Cerulean

After a small wedding in Hawaii, we wanted to throw a local party to celebrate our recent nuptials with our family and friends. Cerulean was an easy choice for us, as we live in the neighborhood and were familiar with the space. We love the reclaimed wood, brick, and lighting mixed with the gallery.
I corresponded several times with Jeff, the owner, on the details. He was always quick to answer my questions, and they were great about letting us bring in our own photobooth, dessert table, and decorations. We were able to utilize the built in sound system for music, and all in all, the party was a huge success.
We started the evening with a group dinner (with family only) that was set up in the gallery space, and then invited friends to join us after dinner for a cocktail reception, appetizers, and desserts. We had a few no-​shows for dinner, and we ended up needing to push our dinner start time back almost 40 mins, and the chef was totally accommodating. I was a little worried about how the party would transition from dinner to the reception, but it all worked out great. After we finished our final course, we got up from the table and the staff broke down the tables after dinner to allow for more open space. I hardly noticed it was all happening, but was grateful for the staff, which were was super friendly and helpful.
The final surprise at the end of the night is that our final bill was quite a bit less than anticipated. It was likely due to the fact that some guests did not show up, and others came and went (and we had built our budget based on everyone staying the whole time), but I still have to mention it because we felt like the pricing was extremely affordable for such a great space in the Pearl.

Visited here for an alumni event. Great space and real art. Authentic. Food was fantastic and wine was excellent. Very nice place for group or just a couple.

Great space and great wines!

I soooo want to love this place. The space is great the location is comfortable but the service is terrible. There is no sense of customer service or bar culture. Dang it. My first experience was great but the last two visits are enough for me to not return. Sounds like from the reviews it’s better fitted for large groups were individual service isn’t needed

I recently attended a company holiday party. The entire space was ours for that evening. This was my first time going. It’s on the corner of NW Marshall and 14^th.
The place was already set-​up by the time we showed up. Through the entrance is a set of stairs, full size bar, seating on both sides (couches only on the left). There wasn’t a lot of seating but it was nice to see the attached art gallery. The seating area had minimal lighting and candles.
The food was setup almost in parallel of the bar/​coat rack. This wasn’t a plated dinner, just cocktail hour with appetizers. There was a variety of dishes to choose from. My favorites were the risotto ball and sliders. By the time the food came out it was warm. I think it would of been better if the staff used buffet warmers but I understand the plate set-​up with food for simplicity.
Overall, the food was good but not great. However, the staff was great and friendly. I would only return for events. I’m not too big there days to hangout at a bar.

Really cool space in here and I love that the bar is attached to an art exhibit, which is really fun to walk around in while you sip cocktails and wine with your friends. The drink list is solid and on nice nights, they have a great outdoor patio. I love that this place is walking distance to my place and I look forward to visiting again soon.

I’ve been here twice for after concert drinks/​food with a group about 12 – 15. The servers seemed way overworked, made mistakes in the orders, ran out of entrees, and took forever to deliver the food. The food it self was good and it’s a cool venue, but the other problems soured my experiences.

I arranged a Company dinner for 35 people at Cerulean and it truly couldn’t have gone better. Its a beautiful space and Chris, who I worked directly with and his lovely Wife were friendly and professional and gave us a wonderful night. The food was great. The fresh Salmon and Hanger steak were a hit, along with the stuffed avocados. The Potatoes Au Gratin were out of this world!!! We all loved the wine — tried most of what they had and they were all spot on. All in all, it was an easy event to arrange, thanks to Chris and his team. You all made me look good!!!

I like their wine, but really, I love the art. I love being able to watch artists paint, just hanging out, having a glass of wine. I’ve never eaten there but its basically small plates, not a real restaurant vibe, but my friends liked the snacks. Its a great space to grab a glass or a bottle and mingle for a bit.

Lousy wine, snobbish servers, food is mediocre. If there were negative stars I would use them.

