Service was excellent drinks were great. the food was sub par for the price unfortunately as this is a beautiful restaurant. the $50 steak dinner was a steak that should have been seared and served with a steak knife and the vegetables were under cooked the pasta was missing flavor, they were completely out of grilled asparagus and the menu is so small that was extremely disappointing that there was not a proper plan for amounts of food needed ( our reservation was early in the evening . The Char was great but the navy bean veggies underneath were so salty they were not edible. Hopefully these are things that can be improved. Probably won't return for the food. read more

Tony our server took very good care of us last night for our first time back to the Port since it reopened. We live in Red Wing and we need more chef driven Restaurants . I consider myself a "obsessed foodie " so I was pleased when Cory the chef came out of the kitchen and walked around the dining room. We were having a cocktail at the bar so we waved him over to ask what he recommended . I took his advice and ordered the scallops. They were cooked perfectly. Very tender and paired really well with the roasted corn and bacon. The whipped feta was very cold, which was interesting, but the flavor was tangy so it offset the richness of the bacon and scallops. The beef tenderloin was delicious cooked perfect medium rare. The broccolini was a little tough and the blue cheese sauce could have been a little thicker. It was kind of runny. I will be back to try more items on the menu. Excited the restaurant is open again. read more

The Port - Beef tenderloin broccolini blue cheese cream sauce capers - Lounges Near Me - Red Wing, Minnesota

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Such great food and nice staff! The port takes you downstairs, below the St James hotel into a speakeasy. Warm ambiance with low lighting dark brick walls. All food was great and warm and comforting. Wish I could have tried it all! read more

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Wonderful drinks at The Port and Gabriella was an amazing server! Beautiful bar, cozy and the music was great.

Whether you're staying at the St. James hotel or not, this is a great low-key place to stop in for a small bite to eat or cocktail. An adult environment - good mix of locals and travelers - relaxed ambience, superb drink offerings, impeccable service. Limited days open every week so confirm before heading over! They have private spaces for functions such as corporate dinners or birthday parties. Great establishment, I always enjoy stopping in. read more

The Port - Malbec, Elsa Bianchi - Mendoza, Argentina - Lounges Near Me - Red Wing, Minnesota

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Great "speakeasy" vibe. Knowledgeable and friendly staff. Great spot to grab a cocktail or a light bite.

Hidden gem in the St. James Hotel! We stayed at the hotel for a show at the casino. Superb beverage selection and preparation. Delightful menu - we had supper and breakfast and were thrilled with the choices and presentation. Service was very good, knowledgeable and accommodating! read more

We made a reservation here while in town for the Big Turn Music Fest and because of a snowstorm had the place almost to ourselves. We loved our pre-dinner drinks, one delicious June Bug (think a tequila mule) and an extra dirty Martini, as well as the fact that the hot and fresh sourdough baguette came whipped fresh butter and homemade tart rhubarb preserve. The dinner got even better with a really nice thick cut Prime Rib and market fish, a rare yellowfin tortilla crusted Tuna. The steak came with whole baked potato and trio of dipping sauces and the tuna came on a large bed of mashed potato, cauliflower, and kale. Both were well seasoned and flavorful and we can't think of anything they could do better! read more

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My husband and I had dinner for our anniversary. Our server, Rita, was knowledgeable and friendly. We recommend the pork tenderloin in a brown sauce and the smoked salmon ravioli (special) with artichokes. The Caesar salad was served with poached egg and pork belly- very fresh! The wine and cocktail menu was extensive and all desserts were made from scratch by chef- including the most delicious blueberry and lavender jam and sour dough bread. Intimate setting with ambience and very clean restrooms - they offer fresh towels to wipe your hands! The best keep secret in Red Wing...thank you chef (and Rita) for the blueberry bread gift - you all made our 23rd anniversary very special read more

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For someplace trying to be fancy... my waitress missed the mark last night when she asked me if I wanted a glass for my beer. When I bartended forty years ago I was taught to always "up" the service... and bring a chilled glass. She also poured my beer without any foam contrary proper pouring procedure. My prime rib was delicious and I will return. read more

Well like all Restaurants in Red Wing it's a fluid experience,as in "your last meal there was your Best or your Worst In this case the Lamb Shank was a 3-10; as an alternative try Stag Head, or BaySide.. maybe the best Food in Town for the Buck..Great Steak Salad, $10.95.. But again it's fluid in this town. I'd recommend the Veranda for breakfast, pleasant wait staff, good coffee, decent Breakfast options. read more

