped less than 15% at a restaurant).
It's worth trying once and we hope your experience is better than ours was.
Really knowledgeable staff, very friendly and patient. People that are passionate about wine and enjoy their jobs. I love places that can teach me this much about wines outside the USA, which I don't know as much about. Also, I love having an intimate spot in the middle of the Ballard hubbub.
Review Source:I can't stop raving about my favorite wine store in Seattle - took my girlfriend's siblings there recently, and everything was just as awesomely tasty as always. Love how it stays nice and slow even on a Saturday night, don't know why the rest of Seattle hasn't discovered this place yet, but their loss is fine by me.
This time we had Dover sole and a baked pasta dish with sausage, that were perfectly light and heavy respectively. The Ontanon Rioja I picked out randomly was quite delicious - I love it when you can rely on the wine selection so completely. Great service, cool ambiance, always a win!
Atmosphere: This really is a wine shop that has morphed into a wine shop that serves food. Â The restaurant in front is small and intimate and takes up a fraction of the place. Â The surfaces are hard, so sound bounces all over the room. Â The music seemed more appropriate to a dance club and added to my challenges hearing my dinner companions. Â
Service: Our server seemed introverted and very uninterested in us. Â She showed up rarely and missed cues to offer another drink, bring seasoning, or provide us with a check. Â She seemed to be more intent at staring at the computer screen at the server station than checking with her customers. Â When asked to recommend a wine, she seemed both uninterested and unhelpful. Â When I asked if the clams could be made with olive oil instead of butter, she curtly said, "no" without an offer to check with the kitchen.
Food: There is a limited menu.  The concepts seemed good, but fell short on execution.  I ordered an arugula salad; there was only one on the menu.  I was provided a frisee salad without any explanation for the substitution.  The dressing was good.  The candied pecans were too sweet for my palate.  My entrée was lamb chops with root vegetables and glace.  The dish was very attractive.  However, the dish was under-seasoned.  Due to the disinterest in our server coming by to check on us and her apparent disappearance, I had to get up from my table and ask another server to bring me salt and pepper.  The glace was attractive, but thin, one dimensional, and under-seasoned.
I want to like Portalis, but it needs help. Â I think a more attentive, gregarious manager and barkeep would help a lot. Â The kitchen needs refinement. Â The dishes are trying to be better than they are and at this quality, overpriced.
This is my go-to spot when I am craving pate and a glass of wine. Â
The ambience goes well with a glass of whatever red wine one prefers (I'm usually a New World wine girl, but the staff is knowledgeable enough to offer directions when navigating the menu).
I dream of the pate. I know there are other places to get pate, but I'm really a fan of the atmosphere (twinkle lights, candles, exposed brick, dim lighting), and the fact that half the space is taken up by the wine shelves makes it quiet enough to carry on a conversation.
It seems to me the perfect place to begin or end a night of Ballard-hopping...start early and have an app, or finish here with a glass of deep red and find yourself again, after all the hullabaloo elsewhere.
I popped in here after dinner on a first date. The atmosphere is cozy, and I felt that even though we were pretty close to the next table, our conversation was private.
I was impressed by their selections of various wines and other types of alcohol. I ended up sipping on a white wine the server recommended (though I can't remember its name for the life of me!). It was good, though not my favorite. A little too citrusy for me. My date's wine was a smooth red that wasn't too heavy. I feel like it may have been better if we'd swapped. ;o)
I had read about Portalis oyster nights and wine nights, and decided when an old friend came to town and wanted to go to a good wine bar. We got great seating next the the street window late on a Friday night - definitely an older crowd - and opted for wine and dessert. We went with our servers dessert and wine recommendation and were not disappointed.
Medium bodied red paired with ricotta was SO delicious.
I really like that they have a store, events, happy hour - it has it all!
Definitely going back for one or all of the above!
