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XOCOLATA XURROS: When Portlanders bring worldly business concepts here, they're typically adjusted to better adapt to the environment. Our Real Ales get hoppier, our pizza toppings get heavier and everything gets some kale. The new Spanish-style xurreria on Northeast Broadway is a rare exception.
That spot, 180 (2218 NE Broadway, 180pdx.com), comes from Jose Chesa and Cristina Baez, owners of the excellent Spanish eatery Ataula in Northwest. Their new project is self-assuredly simple. It's a bare-bones space, more kitchen than cafe, with high ceilings, concrete floors and 10 metal stools along chest-high counters. They serve several varieties of deep-fried dough, little cups of sauce-thick cocoa and coffee. The best are the churros rellenos, 4-inch stubs that come in pairs for $3, filled with chocolate, dulce de leche or creme brulee. They're served on stainless-steel racks, and get even better when you dip them in xocolata, a thick sauce of rich, warm and only mildly sweet liquid cocoa ($4 for 4 ounces) served in a small mug à la Turkish coffee.
It's not a place you want to linger, but everything on the tiny menu is good. Everyone I know who's been to both Spain and 180 has praised the shop's authenticity. That's a welcome change, even if the locals might eventually demand cushier seats and a cocktail version of the chocolaty beverage.
Willamette Week