A beautiful historic hotel with a great restaurant. Service was fantastic...hospitable and attentive. So enjoyed my meal from the oysters.. scallops.. to the chocolate lava cake. Definitely would suggest dining here for a nice evening out. read more

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The family just had a fabulous dinner here last week. My husband ordered the Ahi Tuna and a salad. My mother in law and I enjoyed the price fix menu of Mussels (delicious!), steak (tender and juicy, cooked to perfection), and a flourless chocolate cake. The wine was a generous pour and our waitress knowledgeable of the wines. While some might think The Port is pricey, I must say that we paid no more than we did before at the only Steakhouse in town, and that meal was terrible. Go to The Port and have a great meal. read more

Weekend get-away with friends in Red Wing, Mn. Such a clean, pretty little town! The Port restaurant is located in the historic St.James hotel. Very nice restaurant with an interesting, eclectic menu. We tried the beef filet, chicken with mole sauce, the halibut and the spanikopita. Everything was delicious except the beef filet was a bit tough. And then we decided to split a dessert and decided on the Baked Alaska. It was amazing! Olive oil cake, blackberry sorbet and a light meringue- flamed with Cointreau table-side. It was amazing! Very nice meal in a very cool old hotel. read more

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The Port is lauded as the most upscale restaurant in Red Wing, and that's probably true. Most of the people in the restaurant were wearing jackets and trousers. We took a client to this restaurant to show the flavor of Red Wing. I'm not from Minnesota, so it was my first time, too. ATMOSPHERE: The restaurant is dark, with stone walls and wooden furniture. It looks maybe Prohibition-inspired which a touch of upscale rural decor. The tables are very close together - our waitress couldn't access two sides, and had to reach over people to give refills and plates. SERVICE: We started off with wine. I ordered the chardonnay and my coworkers ordered the pinot noir. Both were on special, according to the slip taped in the menu. However, since we did not specify the brand name from the specials slip, the waitress opted to give us a more expensive brand, which she didn't mention until we were about to order a second round. (So instead of $8 glasses, she brought us $13 glasses.) We had the seasonal winter menu. I ordered a house salad and the spanakopita. The waitress said, "I have to warn you, the spanakopita, that's a vegetarian dish," which was awkward. I knew it was vegetarian and wanted vegetarian. But I did not want that preference broadcasted when a conservative client was sitting at the table, because then we had to have a whole conversation about it. She did not take that same level of informing to the other guests' dinners, and they ended up being surprised at what they ordered. The waiters didn't know which dish went to which person. Of the 10 plates they set down over the evening (two courses, five people), they never managed to set the right dish in front of the correct person. FOOD: The house salad was bitter winter frisee with an orange vinaigrette. Instead of croutons, there were five squares of hot bland polenta. (My coworkers got the "caesar salad" which was a single leaf of lettuce, a pork chop, and a fish filet.) My spanakopita was fine. Not great, not as good as when it's served by an Arab restaurant. Two large pieces sat on top of a citrusy bean sauce. Almost a hummus, but not quite. The bottoms of the pieces were soggy from sitting in the sauce. One of my coworkers ordered the pasta dish, and it turned out, it had whole prawns on it. All of the prawns were turned to face her when they set the plate down, which distressed her. She complained that the waitress verified vegetarian food with me, but not whole scary prawns with her. My other dining companions ordered the steak and potatoes entree. A large steak was set upon halved red potatoes. When the waitress brought the dessert menus, she disappeared for more than 30 minutes. We had fully intended to order dessert, but by the time she came back, we were ready to go. read more

The Port is probably the best steakhouse in Redwing. Quiet and appealing cavernous atmosphere (with the option of sitting at the bar, which can a bit a little ruckus). Very fine Filet Mignon with delicious side offerings. A solid choice of wines on the same menu as tempting cocktails Attentive and knowledgeable staff. read more

