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Review: Andina – Restaurant of the Year 2009

With the myriad of restaurants opening in Portland every year, it is easy to forget some of the older ones, which often are better than the latest gastronomic trend-setters. In my opinion, Andina is one of these, a restaurant that rarely disappoints, always intrigues and provides a great introduction to one of the world’s great cuisines.

Echo Restaurant

Echo opened in 2006, and was quickly popular after a lot of positive reviews. After a long series of chefs and more hills and valleys than a roller coaster, a new owner is in place, and though the menu has stayed close to the original fare, the quality is much improved and seems consistently prepared. Sometimes you just want to
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Review: Tasty n Sons

I normally wouldn’t write a first impressions piece on a restaurant in its first week of business, but I have gotten lots of emails asking for information. Since I found Tasty & Sons is pretty good, I decided to go ahead and tell you what I think about this new venture. Owned by John Gorham of Toro Bravo, Tasty &
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Review: Toro Bravo

Note: this post is a complete re-write of the 2007 review – an extra 1500 words. I’m going to stray off the topic of Toro Bravo for a bit, but to understand Spanish food, it helps to have a little understanding of the culture behind the food. Spain tugs at something deep in my soul. Maybe it is because taste,
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Higgins

On the way home from dinner at Nel Centro one evening, I was bemoaning the fact that I hadn’t had a good meal since I reviewed Tabla. At that moment, we drove past Higgins, which looked completely full. It had been at least five years since my last dinner there, but it used to be one of my favorite restaurants,
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Nel Centro

On a cool evening a few months ago, I sat with friends on the patio at Nel Centro. Three fire pits allowed heat to drift across our table. The flames, reflected in window after window of the hotel, were sometimes three layers deep. Sheltered from the transit mall, it was a little oasis. Vines climbed nearby walls, the background music
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Review: Hot Pot City

[Updated 10/10/09 - Hot Pot City continues to give the same level of quality and service as we discussed in the original review we did here in 2007. However, the restaurant seems to have been "discovered". There are often long waits, especially for counter seating and during prime lunch hours (12-1:30pm). Weekends often fare a bit better. Service can be brisk or completely overwhelmed.]

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