*** Toro Bravo has closed
To think we'd been to Tasty n Alder three times (it would be four by the time left) over the last year and had even been to Tasty n Sons, but still hadn't been to the first, John Gorham's original; Toro Bravo. I'd indeed read and heard a lot about the place; the Spanish inspired dishes, and having just returned from Spain, possibly my second favorite country to visit, the time seemed right.
Even though we'd done a good amount of walking already, the Missus was determined to walk to Toro Bravo. Hacing walked to Tasty n Sons the day before, this two mile walk was a piece of cake. It helped that it wasn't quite as hot as it was earlier in the day.
As you can see....Toro Bravo is the place to be. There was a line when we arrived. The place only takes reservations for groups of 7 to 14 people, so we had to arrive a bit before opening. We loved the service here; it was both efficient and polished, but relaxed, and not stuffy at all. There was never a time when we even had to consider flagging someone down, as our drinks were always full , the timing of clearing the table was amazing. And yet, we never, ever felt like anyone was hovering over us.....a nice plus was being seated in the comfy and cozy little nook called "the Make Out Room". Compared to the busy dining room.....
It was such a nice, private, space.....
While it seems like the Tasting Menu would be a nice choice, we went a la carte instead and were glad we did.
We started with two "kisses", think amuse like starters.
First up, the Spanish Kiss - "spherical olives".
Had we not been to Disfrutar a few months before, this El Bulli inspired, olive flavored spheres would have impressed us a bit more. As it stood, we found this to be quite mild in flavor, not quite the stunning bite we expected.
Same with the "Barcelona Kiss".
The one dish we really wanted to try was the Radicchio.....the version of this that Tasty n Alder serves is among the Missus's favorite dishes. So much so, that my copycat...let's called it "inspired by" version is a staple in our household.
I have to say, while this was decent, it really missed the richness, smokiness, and pure savory goodness of the TnA version. The vinaigrette was nice, but I think the tangy-creamy-rich dressing that TnA uses is better.
The Basque Piperade had all those components we love.
But in spite of the hearty look of the dish, this one also missed the mark. The grilled bread; was a bit too burned and bitter for us; and the entire dish was a bit lacking in overall flavor. We would have enjoyed a bit more acid, more salt...as a whole this tasted a bit flat to us.
At this point, I noticed something with the last two dishes; it seems that we were consuming what were the base of other dishes we'd had at Tasty n Alder and Tasty n Sons...the radicchio salad is obvious....but the piperade was so close to the shakshuka at Tasty n Sons, down to the grilled bread, and even the base flavors...we also found the shakshuka at TnS to be a bit lacking in flavor overall as well.
For us the real star of the "Beccerita" were the potatoes, which were prepped quite well and had great flavor. The sauce overwhelmed the octopus, which did have a very nice texture.
We also loved the potatoes the accompanied the nicely seasoned and very tasty Moorish Lamb Chop.
Loved the flavors; the charred and smokey lamb was very gamey.
By now we had a thought that perhaps the proteins here were the way to go and decided to end with the Drunken Pork, which proved to be a favorite.
While it looked like a hot mess; the combination of textures and flavors really did well together.
So things ended really well. Still, I think that Ataula is more our thing. Still, I'm glad we finally had a chance to check out Toro Bravo.
Toro Bravo
120 NE Russell St
Portland, OR 97212
We had really wanted to check out several breweries, but were just not able to this time around. With our time in PDX short, I decided that the one place we needed to check out was Upright Brewing.
Located in the basement in the office building, I loved the setting. You go and find the elevator (we found the stairs) and head down to the basement.
Past those double doors.....
And you were there......
A couple of tables in room with a few pulls, the place had this real speakeasy feel....you were in the basement of some business building in who knows where... Also, I love my Belgian style brews, so the French/Belgian Farmhouse style beers were just up my alley.
My favorites were the "Six" and "Seven", the six a bit prune-raisiny with sweet touches. The seven was a wonderful farmhouse saison, fresh, perhaps a bit too sweet for a saison, but I enjoyed it.
Upright Brewing
240 N Broadway
Portland, OR 97227
As always Portland is full of surprises for us.
Speaking of surprises....anyone know what this is?
delicious meals:)
Posted by: kat | Friday, 08 January 2016 at 02:12 AM
Cool looking artwork! Those blocks look heavy.
Like the char on that lamb chop. I need to make myself a chop or a steak...
Posted by: Soo @ hungryones | Friday, 08 January 2016 at 08:58 AM
Quick search of Google yielded: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terra_Incognita_%28sculpture%29
Posted by: Junichi | Friday, 08 January 2016 at 11:24 AM
It pretty good Kat!
That lamb chop was delicious Soo.
Funny thing is I also did a Google search, but must have not put in the correct keywords Junichi.
Posted by: Kirk | Saturday, 09 January 2016 at 05:50 PM