The Port is an odd duck. First of all, it's buried in the basement of the St. James Hotel. Second of all, it doesn't look like the decor has been altered since the 70s (Classy Euro Steakhouse Iteration?); I seriously expected them to bring us wine in a bottle wrapped in rope. Heavy stone walls, heavy woodwork, brass on everything, hunting prints and historical sepia photos on the wall. Third of all, and despite the above, the food was surprisingly good. Unlike the frozen-in-amber feel of the room, the menu is a very serviceable mix of well executed New American-style offerings. Nothing TOO crazy, but not remotely as stodgy as the environs would suggest. My girlfriend had the short ribs with truffled cauliflower, and I had the pork chop. I think we both could have gone for several of the other entrees, really (the "beggar's purse" looked intriguing), which is always a nice sign. Of the two, I preferred her ribs, but both dishes were solid. My only real quibble with my pork chop was that it didn't really come with a sauce or pureed item, and the contrast between grilled meat and lightly dressed greens was too wide a gap. But the chop was perfectly cooked, and the other items were well seasoned and presented; I'm a stickler for precision in dicing, and was very pleased with my teeny cubes of apple. Both entrees were moderately sized, too; somewhere in between pretentiously wee (a frequent larger city failing) and "reassuringly" massive (typical in smaller town fine dining places that don't want to scare people away). Girlfriend enjoyed her specialty cocktail, and we both liked my "mocktail" quite a bit. It was definitely more than just your typical "umm, throw some fruit juice in some soda water" afterthought. Our starter was not bad, but not memorable. And our desserts were kind of meh, too. But our server was pleasant and willing to entertain our dumb tourist questions. Overall, the Port is a pleasant and refreshing surprise. Red Wing is a charming place, but -- at least based on our experiences over a couple of visits -- the food there rarely aspires to anything higher than mediocre pizza. It's hands-down the best place we've eaten at in the immediate area, and certainly much better than the Veranda restaurant, upstairs. Which is kind of strange, since both operate out of the same hotel, and presumably share some management and cooking staff. If you are looking for a higher-end dining experience in Red Wing, this is the spot, and it's a pretty good one. read more

I took my wife here for her 31st birthday dinner on a Saturday. We had never been to the port before and were in dyer need of a date! We heard it was pretty good from a friend that lived in red wing so we were excited. The restaurant is in the basement of the St James hotel which is actually the old wine cellar of the hotel. The decor is dark and very vintage with a prohibition style feel. The lighting is dim, more of a romantic feel. Our reservation was the first reservation but the restaurant filled up pretty fast. Our waitress was very friendly and very attentive but not obnoxious. She was very informative and helpful with menu. My wife ordered the New York Strip that was accompanied by potatoes seasoned with fresh herbs. The steak was about a 10oz steak and was deliciously tender and juicy. I ordered the tenderloin the was on a bed of mushrooms in some kind of red consomme sauce. It was absolutely wonderful! So tender and juicy! We also each ordered a drink, my wife had a glass of Riesling and I ordered the blood and sand from the prohibition drink list on the menu. Both were great. Being we were there for my wife's birthday we were awarded with a free dessert which of course we had to have. We chose the Guinness lava cake which we were told was made from scratch. It was so good that we still crave it. It was nice to find a high-end restaurant close to home instead of driving to the cities! It was very expensive so we would probably return for another special occasion or just for drinks because those were worth going back for! read more

Location: beautiful historic downtown Red Wing. In the historic St James Hotel. Elegant period decor. Nice drink menu with excellent tap beer lineup. Mussels were a fantastic start. Bison ribeye was perfectly cooked and seasoned. Fantastic presentation. Kobe flat iron was brilliant as well. Make sure to leave room for dessert. Service was great. read more

Superb! Fabulous service, meal & drinks. Spent a Friday evening in Red Wing, enjoyed Jimmy's Bar & when we were sat for dinner impressed with the wine list. Many more options than expected. Port offered fall specials which is expected & appreciate at a high end restaurant. Great atmosphere - we will be dining again! read more

Very cozy and romantic atmosphere, but our table was so tiny we had a hard time eating comfortably for fear of knocking things over. The service is very good. The food is fine, but for the price and reputation we expected more. Steak was overdone, side dishes were just okay. We had the baked Alaska for dessert, which was pretty good. Nice wine selection. read more

The Port - Baked Alaska - Lounges Near Me - Red Wing, Minnesota

Great great food! Hotel is stunning! Room is clean, and cute as can be with a view of the Missippi River! Outstanding service in the restaurant "Veranda" by Laura! Highly recommend it all! read more

Dine with ghosts! The ambiance may seem old-fashioned but don't miss the funky noises, weird cold spots and the best food around. The best cheese ever - try the blue cheese appetizer, a crazy caramel treat! Most items are incomparable. Just have to try them. I had a Bloody Mary appetizer GET THIS: Crab claw, homemade tomato and horseradish ice cream with shredded celery. Every bite a taste treat. AMAZING! read more