Wine bars and wine people tend to make me feel stupid as I am not a wine connoisseur, but I definitely do love trying new wines and drinking lots of it! Â
I came to Portalis with my coworker (who I'd categorize as one of my "sophisticated friends" :)) and we got a cozy table for two right by one of the windows. Â My first impression of the space was that it was small. Â To the left and right of the doorway there are tables and seats, but not very many. Â To the far right is the bar area with bar seating and to the far left are the shelves and shelves of wine for purchase. Â
We first did a quick tasting of their featured Willamette wine, a white and red. Â As my coworker was taking her time breaking down the smells and ingredients, I had already chugged mine. Â Oops! Â Next we ordered our first glass (white for her, red for me) and the server did help me choose something yummy based on me saying, "I would like a red wine that's sweet and fruity!" Â She did a good job helping me. :)
We shared a tini-tiny mac 'n cheese (it was $5 off their HH menu) and also the prosciutto, Gruyère, onion tart, which was DELICIOUS! Â
I'd recommend this place to anyone who isn't in a rush to drink and dine and for people looking for a very intimate and quiet atmosphere. Â Going back soon, I hope!
Happy Hour on Tuesday's - which was $2 dollars off any glass of wine and any of the food items.
It was a very chilly walk from my parking spot to the Bar so when I got there the soup was calling my name. My friend and I both ordered the White Bean/Sausage/Spinach Soup which comes out a lot better than I even imagined.
We also shared a 4 cheese plate; which consisted of well... shocker 4 different cheeses and bread. I prefer a light cracker instead of the bread - but that is just the picky side of me talking.
Got a glass of Columbia Valley Cab Sav (which is typically not my fav)... but was good with the dinner.
One thing I enjoyed the most is that there was no music, and if there was I could not hear it. Which is NOT something I would usually say. It was nice just hearing the hum of other patrons banter and getting to talk to my dinner mate without having to strain to hear.
Bar is tastefully decorated with simple colorful bottles which are great against the natural wood and brick of the building.
Its a bit pricey for what it is.... but I would go back on Happy Hour.
Cheers to being a wino!
Stumbled upon Portalis after unsuccessful attempts to walk into The Walrus and the Carpenter (2h wait!) and Staple & Fancy (2.5h wait!!) without a reservation. Very pleasantly surprised.
Most wines were under $40/bottle and available by the glass for ~1/4 the bottle price. Having a lot of affordable options was nice.
Beers as well as scotches, bourbons, and other spirits available too.
All the food was really good. We ordered the following to share among 5 people:
-Charcuterie plate: olives, house pate, mustard, pickles, two types of cured meat, sliced baguette
-Cheese plate with 4 cheeses: sheep, goat, brie, blue, apple slices, almonds, candied cherries, sliced baguette. We ran out of baguette but got a free refill.
-Shepherd's pie
-Pan-seared trout with fingerling potatoes & chorizo
-Fettucine with chanterelle & crimini mushrooms: A bit greasy but I liked the large chunks of mushroom a lot.
-Tart with Brussels sprouts, gruyere, & pancetta: Seriously delicious. Looked more like a thin crust pizza than a tart.
-Chocolate pot de creme: Dark chocolate by the spoonful. Yummm.
-Port-poached pears with honey pine nut ice cream & a Florentine cookie
All that and a bottle of wine cost ~$30 per person after tax & tip, which I thought was very reasonable for what we got.
Low key atmosphere. Friendly servers.
I stopped by tonight after dining a few doors down on Ballard Ave. Â Portalis is a simple and low-key wine cafe that serves up a nice selection of affordable wine and spirits by the glass. Â I also like their equally extensive retail collection of wine. Â My partner-in-wine even walked away with a nice Malbec (the last bottle on the shelf)...can't wait to try it!
There is nothing fancy or froufrou about Portalis; just easy pours served in an easy-going atmosphere. Â
Highlights: Â The retail selection is very straight-up and not overwhelming. Â They also offer a weekly rotating menu and specials/HH several nights a week.
Lowlights: Â The overall vibe is a bit dull and lacking. Â Oh well, sometimes it's just all about the wine. Â :)
After an extremely overwhelming week i was dying for some relaxation and a nice drink. My friend and i ventured out to Ballard friday evening hoping to find a nice chill place to get a drink, we were pleasantly surprised.