I found Cerulean through Travel Portland and although minimal reviews were provided on Unilocal,most if not all were 4+ stars. I wanted to participate in its March dining month and throw my husband’s surprise birthday party here. As stated on the website, I emailed both Tammy and Chris about my request. I didn’t receive a response so I called the number provided on Unilocal the next day, which I believe is a personal cell phone for Jeff, another one of the owners. I never heard from Tammy or Chris. I made all arrangements through Jeff, who is not listed on the website. I requested seats for a party of 10 – 15 and requested to bring balloons and an ice cream cake via email/​phone, which was granted. In Jeff’s word, I was allowed to «Have fun!» with the decorations in our surprise party. It was clear my guests were going to arrive between 6−645pm for a 7pm reservation.
A friend of mine came approximately 15 – 30 minutes prior to 7pm and was denied to decorate because we reserved our table at 7pm. Ok, I wasn’t going to let one miscommunication ruin the night. There were tables available but we had to wait exactly at 7pm. My friend who also brought the ice cream cake was told there wasn’t space in the kitchen after Jeff gave me the ok. My friend had to convince another employee who took the cake to the back (not placed in the freezer as we later found out). My friends were standing around the bar and we surprised my husband with the balloons stuffed in the corner and went on with the night. We were seated at 705pm.
Prior to being seated and after the surprise, we couldn’t order the Mint Julep. We weren’t told why it wasn’t available, but I later find out from Jeff, the owner, that mint wasn’t available at the market. If this is true, why place something on the menu, as you knowingly are a seasonal shopper for the cocktails/​ingredients. This is misleading to customers. Two bartenders were working and seemed very overwhelmed with the amount of customers. There weren’t exactly the friendliest in town either.
All my guests were treated to the 3-​course meal as requested to Jeff during our communications to keep the options simple. Our first course was not served until after 1 hour without bread/​crackers. Several of my guests including myself asked the staff what the delay was. Apparently there was a fully staffed kitchen as Jeff responded to my email after the night. The waitress stated they were understaffed and the chef was «catching up with all the orders.» It took over an hour to serve a salad or soup for 12 customers. My party went to the bar or flagged our waitress down for drinks because she was overwhelmed with her other tables. We received some bread after we asked and after the second course. For the last course, one of the guests had to take a to-​go plate and watched us eat because his order was missed. Overall, the service was not attentive and very slow, my guests were not happy nor was I. We had choice A or choice B for three courses so I don’t understand the delay if the kitchen was fully staffed.
It was about 10pm when we had the cake. The decorations/​cookies were on the side of the cake instead of the top, I was completely disappointed and embarrassed. I appreciated the restaurant allowing me to bring a dessert, which I was granted permission from the owner. The instructions on the Cold Stone cake was pretty clear, «put in the freezer». Take a look at the picture yourself and what’s advertised on the website, which is what was picked up initially. We also had to eat the cake on paper plates and plastic forks because Cerulean couldn’t accommodate 12 plates/​utensils at the same time.
When I first emailed for catering/​events in the website and didn’t receive a response, I should have taken the hint for the restaurant’s lack of attentiveness and customer service from the get go. There are too many restaurants to choose from in Portland, and the hundreds of dollars we paid for their poor service is not worth it nor was the food. I really wanted to like this place and have never given a poor review but after Jeff responded with the following in his email response about my complaints, I had to let others know. In the words of Jeff, «Park Kitchen and Paragon both have nice private dining rooms for parties and have excellent food and service, so I’d check with them for your next event.» The owner didn’t endorse his own restaurant nor was he there or assigned an employee to ensure our night went smoothly. There are too many great restaurants in Portland with excellent service and food. Extremely disappointed with the customer service, lack of attentiveness, poor attitude/​leadership and the owner’s response.
I’d give Cerulean zero stars, but it’s not an option. I gave the owner an opportunity to response prior to writing this review, but only 10 reviews in the past year should speak for itself.

I’m really glad I discovered this wine bar and art studio! I had had some of Cerulean wine at the tasting room in Hood River, but didn’t know they had a wine bar in the Pearl. It’s a really comfortable space with lots of windows and couches. I had the merlot and it was delicious. We got their charcuterie plates and the meats and cheese were wonderful. I ventured out and tried their egg roll of the day. It was rabbit and mushroom, but was really delious.
The service was pretty good, but I thought she could have been a little more attentive since it was only me and my mom and one other person in the place. I had to go up to the bar and ask for more bread because she was busy talking to another guy who I think was an employee, too. I couldn’t get her attention.
I will be back though to try some more of their wines and look at the art. I didn’t get a chance to do that.