The Port - Fun desserts and homemade ice creams like almond honey! - Lounges Near Me - Red Wing, Minnesota

Excellent meal. Started with a Cosmo which was one if the best I've had. My husband had the ribeye and I had filet mignon. Both were cooked exactly as requested. We shared sides of mushrooms and potatoes which were also very good. Ended the meal sharing a rich chocolate cake and ice cream dessert. Wonderful ambiance. Highly recommend! read more

This is where we have our second Thanksgiving meal at St. James Hotel. The food and beverage manager, Jacob is awesome and we saw him last year too. Rita, our server was wonderful. I love this atmosphere. The cane chairs are comfortable and beautiful as well. A couple of things about the food just didn't make it perfect. We shared a caesar salad that they split for us. The lettuce and dressing were very nice. The rest was just damn weird. An entire poached egg on some kind of toasted bread. It was so filling it ruined the dinner and didn't belong anywhere near any salad. Caesar only calls for a yolk and croutons.The dinner was a second turkey with all dark meat and it was tender.So far so good, that's what I prefer. Problem was the stuffing, crunchy cubes took up most of it and I swear they were the same bread as the salad. So I only got a few soft cubes. They improved the gravy from last year. White potatoes were great and thankfully normal without added odd flavors. This was described as a puree but too thick for that description. I was actually happy for the consistency it was.We shared a chocolate guinness cake. It's a small piece and you will be grateful. It's a delicious oozing fudgy cake, and a perfect end to an almost perfect meal. It started with a great bread with some cranberry orange puree, which belonged more on my fingers. I'm determined to have a 5 star experience next year cause I will keep coming back. It has one of the most beautiful bathrooms. read more

Great atmosphere, service, and food. Highly recommended. The French onion soup and pork tenderloin was excellent!

I suppose I should have taken heed when I noticed that at 7 o'clock on a Friday evening the restaurant was 90% empty. My wife and I were celebrating our anniversary and I was in the mood to splurge on an upscale meal. We were seated and presented with a wine list. When we informed the server that we would only be having a glass each, and would like to see the list of wines by the glass we were encouraged instead to buy a bottle and take whatever we didn't drink home with us. After looking at the prices, ($30 to over $100 a bottle) we declined this kind offer. We were pleasantly surprised at how good the house wines were and looked forward to our meal. Given the name, "The Port", I anticipated there would be a number of seafood entrees available. Imagine my disappointment, when I found only one.... Whitefish, To me Whitefish is not a seafood. My wife and I both had to settle for the blue prawns.. The presentation of this dish was frankly disgusting. They arrived with the shells and heads still on bathed in a red sauce that looked remarkably like blood. When we ask for a manager we were told in a rather haughty manner "This is the way we always serve it" Had we known our food was going to stare back at us we would not have ordered it. There was absolutely no mention of this on the menu. The check was presented with no adjustment on the bill. We left without eating anything after paying an $80 tab. We will never ever ever go back to this establishment. I would encourage anyone and everyone to avoid this place like the plague, unless of course you truly enjoy restaurants that are long on snotty attitude, short on service and Incredibly bereft of taste. read more

Good food and service. Our filet mignon was tender and flavorful. The sides were great for two. I have two criticisms that keep this from being 5 stars. First, why make corn chowder, which could be vegetarian and just as tasty, with fish? For those of us with a fish allergy, it removes the soup as an option. Second, the baked tomato that came with the steak was not a good match and added nothing to the meal. It was mushy and tasteless and neither my partner nor I ate it. Either choose an appropriate side (small salad, potato, carrots, asparagus...) or just don't have a side included, This bread-covered tomato was significantly worse than nothing and took away from the meal. read more

this place looks awesome. it kind of boasts from the sidelines about being a prohibition bar and restraunt. however its not.. the bar the actual bar and mirrors as well as the woodwork got brought to red wing from a prohibition bar in new york city.. its got an old school gangsta feel... but this is where the good ends. I suggest stopping for a drink... perhaps to look but not much more. I can't imagine eating somewhere that smells of this place. it smells terrible... musty and like rotten meat. there are very limited menu items. .. seven if I recall correctly... and definatly nothing on the menu that appealed to four of the five guests ... I can not tell you about the food.... we litterly got up and left. unimpressed. read more