Upon arriving at Portalis i realized we were at a wine bar, and wine i know nothing about. I explained this to him with an overwhelmed facial expression. The waiter patiently waited while i tried to figure out what to order, he offered suggestions and i ended up picking a nice white wine he recommended. After he gave us our drinks he came back with samples of other wines for me to try, explaining that he wanted to help me figure out what kind of wines i desires. This act is what won me over with Portalis. I was extremely impressed with his patience and help.
His name is Ross, maybe you will meet him next~
Also, the atmophere is really nice, and cozy, plus there this place is also a wine store so you can drink some wine and buy a bottle to take home!
Great laid back place to drink wine, eat cheese and people watch on Ballard Avenue. Portalis is mostly a wine shop, with a couple tables and a bar.
I came here with my Living Social coupon in hand, ready to get my happy hour on. Lucky for my friend and I, there is no corkage on wine on Wednesdays. So, $15 off bottles of wine. We had a yummy bottle of red for $22! Plus, all menu items are $2 off during happy hour.
Pretentious wine snobs are annoying to me, and I thought this might be the place where this breed of people work. Nope! Surfer dude recommended an awesome bottle of red, while cute/funky Seattle girl waited on the other table. Nice.
We had the tart with caramelized onion, asparagus & brie, a cheese plate (of course), and lamb chops. Ummm... we also had a baguette with some delicious olives. The tart was my favorite, it was pretty much a buttery pizza. Mmmmm....
Surfer dude was impressed that two girls were able to put down so much food. Hmmm... I get that a lot. Is that why my pants don't fit?
They got the reservation right and the other bartender/server on staff was much better than the one appointed to us...
I don't eat meat but I eat seafood (a recent change of heart), which isn't a problem when you live in Seattle but it's definitely a problem when you go to Portalis. I was stuck with water (forgot my ID), bread and butter for the night... although the bread and butter was great (I love baguettes).
Our she-server wasn't too enthusiastic, helpful nor friendly which was a bit disappointing since we were there for a birthday but can't have it all (?). The portions were a bit small but we were there, luckily, on a Thursday so my buddies were able to try the small dish menu and they were raving about the lasagna. It smelled wonderful. The birthday girl ordered the short rib and she was all smiles... probably had a lot to do with the mashed potatoes.
We also had a chocolate dessert. Forget the name but it had a creamy texture with whipped cream on top. Tasted like dark chocolate (slightly bitter offset by the sweet topping).
I hope to visit again to try some wines and maybe a new wait(er/ress), but I'll definitely be returning with a full stomach.
Stopped in on a Wed night after I found myself in Ballard for a meeting. Â Nice ambience, small and cozy. Fantastic wine selection and they had a Wed special that waived the corkage fee for store purchases opened at the table. Â Introduced me to a new Tempranillo. Â The food was reasonably priced and the menu selection is small, which I'm thinking isprobably the key to success for a very small business. Â The game hen was tasty and properly prepared.
I'd gladly go again, but I'll bet tghe small place is crowded on a weekend, so I'd suggest a weeknight.
Did you really just microwave my ribs?!?!?!
My girlfriend and I went to Portalis after the Farmer's Market. Â We had never been there, but have heard some good things and we had met the chef and her boyfriend (Chef of Quinn's), Â
We walked in to a comfortable interior. Â Half of the space is taken up by wine retail section. Â Instantly we bee-line it for the bar. Â It took me all of two-and-half seconds to decide on what I am having... The Chipotle Ribs special!!!! Â My favorite spice!!! Â I press Roz to hurry up and order. Â We both decide to get the recommended wine pairing. Â The ribs were paired with a rose. Â I have not had too many roses lately, so I was glad to give this a whirl.
We scanned the wine menus as we waited for our lunches. Â They have a great selection! Â
Our plates arrive and I instantly examine my ribs. Â What the hell are those 6,000 tiny bubbles on my ribs from?!?!?!? Â Who cares! Â ITS CHIPOTLE!!!!! Â I grab a bone to begin the sectioning of the ribs. Â "OUCH!!!", I wimper. Â The bone was white-hot. Â I instantly began to put two and two together. Â 'SHE NUKED THEM?!?!?" Â 6,000 tiny bubbles + white-hot bones = Microwave!!!! Â To be sure, I waited till the bones cooled down... 7 minutes and pulled the ribs apart. Â They broke apart like particle-board not the fall-off-the-bone style that I am used to. Â The flavor was good, but the texture was way-off. Â
To me, there are certain 'do's" and "don'ts" in cooking. Â Microwaving ribs is blasphemous at best. Â Not only to BBQ, but to yourself. Â You had some great tasting ribs, but you dishonored them and your recipe by nuking/destroying the very essence of what makes a rib great, the TEXTURE!
