Those that really know me, know I've been going to the same restaurant for many years for my steak "fix". The tough economy has taken its toll on that restaurant and they will be closing soon. Unfortunately, instead of trying their very best to retain their long time customers and build the business through their old customer's 'word of mouth' advertising, they have chosen the low road by lying off key personnel and allowing the quality of the food to go downhill by leaps and bounds. I am very sad to see this as I have a 30+-year history with this place.

Enough whining! As they say, when one door closes another one opens and man oh howdy did it!

Long time Portland residents will remember Big Red's at Sylvan, and if you're like me, not too fondly. My first experience at Big Red's was so horrific that it took several years and some serious badgering to get me to go back and once I did, I found the food to be mediocre at best and the service was non-existent. I'm sure that wasn't everybody's experience as Big Red's was in business for many years, but you know what they say about first impressions.

Big Red's is gone and in its place is the Sylvan Steakhouse and Saloon. You may have heard Lars Larson talking about it. Man what a change!

First of all, they have eased my concerns about finding a great steak at a reasonable price in my area. Beyond that, all of their food looks to be first class and the selection is large.

No surprise, we started out in the bar where our Bartender was very informative and attentive. After ordering our dinner, we realized that we were going to have a lot of food coming to a fairly small 'lounge table', so we decided to move out to their beautiful patio. Normally I would expect the Bartender to turn us over to another server once we left the bar, but that was not the case, she stayed right with us and gave us excellent service in spite of running the bar and of course making cocktails for the entire restaurant.

Toward the end of our meal, the manager Leo came out and talked to us for quite a while. He is a delightful individual. He gave us a little insight on the owner's philosophy for the restaurant and what they're hoping to accomplish.

Occasionally, the Sylvan Steakhouse and Saloon has live music performed on a Grand Piano by various Portland Pianists such as our friend Dave Lee.

Here's the rub - It takes a lot of capital to open and keep open an establishment like this and maintain the level of quality and service. If you truly love a great steak like I do and are tired of over-priced boutique steakhouses, I really recommend you give the Sylvan Steakhouse and Saloon a try. Once you do, you'll be back, I promise!

I know I've really been playing up the steak aspect and haven't touched on the rest of the menu, so Click Here to download a copy for yourself. It is amazing.

Go try a NEW Probable Cause favorite, the Sylvan Steakhouse and Saloon!