Situated on the outskirts of the Pearl, adjacent to 405 and the Alphabeta District, Cerulean is an easy establishment to miss, however for everyone who’s discovered this uncommonly quaint restaurant, it’s a pearl in the Pearl.
They stock a modest bar with the typical spirits and a cocktail menu but their strength is in the house wines of reds and whites. The difficult choice of trying a new wine can be mitigated because the best option is the bartender’s recommendation. On my trip, the nebbiolo and pinot noir were excellent but this will change depending on the vintage and all the nebulous concepts that go into producing a fine wine. In regards to food, the samosa of the day is a must. And also… I fear I’ve forgotten the rest as the wine took over me.
Labeling Cerulean a restaurant would be a misnomer as it’s an amalgamation of restaurant, wine bar and art gallery; a trifecta of refined sensibilities, if you will.

This is probably my new favorite happy hour! I never even knew it was there until a friend recommended it. I can’t wait to go back. The food was perfection. We got the artisanal cheese plate (amazing), the beef sliders (delicious– the sauce they put on it was totally on point), and the samosa of the day (rabbit and potato). The samosas are creative and interesting and tasty. The wine was also fantastic and all the prices were reasonable. My friend and I were lingering after we paid our bill, just chatting, and the chef (possibly also the owner) came over and offered us dessert on the house! It was a lavender panna cotta with toasted pistachios. Really, really good. The ambiance and setting is the star. It’s an art gallery with seating areas scattered all over the place. Super cool vibe. I can’t wait to go here again!

We had a fabulous Sunday brunch there. There was 5 of us and they were super attentive to our needs and questions about the entrees. I ended up having the chorizo omelette which was amazing! We also ordered their fresh peach pancakes (again amazing). Our boys who are 14 devoured the French toast with fresh berry compote and peppered bacon. Kudos to the chef and kudos to a new hip place to enjoy good food and good friends. We will be back!

The most fabulous and comfortable spot in the Pearl… They have a great light appetizer menu with wonderful wine selections.
Buzz Siler’s artwork is the cream of the crop. Perfect place to gather with friends and enjoy the wonderful ambient.

Loved our dinner! Had lovely heavy apps and some nice wines — Cerulean is the wine label for all the wine they serve. What we loved was the delicious food, the casual but elegant atmosphere, the service and the feeling of having found something secret and special. We will definitely come back!

This is a fabulous place int he Pearl — and I wish more people knew about it. It’s a shame that the few times I have been there its been empty — even on a Friday night. The wine is good, the servers are friendly, the food items compliment the wine and the space is fabulous and comfortable. You can even browse through the lovely art gallery attached to this place while you sip on wine. I sure hope more people discover it. It’s a gem.

HAPPY HOUR REVIEW
Happy Hours 2:00 — 6:00pm Tues-​Sun
Food Deals: $ 2.00-$ 6.00 Great menu line up with items like goat cheese stuffed lamb and buffalo meatballs, Thai chicken salad, NW or caprese salads, mac & cheese, deviled eggs, and desserts like warm cookies!
Drink Specials: $ 3.50 beer; $ 2.00 tastes; $ 5.00-$ 6.00 glasses; $ 6.00 seasonal wine cocktails
Atmosphere: What a cool space! Part gallery, part wine bar. Art and wine after all, do blend quite nicely. Big, open industrial-​style loft, with beautiful, built-​in decoration from resident artist paintings. Seasonal outdoor seating, lounge areas, tasting bar, and just a few tables. Winery in Hood River.

This was my 2^nd First Thursday at Cerulean and I had another great time!
For starters, Buzz Siler creates incredibly beautiful art… the kind every woman wants to be his muse for. He’s also quite a showman and charismatic to a fault. His wife is lovely and is a perfect hostess.
The bar is gorgeous and the space is HUGE!
I also love the fantastic selection of wines and the outdoor area in which to enjoy it.
The location is perfect, because it’s towards the edge of the Pearl and parking hasn’t begun to become a nightmare on the blocks surrounding Cerulean.
I’d say the best time to go for your first time is on a First Thursday, but they hold other events, so you need to just «friend» them on Facebook if you’re looking for a more intimate evening.