As French as it gets in Seattle! It's about time after all this searching to find a place that actually has a good French selection while remaining affordable. We have checked out wine bars all over Seattle, usually looking for a good French selection to satisfy my "wine snob" friend. Well, we finally found a place that really seemed to hit the spot.
While only having a small menu...the food was great and the wine selection was even better. My only complaint...and it is very minor...is that they charge for 1 oz pours. We bought and tried so many kinds of wine we rarely get charged for little pours just to make sure that we like what we are getting ready to purchase. This was on exception.
Beyond that, if you truly like other wines beyond the boring fruit forward wines around the United States...you must check out this wine shop.
I'm not a fancy girl - I like jeans, I don't wear tons of make up, I can't identify designer items just by looking at them, and I'm not interested in going to THE place to see and be seen. Â I'm a coffee-shop girl. Â I like the cozy atmosphere of the corner coffee-shop, where I feel I can kick back for awhile and chat with my friends while sipping a coffee drink and nibbling on a pastry.
Sometimes, though, I want wine in that coffee-ship and this isn't always easy to find. Â Wine bars, by nature, seem to be a little...upscale.
Portalis? Â Portalis is the coffee-shop girl's answer to the upscale wine bar problem. Â Portalis, tucked into Ballard amidst several other bars and restaurants that are perfectly good in their own right, has the atmosphere of a bookshop with a cozy, dark cafe that isn't Starbucks, but with wine instead of books. Â And this is just fine by me.
I've never really browsed the wine bottles for sale, but I've been several times for a sip and a nibble - I've had different wines every time but tend to stick to the cheese plate. Â (I'm rarely after a full meal there, so I can't say anything about the actual dishes.) Â The cheese plate comes with a fruit compote, almonds, and a really good bread. Â The bread and butter and olives trio is also enjoyable.
I had the pleasure of an amazing port there with a chocolate pot - decadent.
It's a good chance to try something new and to unwind after a long day with someone else - it doesn't get crazy loud or anything. Â I've never had problems with service, after trying them three separate times. Â Wish they had more in the ways of small plates. Â If you're looking for a major round of tapas, this place probably isn't for you...if you're more interested in a comfortable spot to sip wine, give it a shot.
I went there on a Saturday evening and was pleasantly surprised by Old "Ballard Ave" - and since I no longer live in Seattle, I'm not hip to the Old Ballard scene.
I was able to sit down straight away, and had a knowledgeable barkeep/wineguy to give me some good recommendations. Kept asking me what I felt like tho - I just wanted something good in the red category. Anyway, he finally wised up to my inability to choose something, and in all cases, recommended good ones.
Regardless, I would recommend Portalis to people who asked - it's not loud, seems homey and is an enjoyable place to have a few (plus or minus) glasses of wine. I didn't have to shout to hear my friend, which is a bonus, and the place was just chill.
I will be back when I'm back in Seattle.
I have shopped for wine at Portalis during the day, but had yet to come in on an evening when I could try out the wine bar side of this Ballard establishment. Tonight was such an opportunity, where I was joined by my friend for a very enjoyable food and wine experience.
Portalis offers a great space to either shop for wine, enjoy a glass at the bar, or sit down at a table for something to eat. We arrived at around 6 pm with the place about half full, but by the time we left every seat was filled with folks enjoying a glass/bottle of wine and dinner.
Overall, the food, wines, and service were excellent. And it was especially nice that we arrived on a night when they were running a special "retail price" on all bottles of wine served at the bar ($12 off). As a result, rather than ordering wine by the glass, it made sense to have a bottle and take whatever was leftover home.
