What do you do when you have a day off and you are trying to find a French place to have a lunch get together with a friend? Well, after searching for all the French restaurants in Portland, I saw that most of them aren’t open until 5pm.

Ovation Bistro & Bar is a cute hang out place with an airy ambience in the historic downtown of Milwaukie near Portland. They have a bright and relaxed indoor sitting arrangements, but it was one of those rare and gorgeous October day in Portland with no rain. So, we decided to hangout outside on their front patio. Lots of picnic benches and high chair/tables with umbrellas are surrounded by tons of hanging flower baskets are here. It felt fresh and just the right place to chill and catch up with a friend.

This modern French country style place would be my ideal place for brunch or lunch. We went for simple food. From the appetizer, we had some steak frites, where marinated sirloin steaks are served in cubes with shoestring fries. I had their soup of the day, which was tomato bisque served with a mini baguette. And my friend had some fettucine pasta in home-made ratatouille sauce with tomatoes, zucchini, squash, and eggplants. The tomato soup was definitely one of the best I’ve tried so far. And those shoestring fries with garlic aioli sauce was simply addictive. Pasta was great too, I may try a different one next time.

People, food, and the whole place are all amazing at Ovation Bistro & Bar. Opened back in the summer of 2020, they are making real good food in a small restaurant with casual vibe. Being the historic downtown adds a bit more excitement to this location. Definitely have to come back at night sometime to see the crowds of this place.