Quantitative

50 Plates
333 NW 13th Ave.
Portland, OR 97209
503.228.5050

Erin- At 50 plates the menu, being a proud and a confident menu, strikes up a conversation with just about any patron that walks in the door. The conversation is pretty much always the same but never gets old. It goes a little something like this-

Menu- Hey!... Hey you! Yes, you... Yeah, I'm a menu and I talk, what of it? Look, I got these great Silver Dollar Sammies up in the corner here, you should really try one. You'll like it.
Patron- Silver Dollar Sammies you say? Hmmm. What is that exactly?
Menu- Oh, just the best baby hamburgers you'll ever eat. No big deal (the menu can be sarcastic sometimes).
Patron- Baby hamburgers? Um, it looks like this one is chicken dunked in maple syrup and served on a waffle? Am I reading this right?
Menu- Listen honey, I ain't got all day. There are other people that would jump at the chance to order that Roscoe Slider. Trust me, order any of them and you'll go home pleased as punch.

From what I've noticed patrons tend to throw little hissy fits just upon seeing the sliders brought to their table. Not to mention what they do once they've tried one. The menu is justly confident. I personally found the weird little chicken, waffle, syrup creation quite charming and after tasting it I asked my waiter to send my menu friend back around. I definitely wanted more.

Erik- I've got an issue with 50 plates, and that issue is that I COULD EAT 27 SLIDERS AND STILL WANT MORE. Unfortunately, at four bucks a pop, that's not going to happen. This restaurant is in the "bourgeoisie" price range, or at least the "semi-snoot" price range. Whatever. Everything that I ate there was real real tasty, I'm telling you. Imagine the usual burger contraptions: cheeseburger, portabello burger, hawaiian burger, etc. Now shrink 'em, and as they shrink the tastiness condenses to a more concentrated state. They may or may not have a "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" machine in their kitchen, but that's pretty much how it works.

Other things that happened to me, and may happen to you:
-The light at the table where we sat was extremely skewed to my side, so much so that I felt I was on stage for the whole restaurant to see, and as a result I had to mind my manners.
-I pick up the water (bottle on the table) to give my glass a refill just as the waiter comes over to do the same. Awkwardness ensues.
-Erin and I, at 24, were far below the clientele's median age.
-After the meal the waiter brings over two spoonfuls of chocolate. They were on the house. I'm not sure if this happens to everyone or he just thought we were special, but I'm going to go ahead and assume it was because we are special.


One last tip. If you go to a great restaurant like 50 Plates, but the menu items are on the smaller and more expensive side, and you find yourself still hungry, JUST GO TO WENDY'S AFTERWARDS AND BUY YOURSELF A FROSTY, SIZE LARGE.