Quick Bites PDX: Toro Bravo

Fried anchovies with fennel and lemon....Brandy soaked dates stuffed with foie gras....Lamb Rillettes....Jamon wrapped chicken....Oxtail croquettes. Such are the restaurant nightmares of any number of pallid skinned vegans. Conversely, these are the very things I dream about in my healthy, robust state, and last night at Toro Bravo the very things...plus more...we happily munched our way through at a birthday dinner for my sister. Restaurant recession? Not at John Gorham's temple of Iberian tapas treasures on NE Russell Street. Tuesday night and it was rocking. Once again the equation of delivering real value plus superbly crafted food trumps the economic realities. And as ever the TB menu provides endless ways to satisfy any craving you might be experiencing.

We started out with cocktails and wine (and I heartily recommend their Txakoli (pronounced chac-o-lee) as the perfect starter white. Although on their very fairly priced wine list there are any number of red and white temptations worthy of your attention. With the liquid portion out of the way, we dug right into plates of their salty, perfectly fried anchovies with fried fennel and lemon (right photo) on top of a piquant romesco. This is one of Portland's great appetizers, and almost worth the trip to TB just to experience its singular delight. Other things we sampled in the food madness parade:
-Lamb Rillettes...delicious especially smeared with the orange marmalade it comes with.
- Manchego and Paprika Fritters...a little pedestrian, not much distinction. Pass on that next time.
- Salt Cod Fritters (left)...okay, the other classic PDX small plate, this almost ubiquitous starter is done better here than anywhere else, especially dipped in the offered aioli. Stoner food for adults!
- Sautéed Bruseels Sprouts with bacon sherry cream sauce...do I even need to tell you how good this was? Bacon sherry cream sauce...'nuff said!
- Squid Ink Pasta...another "wow" dish, rich and spicy. I LOVE this pasta!
- Calamari a la Plancha...sautéed fresh calamari, tender and seasoned just enough. Delish!
- Oxtail croquettes...a TB standby and something I could eat way too many of.
- Seared scallops with romesco...yes, more please, especially with that sensual, creamy romesco.
- Jamon wrapped chicken with pisto manchego...the pisto was wonderful as was the jamon, but hard to keep intact for bites with the chicken. Still quite good.

After this you'd think five healthy adults would have the good sense to leave, but we are also dealing with five healthy adults who also have semi-unhealthy food addictions, and besides what's a b-day dinner without dessert?
- Churros and chocolate (left)...really nice, better than I had in Spain. The fried dough not oily at all, and the dark chocolate was so good I wanted to drink it right out of the cup.
- Olive Oil Cake...moist, nutty, and somehow light, even with the apple-pear caramel sauce and whipped cream ("Light"? I know, I sometimes have a disconnect with reality).
- Caramel Panna Cotta...what's up with serving it in a custard cup instead in letting it be all jiggly on the plate as is traditional? Just call it custard with a (too heavy) caramel sauce. Skip this.
My bro-in-law and I also had a muscat-ey, honey-florally, very smooth Ransom Grappa to ensure good health (did I mention a disconnect?) and we left TB as always very happy. The cost for all of that was a more than reasonable $44 a person (before tip), and once again Gorham deserves credit for creating one of this cities best dining experiences.


photos from Eat.Drink.Think. and flickr

Shrimp, His Way

The "His" referring to the master of simple deliciousness, Mark Bittman (who in his
"How To Cook Everything" calls it Shrimp, My Way). I made this recipe out of the book last night for some friends as a quick appetizer, and it received much praise and even a couple of "oohs" and "aahs". Try it at your next gathering (it would be perfect at a tapas party), preferably washed down with copious amounts of dry rosé like in the pic!
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Shrimp, My Way
from Mark Bittman's "How To Cook Everything"

ingredients:
1/2 cup olive oil
4 or 5 big cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1-1/2 to 2 pounds shrimp, 20-30 count, peeled, rinsed, and dried
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon cumin
1-1/2 teaspoons smoked Spanish paprika
minced parsley leaves for garnish (optional)

method:
1-Preheat broiler and set rack as closely as possible to heat

2- Very gently, in a broad, oven-proof skillet, warm the oil over low heat. There should be enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan; don't skimp. Put the garlic in the oil and cook over low heat until it starts to turn golden.

3- Raise the heat to medium-high and add the shrimp, salt and pepper, cumin, and paprika. Stir to blend and immediately place under the broiler. Cook, shaking the pan once or twice and stirring if necessary, but generally leave the shrimp undisturbed, until they are pink all over and the mixture is bubbly. This will take from 5-10 minutes. Garnish and serve immediately.
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one year ago today @ E.D.T.: Cooking Up a Story at Gaining Ground Farms!

Piquillos con Atun

The pre-dinner party staples of cheese, crackers, and olives can get a bit played, can't they? That's why at our last dinner party this weekend, I went all Obama on our friends and decided it was time for Change in America....or at least at our house here in Portland. And when you put together something so easy and delicious as these classic Spanish tapas that everyone will rave about, then there is no excuse. All you need is a can or jar of Spanish tuna in olive oil, some whole piquillo peppers, some capers, and some nimble fingers, which luckily w has ten of. Viva la revolución!!
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Piquillos con Atun

ingredients:
1 Jar (7.6oz) Piquillo peppers
1 tin Bonito tuna in olive oil
Extra Virgin olive oil
1⁄4 cup Capers

method:
1. Combine tuna in a bowl, draining off about half of the oil. Replace about half of the drained oil with extra virgin olive oil.
2. Break the tuna up into large chunks and add the capers.
3. Hold the peppers so that they form a cone in your hand and stuff with the tuna mixture.
4. Place each stuffed pepper onto a serving plate.