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Overall Ratings: ****1/2
Overall Review: The tapas were excellent! The
decor of the restaurant has a refined and simple elegance
that makes the restaurant feel warm and comfortable.
Review Date:
August 7, 2007
Cuisine: Spanish fare
featuring tapas using local seasonal produce.
Alcohol: Full service bar. A small wine list
with wines from Spain and a few Oregon wines. White and red
sangrias are available by the glass or pitcher.
Attire: Casual
Location: Northeast
Portland - The restaurant is located next to the Wonder
Ballroom in northeast Portland.
Open Hours:
Tuesday - Thursday: 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Friday - Saturday: 5:00 to midnight
Sunday: 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Closed Monday.
Corkage Fee: $10.00
Parking: Street
parking. You can also park in the library lot across the
street after 6:30. Please do not park in the Wonder Ballroom
lot.
Price Range:
Moderate
Reservations:
No reservations are taken
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Rating Key
Explanations:
* Bad
(will never go back)
** Fair (below average - will not go back)
*** Good (would consider dining there again)
**** Very Good (will definitely go back)
***** Extraordinary (will be back as soon as
possible)
I make every
attempt to remain anonymous while reviewing each
restaurant. All meals are paid for by
myself.
This way, I can report the most honest and
trustworthy restaurant reviews possible. Other
recognizable critics frequently get special food
and service. I forgo any perks so that my
restaurant experience will be similar to yours.
If you would like
to add a review of this restaurant, email
Linda Stradley.
Also feel
free to send me suggestions of restaurants for
review.
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Toro Bravo
Toro Brave is considered one of the
hot trendy restaurants in Portland to dine at. Owner and Chef John
Gorham, and his wife Courtney, who is in charge of the service and
dining room, have turned up the heat for Spanish fare in Portland.
No reservations are taken, so the lines waiting to dine there can
get rather long, especially on weekends. The restaurant is worth the
wait, as the food is superb! Come early in the evening and walk
right in.
Toro Bravo's menu is divided into
three sections: pinchos, tapas, and paella. The menu changes with
the seasons and the local fresh produce available. Tapas or “small
plates” are the mainstay of the restaurant. The best way to
experience the food here is to order a bunch of pinchos or tapas and
pass them around the table.
 Eating
options include the bar, where you could drop in for a cocktail and
a couple of tapas, counter seating around the kitchen to watch the
cooks, and a wide variety of table sizes to choose from.
We had a group of five diners enjoying
this dining experience. We ordered 13 tapa plates to share
among our group. Every tapa served was beautifully presented and
tasted fantastic!
Our only complaints were not food
related. The kitchen sent out our tapas way too fast. We had to ask
them to slow down the pace as they started coming at once. The other
complaint was, since we were sharing the tapas among our group, it
was awkward as they didn't include serving utensils with the tapa
plates. We had to use our eating utensils. These are very minor
complaints on our part.
Following are the tapas that our group
ordered:
Cheese Plate - $8.00
A nice assortment of cheeses.
Sherry Chicken Liver Mousse with
crostini - $6.00
This was exceptional! A very delicate pate. I could make a meal
of this pate, some fresh bread, and a bottle of red wine.
Catalan Tomato Rubbed Bread - $3.00
A little different version than I have tasted before, but it was
excellent! One of our dining companions said that it reminded her of
being in Spain where every dish is saturated with olive oil. We all
agreed that we liked it very much. Make sure everyone in your group
eats some, as the garlic is abundant on this toast.
Pimientos de Padron - $6.00
Delicious! These were small green peppers that were deep fried.
The server said that as the season progresses and the peppers
mature, this dish gets hotter and hotter.
Fried Anchovies with fennel and
lemon - $5.00
This was my first experience eating fried anchovies, so I do not
feel that I can properly review this course. My dining companions
loved it and said it reminded them of traveling in Spain. I
could not bring myself to eat the heads! The fried anchovies were
topped with deep-fried fennel and lemon strips.
Radicchio Salad with green olive
toast and Manchego vinaigrette - $8.00
A beautifully presented salad featuring radicchio.
Tortilla Espanola - $5.00
We were served a generous slice of this famous potato dish. It was
excellent! The two sauces complimented this dish well.
Green Beans braised with Jamon
preserved lemon and tomato - $5.00
This dish tasted a little bland after all the spicy dishes we
had previous enjoyed.
Pan-Fried Squash Blossoms with mojo
picon - $9.00
Griddle Shrimp with chilies -
$13.00
The chilies that the shrimp was marinated in provides a definite
"kick" to the palate. It wasn't easy dividing three shrimp among our
five hungry diners!
Seared Scallops with romesco -
$13.00
I'm sorry, but the photo came out very blurry on this dish. The
scallops were excellent, and we wished there were more on the plate.
Oxtail Croquettes with spice roasted chili mayonnaise - $14.00
Roasted Eggplant with sweet pepper,
lamb ragu, and mahon cheese - $9.00
Desserts - Our group shared a
panna cotta and a molten chocolate cake. These were the only
disappointments for the evening. They were just ok - nothing
special! We were disappointed that there were no Spanish
desserts on the menu. Where is the flan?
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