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20 2007
, JULY
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lUStlOUt 27
eatingout
Epiqueerean
BY JENNY NGUYEN
Hot Spots
| he heat is on here in the Rose City, and
I’m not just talkin’ ’bout the mercury
rising. New restaurants are ripe with hype,
competing for our picky, everyone’s-a-
food-critic dollar. So here 1 am to give you
my two (and three-quarter) cents on some of
P-town’s hottest spots.
breakfast
&
lunch
Rocket • 1111 E. Burnside St.
This is perhaps one of the most overhyped
restaurants to infect Portland in years; Leather Storrs
(of Noble Rot fame) has a huge reputation to fulfill.
The new “green” building on the comer of Sandy
Boulevard and Bumside Street is absolutely stunning
once you get to the fourth floor, where the gleaming-
chic dining room perches. Take in the mad views,
bathe in artsy decor, and be at ease in the expertise
of the wait staff, ’cuz when it comes to the fixxl, all
bets are off. The shrimp cocktail with avocado and
chips is delicious, but the potato pierogies are dry
and lackluster. A $10 salad of butter lettuce and
fennel narrowly misses the mark for being over
dressed and wilted. The braised beef rib is tender but
lacks sauciness. On the other hand, the crisp salmon
and lemon chicken sous vide are fairly gixxl. The
menu isn’t overly creative, but consistency makes
R<x:ket a constant experiment.
The Chesterfield •
1101 E. Burnside St.
Strapped for cash but craving to be in “the
scene”? Look no further, as literally just upstairs is
the spendy/trendy Rocket and down the street is
the Doug Fir. Here, it’s DJ’in bass beats, graffiti art
and ambient lighting in all the right places. The
stellar cocktails will have you reeling, ’specially if
you take it to the “patio” to be paired with some
steaming, hot CO2. Grab a group and claim the
must-see Egg’s Nest upstairs (seriously too cool).
Don’t even think about skipping a meal here
expecting drab bar food, as the menu is superbly
executed by Tabla chef Paul Duncan. From a divine
cheese plate of ossau iraty, port-poached prunes and
Marconas to an open-faced pork belly sandwich
with a fried duck egg, the food here is spectacular.
For what seems like forever Fir Territory, East
Bumside now has a couple of alternatives for the
people by the people.
503
230 0463
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-»•BBQ on Broadwa y-*-
^Odessa’s Cafe
Authentic Southern BBQ
r
Slow Cooked Homemade Sauce
Now Serving Beer & Wine
3445 NE Broadway
503-2SS-3369
Sun-Thurs llam-8pm • Fri &Sat llam-lOpm
•<
Dine-ln or Take Out
CAFFE
MINGO
serving dinner nightly @ 5pm
in northwest Portland, we don't do reservations
be a kitchen voyeur
eat at the original
503 226 4646
COME DINE AL FRESCO
I
,
Nostrana
FRESH, LOCAL, WOOD-FIRED^
503.234.2427 1401 SE Morrison www.nostrana.com
Restaurant of the "Sear 2006 —
(Oregonian
Toro Bravo «120 N.E. Russell St.
This Beautiful space adjacent to Wonder
Ballroom is earthy, airy and inviting. Specializing in
Spanish tapas, the menu is laden with soon-to-be
quintessential small plates. From a deliciously fluffy
tortilla espaha to an incredible green gazpacho with
scallop ceviche, every single plate is to die for. The
pork rillette with braised cherries is tender, salty and
addictive. The flawlessly grilled bone-in pork chop
dances with rosemary-infused cherries. With an
extensive and complicated menu, TB somehow still
manages to make killer paella and stellar Marcona
gelato and to pull a nice shot of espresso. Although
the echoic dining room can get vtKiferous, you’ll
forget all about the noise when all you can hear is
your own moaning. Bravo indeed.
J enny N guyen wants to know what’s in your
mouth. Spit it out by writing to her at
epiqueerean@comcast .net.
simple Italian cooking
simple Italian food
MiNGO
serving lunch mon-fri, dinner 7 nights
happy hour in between
in Beaverton, we do reservations
full bar. big bottles of wine
great.... if you can find it
503 646 6464
(directions at mingowcst.com)
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4
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301 S£. Worton -503.234.1324
numtaaeportLul. com
Open Seven <Saip a wa
O4appiyO4our Wìon..J».
5-6 pm
i^jon.- Iboup) • Ouei.- Service ^kuluitry • OhurA.- Orivia
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