Toro Bravo, Portland/ by Shelley Lance and Robyn Wolfe
Another top favorite experience in Portland was an early dinner at Toro Bravo. This required a cab ride to an off-the-beaten-track industrial neighborhood, and we went early to avoid the long waits often required to get into this popular tapas joint. We got there right before the place began to fill up and were seated at the bar where our busy bartender nevertheless took the time to shower us with attention.
Here we enjoyed everything we’ve come to expect at one of Portland’s hottest dining spots: a hip vibe, an enthusiastic bartender (photo top), a creative cocktail list, and fun, delicious food at reasonable prices.
We started off with glasses of Cava and 2 French Kisses: brandy soaked prunes stuffed with foie gras (photo third from top). Next we had charred bread with fromage blanc and nettles (photo fourth from top, left), perhaps my favorite bite of the evening. (I have a running conversation with ET, who thinks nettles sound cool but are actually boring to eat, sort of like spinach. I don’t completely disagree, but I love ordering something so fleetingly seasonal and at least you don’t see nettles from Argentina being sold in the supermarket in February! In any case, this nettle preparation was the best I’ve ever tasted- vibrant with flavor.) We also ordered a generously sized salad of “Singing Pig” greens with hazelnuts and grilled asparagus (in the photo behind the charred bread with nettles) plus another top fave, a plate of squid ink pasta with hazelnuts (yep, Oregon is hazelnut country!), anchovy syrup, and an egg yolk (bottom photo). I can honestly say I only wish we had had enough room in our stomachs and time in our schedule (we were due to cab it back downtown for the IACP opening reception) to have tried ten more menu items! This is another Portland spot not to be missed!
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