Pata Negra

My friend Claire has been wanting to go on a Tapas Tour of Portland for a while, now. Well, we haven't quite made it yet, but our tour starts now, with Pata Negra.

The place is beautifully painted, has good light, and friendly, helpful staff. Though Tapas is traditionally a Spanish, well, tradition, the menus were mercifully translated. (I myself am fluent in Spanish, but I assume that most of you are not).
Tapas are an assortment of appetizers, which you mix and match to create your own unique meal. Tapas are not to be eaten in solitude, so bring friends. Rich friends, preferably. ;) Close your eyes, point to the menu a couple times, get some wine, and tuck in!


At Pata Negra, I had the pleasure to try the weirdest, most delicious appetizer I've ever heard of: datiles con jamon. In normal people words, that means: sauteed dates wrapped in bacon and drizzled with date sauce. It was heavenly, and I aim to re-create it myself one of these days. I got the "recipe" from our waiter.

We also had Boquerones Rebozados -- the only time in my life I've ever had anchovies. They were fried to a light crisp in olive oil.

Calamares Fritos followed, as well as Champinones al Ajillo (Sauteed Mushrooms), Pato ( deliciously tender pieces of duck), and Rollitos de Berenjena, a smoky grilled eggplant rolled around goat cheese.



These tapas ranged in price from about 6.5 (the rollitos) to 10.75 (the pato).