portofino

excellent food, good atmosphere. my girlfriend and i ate here last night, portofino was agreatchoice for valentine's day. i had the seafood buccatini and it was exceptional. solid service; there when you need them but not over the top. the wine selection was extensive, and the choices my girlfriend and i had were delicious. the art displays in the room we dined in were unique and eye catching. the aura of the restaurant itself was envoking but not overpowering. i highly recommend portofino for any occasion or fine dining experience.

order the specials. i like this place. good service andgreatfood.i find it difficult to actually recommend any of the standard menu items that i have tried here. however, i have no reservations about recommending the outstanding specials. they are well above standard. amazing taste and presentation, the chefs here clearly have high standards and know what they are doing.

wayne is the ultimate host. his staff is first class, audrey served us and she is one of the coolest, while classy servers i have run across. enjoyed the patio on a nice lexington night. i'm from atlanta and lovegreatrestaurants and the scene in lexington is great. this is a classy approach to makinggreatitalian food with fresh local resources.

anothergreatmeal. i've been to portofino's many times over the years, and despite the food being a little pricey, it has always been worth it. i have learned over the years to order the specials--for they often outshine the regular fare of the restaurant. last week i started with the arugula and watermelon salad, which appeared to be fresh arugula, small bites of sweet, ripe watermelon, sunflower seeds, and rasped parmesan cheese. this simple salad was light and surprisingly delicious, perfect for summer. for the main course, i ordered one of the specials, ruby red trout which was served with fingerling potatoes and sauteed corn and red peppers. the trout was seasoned perfectly and was served with a soy-ginger sauce with asian spices, absolutely incredible. everyone at the table had a bite and said they wished they had ordered it. i believe the bluegrass bakery makes the portofino deserts. i had the chocolate torte which was served with a raspberry, chocolate, and cream sauce....a very satisfactory torte. overall, with the excellent service that was provided, it was a very enjoyable meal. i will be going back again. oh, and if you like mussels, this is one of the better places in lexington to get them.

old reliable. never had a bad meal, the servers are best in town, extremely knowledgeable. food is awesome!!! if you are complaining about it being over priced, you clearly aren't accustomed to fine dining. no, you will not get a 5 star meal for $30. i got the bruschetta (a menu favorite), arugula salad, filet served over a bed of mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus, 2 glasses of the house cab, tiramisu (to die for!), an a frangelico after dinner $75. you get what you pay for!!!! if you want a $20 dining experience, go to applebee's! i will continue to frequent this establishment with clients after the sales and races as long as the doors continue to be open!!! a must try if you like steak or italian!!!!!


-----21 jun, 2010-----

hit or miss, but service is best in town.... while i will admit that portofino is arguably one of the better resturants in downtown lexington, sometimes the food is hit or miss. my co-workers and i go there often for appetizers and drinks (i highly reccommend the bruschetta or calamari and rock shrimp). dress is business casual and the servers are always very timely, knowledgable about menu items, and a pleasure to be around. the first time i went, i raved about it for weeks, but was very discouraged my second time. i ordered the shrimp and scallop pesto linguni and it tasted as though it had been doused in fish sauce. the next time, i had a lovely dish with summer vegetables, but the bruschetta was a bit soggy. i think the entrees are overpriced and you can get the equivalent at bellinis or malones. they do have agreatwine list and you can't go wrong with any of their desserts.

yummy date night!. this is agreatplace for couples or groups of friends who want to eat out on the cutest patio ever. my boyfriend and i got 3 apps to split for two meals and it was more than enough food. the bruschetta was out of this world! you have to get it....

plus they have a massive bourbon/whiskey list.

consistantlygreatrestaurant. although an italian restaurant, portofino has consistantlygreatsteaks.greatlocation.greatparking. wonderful food.

great food, but tooooo expensive!. i had agreatmeal and drinks, but the prices were outrageous! i don't know how this place stays in business. way overpriced.

still good.... went last night at started with a bottle of wine. they sold out of the first option year, but they had the second. we ordered the bruschetta appetizer and loved it as usual. best dinner option is fish over their risotto of the day. they do the best job of this combo in lexington. it is so important the fish is piping hot and they always nail it. it was cobia over a pistachio laced risotto. we will be back.


-----27 nov, 2009-----

always good. this place never fails.

we always get the brushetta for an appetizer. they took the sea bass off the menu, but there fish special is always good. we usually pair the fresh fish with whatever risotto they are offering for a few bucks more.

the bad dog ranch pinot noir isgreatand cheap.

no complaints. recently had dinner with three others and really have no complaints about the restaurant. the service was excellent, the food was fresh andgreatportions, and the cheesecake for dessert was delicious. i'll definitely be back for more.