The wine bar menu is skewed toward more inexpensive Old and New World wines, with just a handful of local Pacific Northwest producers. The retail shop has a broader selection of Oregon and Washington wines, which you can purchase and have served in the wine bar for a corkage fee of $12.
To start things out, we chose a bottle of Toffoli NV Prosecco ($17) from the Veneto region paired with a tart ($12.50) of carmelized onion, asparagus, and garlic herb cheese along with a charcuterie plate ($11.75) featuring the house pate'. We followed this with a bottle of Pelissero 2005 Nebbiollo Langhe ($23) paired alongside a dish of gratin ($8.75) with goat cheese & fresh herb marinara.
The service throughout our stay at the bar was very attentive, with our server, Erin, offering small tastes of any wine before ordering. The plates of food were delicious and small enough to encourage you to order several differenct dishes. I prefer ordering a variety of dishes and pairing them with several different glasses of wines - it makes for a more adventuresome and enjoyable experience.
My only complaint is that there weren't more local wines being offered by the glass at the wine bar. I can understand why, as it probably takes some effort to go beyond the usual line up of inexpensive European, South American, and Australian wines offered by distributors. Plus, there's always the economics of serving a bottle that is priced reasonably enough to offer wine by the glass that a consumer will be willing to order.
Regardless, I will definitely return to Portalis Wine Shop + Wine Bar to enjoy some wine by the glass and various plates of food from its diverse menu. I recommend you give it a try as well.
If I opened a wine bar, then I'd model it after Portalis. Â It is a charming little space with classy decor that isn't too fancy. Â You can actually converse with your date without speaking loudly or straining to hear. Â I love the ambiance at Portalis. Â It is reminiscent of the quaint neighborhood brasseries in Montmartre, or le Marais, or [insert Parisian neighborhood here].
The bartender offered us samples when we weren't too sure about what to order with our dessert. Â I gladly accepted each and every one, finally settling upon a Zinfandel to drink with our chocolate pot de creme. Â Everything that we ordered was very good.
The service overall was very good as well. Â Our bartender was attentive without being overbearing, which allowed my friend and I to enjoy the evening, the wine, and our dessert.
Someday I want to own a neighborhood bar like Portalis.
Can I just drink my GD wine without two (count 'em) TWO people trying to figure out which table we should be seated at?!
Apparently, both waiters thought it was too much to talk to one another about where we should be seated. For an 1/2 hour upon entry, it went a little something like, 'We'll get you over by that window soon. They're leaving' (Server A) followed up with, 'They're not headed out for a while, so you might want to sit here..' (Server B). There were three or four more of these short conversations with us before finally, A MOVE!
One of the waiters seemed nice enough, but the other made me feel like I was a big inconvenience for even setting foot in the place. Neither one made any sort of suggestions about the wines at any point, which I found rather odd.
The wine was good. I stuck with those crazy Spaniards (Rioja and Malbec) and then tried a South African wine. Smokey! Not sure I'd get it again, but it was fine and interesting enough. My date kept with big French reds, I think. We shared the Charcuterie plate. Seriously briney olives and great atmosphere kept me happy enough.
Get past the weird service and enjoy the interesting space and you will probably dig this place.
Comfortable and casual and the perfect answer to an impromptu "here shall we go?" when you're not craving anything else in particular.
I set the bar high for cheese and meat plates after being spoiled by spots like Sherwood and Artisanal in NYC. Portalis' versions are nothing special. My second time out, J. and I ordered bruschetta and some sort of tart. Both surprisingly delicious, though a bit awkward to crunch through neatly, so daters be warned.
Wanted to just sit and chill with a bottle of wine and good company; decided on this place.
The atmosphere is warm, full of wood(heh), dimly lit, and good service; that was kind enough not to give me the crooked eye when my clutz ass broke a candle. On some nights you can pick your own bottles off the racks without the $12 corkage fees.
Thankfully my drinking companion was a bartender and knew more about this shit than I did, cause I was like a lost sheep in a boozy land heaven. The prices range from fairly inexpensive to "splurge", ranging from different regions and countries. My lovely company, the little bugger, decided to "splurge" on an excellent bottle, which I thoroughly enjoyed, since I didn't have to pay. Wink wink
So the empty stomach quickly followed by two large glasses of wine (plus sips from others' glasses in my group) has left me with a fuzzier memory of my virgin Portalis outing. Â But of what I do remember, it is worth a second visit for sure.
