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[SMALL PLATES, BIG WAITS] Before Portland waited for foie gras ice cream, it waited for Toro Bravo. Opened in 2007, the flagship of chef John Gorham's culinary empire has risen to tourist-attraction status, so don't expect to ever just show up and waltz straight to a table. Use that hour before seats open up to tour the little explored Boise-Eliot 'hood—or better yet, to plot your approach. Toro Bravo has endured as a destination in part for its broad interpretation of tapas; Gorham has never worried much about "authenticity," augmenting classic Spanish dishes with touches of Oregon and Italy. The menu also rotates often enough it's possible to never eat the same dish twice. That said, no one's ever been disappointed sticking with the staples. The bacon-wrapped dates, drizzled with honey, are a must-start appetizer. Follow with the crispy patatas bravas, which are served with an addictive aioli sauce, and chili mayo-accented oxtail croquettes. Get the squid-ink pasta if it's there, and the coppa steak. Really, though, the best course of action is to follow your appetite: Unlike certain other out-of-towner hot spots, at Toro Bravo, if it sounds good, it probably is. MATTHEW SINGER.
Waiting is part of the Toro Bravo experience, so where you wait is crucial. On a date? Head next door for a cocktail at the uber-classy Secret Society. Celebrating a birthday? Raise a Sidepipe—a margarita with an upside-down Coronita dunked inside it—at Bunk Bar underneath the adjacent Wonder Ballroom.
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2014 Restaurant of the Year: Kachka
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WWeek 2015