We had a wonderful time and a great meal. The mussels as an appetizer were wonderful. I had the Kobe flat iron steak. It was excellent. One of my companions had the duck and loved it and another had the salmon and also raved. read more

Don't waste your time at this restaurant. There must be better places for dinner in Redwing?!?! I visited The Port with a group on a Wednesday night. Atmosphere: The restaurant is interesting looking. It is dark, stone walls, interesting ambience. The service makes it feel less than friendly. We weren't sure if the chill was from the ghosts or the staff! Food: Everything was over salted. When my friend ordered the spanakopita, the waitress made a point of saying that is a vegetarian dish. When my other pescatarian friend ordered the cod, she made no mention of the fact there was bacon in the dish and it was served over a beef broth. Apparently they do not get many non meat eaters? One member in our party ordered the cod, there were bones in the fish. We pointed this out to the waitress and she apathetically apologized and offered to get him something new from the kitchen. Overall, the food was not good. The gnocchi was mushy, everything was salty. The food was way over priced for the quality. Service: I would give the service 1 star... only because at least someone showed up to take our order, etc. There were several "apologies" from our waitress for things like a mistake in the kitchen, not delivering (but being charged for) a drink that was ordered, etc. etc. We did not realize the restaurant closed at 9 p.m. The waitress reminded everyone of this when 2 people in the party didn't arrive until 8:15. The bartender was great! I'm sure other staff may enjoy their jobs and be warm to guests. We did not have that experience. Overall, very disappointing. If you literally have no other options... order the appetizers and get a few drinks. I would not waste time or money on the entrees. read more

Came here for our 10 Year anniversary dinner and I was disappointed. Yes it was fancy however I didn't find it romantic and the food was mediocre and not worth the price. read more

Just the ambiance alone is 5 stars, but it gets better. If you are looking for a romantic, sophisticated meal, this is the place. I came here with two friends and immediately archived this place in my mind to go back to with my husband. Steaks were cooked exactly the way we asked, and the salads were perfect. My filet mignon was mouth-watering and I wanted to scrape the dish of my gnnochi. Although nearly empty when we arrived, and full near the end of our meal, we never felt rushed to leave. Water was re-filled without asking and the staff was so attentive. The sight, the sound, the scent of this restaurant is number one. Wish I could eat here every day. Two thumbs way up! read more

Awesome food, cocktails, and great service. The atmosphere is quiet and simple and romantic. We have been here a couple times with different menus and each time the food is delicious. read more

Had the bison ribeye, just outstandingly prepared! Very friendly place, good conversation. A little pricey, but it's worth the treat.

The price performance of The Port was good. Overall the food was very enjoyable and properly prepared including some unique creations like the tomato sorbet and grated horseradish cream that were served with the Bloody Mary Stone Crab. The desserts were outstanding. We had a baked Alaskan and a Lava Cake. The naming of some of the dishes was too similar to traditional dishes but we're so different that some could be disappointed and the menu descriptions didn't help. This was the case with their Cesar salad. In reality, it was a dark flavored dish with the pork belly and minimal greens and dressing, not the bright flavor in traditional Cesar. So be clear about what you are getting before ordering. The evening was enjoyable but they need to better consistently train their staff. I had waiter envy all evening as I watch a very professional and capable waitress attend to another table nearby. Our particular waiter was very enthusiastic, but not very good. He forgot to give us the proper utensils 3 times after our dishes came. So we had to sit and wait for someone to go by to ask for them each time. The wine pairings with our 4 course menu were not all good pairings. For example, the Riesling was not nice with the Cesar Salad. And the waiter asked if we were having a Chardonnay or a Cabernet with our Lobster. To me, a pairing is when a professional makes exact selections with exact dishes and they sing together. There was a very serious, stern looking lady walking around the restaurant all evening making everyone uneasy. She needs to train her staff properly upfront with clear expectations and not hover like a school marm. Overall, I would dine at The Port again because of some of the creative dishes and the beautiful setting. read more

Well, we noticed no smell and our entrees were excellent. We are not new to finer restaurants; witness meals at numerous of the most notable restaurants in MSP--Solera, Masa, Pazzaluna, Origami, Sakura, and newly opened Acqua in both White Bear, and Forest Lake-- others too numerous to mention. We enjoyed dinner there on 8/16/13. Super wine list! Attentive service. Overall, a very nice experience. read more

Great food and view. Quiet so we could carry on conversation. Had walleye and Prime Rib. Fast and attentive service.