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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 ligh
t, 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).
Another local favorite in the NE corner of Portland is a little Italian restaurant by the name of Lucca. I went there for my birthday. What a fabulous place to (currently) live around the corner from! In addition to serving great food, our waiter was very pleasant and informative. The restaurant boasts local, seasonal ingredients, around which their menu changes.
My menu consisted:
Inama Carmenere Piu, 06 (Venet0):
It was not too dry, not too sweet. It was recommended with our meal choice.
Apple Salad:
Made with green apple slices, local wintergreens, hazelnuts, pancetta, and the most flavorful parmesan and sherry vinaigrette. It was like nothing I've ever tasted. I would not have thought that apple and pork and hazelnut would work so well together -- especially in a salad!
Lentil Soup:
I tried some of Dad's lentil soup in exchange for a piece of duck. It was pretty tasty -- and the lentils were cooked through! What a concept!
Strozzapreti & Duck:
I have never had duck before. I suppose the part of my brain that tells me that everything I try will taste like chicken got the best of me. The duck actually tasted much like venison -- though it was cooked in white wine until it was fairly melting with tenderness. The duck topped off a rope pasta, laden with tomato and
myriad spices, and laced with pecorino.
Gianduia Tiramisu:
A Swiss dessert, Gianduia is a chocolate hazelnut cake with layers of mascarpone. They served me a hefty piece, topped off with Nutella-worthy shavings. Surprisingly, the best part of this dessert (no small feat!) was the stick of hazelnut biscotti they'd propped on the cake. I could eat that all day long!
My salad: 8
My entree: 13.5
My dessert: 6
The wine: 20
Obviously it was my birthday present. :)
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 ligh
t, 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).
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.
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.