One friend and I first walked the aisles and perused the bottles which were for sale. Â We laughed at our lack of sophistication after realizing the bottles we constantly gravitated to were those with the "pretty labels" which were, coincidentally, the ones which generally seemed to fall under $20. Â Hmm. Â Our favorite, the "K" Syrah. Â Brilliant.
On to the meal.  Okay, I couldn't really tell you WHAT we actually ate because the six of us basically just ordered a different dish each and passed it around-- a community meal, if you will.  I do remember a pizza of some sort, the cheese plate appetizer, a large order of a crab sandwich-type something-er-rather, a phenomenal mushroom hen dish.  Definitely what I would recommend as I'm not sure that any one meal could actually fill a single stomach, and yet the variety followed by passing around two different  and delightfully indulgent desserts seemed to hit the right spot for everyone.
The restaurant/wine bar in general, to me, gave off a sophisticated but not prissy vibe and had a beautiful ambiance about it. Â Low lighting and tables lit by a single votive. Â The high ceilings painted a warm, light hue to draw the eye upwards; the original exposed brick walls sparsely decorated with local artists' paintings drawing the eye forward. Â The service was fantastic and our server beyond helpful in recommending certain wines, which made our indecisive taste buds rejoice. Â Hallelujah, I shall return!
Like CW, Portalis was my introduction to wine bars, and I'm glad it was...mostly because it was underwhelming but made me feel impressive and swanky.
Now that I've had some of "the good stuff" I can say that Portalis is just all right. Â I haven't tried their food (though I've heard mixed reviews) but their wine ranges from so-so to pretty damned good, and if you don't know what you like you're taking a big chance, with both your taste buds and your wallet.
This was my introduction to wine bars. Â One of my friends recommended we try this place. Â She had been here before and knew there was no corkage fee on Wed. Â So, off we went. Â
It's a tiny lil place and we took a quick perusal of the menu before going shopping for a bottle. Â We settled on a pinot noir and hunkered down with a few plates and the pork tenderloin. Â I think we were more hungry than interested in the wine.
The crostini wasn't very good and was extremely salty. Â The salami sandwich was good, but not necessarily a nice mix with the wine. Â The tenderloin was both good and perfect with the pinot. Â I do wish they had a few more items on the menu to choose from. Â
Cool place, with a long brick wall running the length of the store. Â Since it opens to the street, it can be a bit noisy but it's a fun place to spend an evening with good friends.
I'z confused...Why do I keep going back to Portalis? I fully admit that I do...but I can't explain why. I signed up for the email list and go to the tasting, but stay away from Portalis when I'm in Ballard. I only go for the tastings, and don't buy wine (or food) from there. It's a'ight.
Good selection of wine, but pricey.
Out of the two wine bars in Ballard, I like this one the best. I thought it had the best selection of wines by the glass, so it was easy to try a bunch of different wines without having to invest in the price of a bottle.
The service was good, but it was a bit crowded. It's also much noisier than I usually like for a wine bar. Conversation is possible, but it didn't have the romantic feel because everyones conversations kind of munge together.
We didn't do much in the way of food, but the cheese plate was pretty good. Also, they have a bar, but it's part of the reservation system, so you can actually reserve a spot at the bar.
I'd never been to a wine bar before yesterday, but it didn't impress me.
We got there and asked for "something chewy... spicy, comfortable and warm with not many tannons... like a bordeaux." I'd expect a wine bar to be able to come up with that, but the guy didn't really seem to know his own wines.
Also, I didn't really like the atmosphere. It was to barren to me... too trendy. Bricks and a black bar with mood lighting. The one cool thing was the skylights had wine bottles, so the waning sunlight filtered through the green bottles in interesting ways.
I wanted an Oregon Pinot Noir, but they didn't have one, so I got a New Zealand wine and tried the chewy wine too. Meh. For a $12 glass, it was pretty subpar... no distinctive qualities. Really you'd be better with a mid-priced Trader Joe's bottle.
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