Memorable Meals: Nostrana, Autentica, Tabla

The blurby nature of this grouping in no way reflects the quality of the meals at these three establishments; each was deserving of a full post on its own. Chalk it up to laziness on the writer's part.

I hadn't been to Nostrana for lunch for way too long, so when a friend that I hadn't seen for way too long wanted to meet on her lunch hour to catch up, it seemed like the perfect fit. It was a sunny, warm day and Nostrana had added a bevy of brightly colored umbrellas to the patio in front of the restaurant, as well as a bright canvas panel to block the breeze that seems to constantly flow up some invisible chute from the river. Most of the windows on the river side also slide open, so even if you're sitting inside it feels like you're dining al fresco, and diners are encouraged to adjust them to suit their tastes. And speaking of taste, there are few lunch menus in town as dependably awesome yet accessible as that found here. From salads to pizzas to the piatti lunch specials, there is almost no way you can go wrong. And splitting a salad, particularly their version of a Caesar made with radicchio or the albacore (left), and a pizza is not looked down upon. The wines by the glass, while terrific choices all, can almost double the cost of your lunch and I haven't had the courage to ask to split a glass, so I tend to stick to iced tea ($2.50).

Details: Nostrana, 1401 SE Morrison St. 503-234-2427.

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A warm summer evening and meeting friends for dinner meant finding a restaurant that offered outdoor dining, wasn't too expensive and served killer drinks. Additional points were awarded for proximity to home. Fortunately, before we got to the spreadsheet stage (yes, it has happened…we're very nerdy around here), someone mentioned that Autentica has a charming patio (top photo), fabulous margaritas and wouldn't cost an arm and a leg. And, since again I hadn't been there in WTL (way too long), we made a date. We were ushered through the restaurant to a tiny back door that opened onto a spacious patio with plantings of tall cannas separating the long space into two "rooms." With the walls painted in bright, Mexican-inspired colors, we felt like we were back  in Mazatlan on the Plazuela Machado. The margaritas came almost instantly, and we dove into our guacamole, ceviche and queso fundido with handmade tortillas and chef Oswaldo Bibiano's signature trio of stunning chile salsas. Our entrées, including an enchilada platter, a filet of whole trout with a garlic epazote purée and a fall-apart tender carne asada with black-eyed peas (above right), were all crazy good, especially with a second round of those delicious margaritas. With that dinner in mind, I can't wait to try his new venture, Mextiza, scheduled to open on N Killingsworth later this summer.

Details: Autentica, 5507 NE 30th Ave. 503-287-7555.

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When it's time to celebrate a major anniversary with a dinner out, we tend to go back to a favorite that never disappoints, is not outrageously priced and where we'll be treated like family. That's a pretty tall order and a very short list, and you'll not be surprised that, for us, Tabla on NE 28th is at the top of it. Not only is chef Anthony Cafiero a warm and funny guy who has a gas playing with his food, he gets that food from frequent trips to local farmers' markets. I know because I'm constantly running into him on whatever day of the week he needs to restock, loaded down with armloads of heavy bags and waving fronds. The night we went with my brother and his lovely bride, Anthony was offering his $28 three-course dinner with the likes of an appetizer of sous vide farm egg with ham, green beans garlic scapes and ricotta cream, a pasta course of Cavatelli with calamari, garlic and piquillo peppers with the Mar y Montaña (above left) entrée featuring Spanish octopus, pork chop, ajo blanco, cilantro and carrot foam. As I've mentioned before, Cafiero is still having huge fun making foams, infusions and smears without taking away from the real flavors of his market ingredients. And that's always worth coming back for.

Details: Tabla, 200 NE 28th Ave. 503-238-3777.

Talk About Baby Corn!

From the folks at Viridian Farms, those insidious farmers who got us addicted to pimientos de padron, comes the next sensation in Portland dining: I give you…corn shoots!

I saw these little yellow flower-like shoots sitting oh-so-innocently on the side table at Viridian's Portland Farmers' Market booth last Saturday and, having no compunctions about proclaiming my ignorance in public, asked what the heck they were. The young woman tending the booth said, "They're corn shoots. Try one!"

I popped one in my mouth, munched down and got an immediate bitter flavor that was quickly followed by a flood of full-on corny sweetness. They're $4 for a little container, but these are going to be a huge hit on some restaurant appetizer plates or, if you get to them before local chefs do (I mean you, Anthony!), sprinkled on a salad at your next dinner party.

The Benefits of Travel

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.”

- Henry Miller

It's not that we go out for dinner that often. After all, it's pretty expensive unless you do take-out burritos or the cafeteria-line salad bar at New Seasons.

Pork belly, sous vide egg, watercress.

But we were badly in need of a date night, and the usual suspects (i.e. burritos, etc.) wouldn't do the trick. Plus I'd been waiting weeks for Anthony Cafiero, chef at Tabla, to return from the molecular gastronomical extravaganza that was Madrid Fusion 2011 to see what he might have brought back with him.

Squid ink tonnarelli, campari-poached gulf prawns, shallots, citrus cream.

You see, Anthony is nuts about fresh produce and I'm constantly running into him at the farmers' market carrying an armload of bags, quizzing farmers and purveyors about what's coming into season next. And Tabla's dinner menu, which offers three courses for $24, is one of the crazy great deals in town. We love sitting at the chef's counter 1) because it's intimate and busy at the same time, if that makes sense, and 2) if you have questions the chef is right there to answer.

Duck confit, potato, kale, thyme, Dijon emulsion.

Without going into excruciating detail about each plate and ingredient (see descriptions next to photos), the trip appears to have taken Cafiero's flavors to a new level of intensity. He's also playing around with some of the tricky techniques he observed on his trip—you'll definitely see more emulsions, items cooked sous vide and even a few alginate spheres (liquids inside a skin that burst in your mouth).

Smoked pork shoulder, spanish octopus, almond, endive, leek, tomato reduction.

But fun techniques aside, he seems more focused than ever on accentuating the flavor and texture of the main ingredient, whether it's pork belly, squid pasta or cured tuna. His plating is showing a new attention to detail, too, that, while not lacking before, has definitely taken a turn toward the artful while staying clear of preciousness.

It's exciting to watch a young chef with this much enthusiasm grow into his talent through what you see and taste on the plate. This trip was obviously good for the him, but I'm thinking it was pretty good for me (and all his other customers), too.

Top photo: Smoked Sweetbriar Farms pork, cured oregon albacore, fennel vinaigrette, salsa verde, marcona almonds.

Details: Tabla Mediterranean Bistro, 200 NE 28th Ave. 503 238 3777.

A Seat at the Table

We're kind of odd when it comes to special occasions. Yes, we love to go out and let someone else do the cooking, but rather than going to that high-end, multi-course, highly-reviewed temple that we've been thinking about trying, we opt for a favorite spot, a place where the high-falutin' is at a minimum and the food is the center of attention.

Glasses clink, Chef Anthony cooks.

Our reasoning is simple: if we're going to drop some significant dollars at a place, we'd rather our money goes to people we care about, who've treated us well in the past. Where the focus of the evening is celebrating the occasion, not whether the waiter refills our glasses in a timely fashion.

So when our anniversary rolled around, for the second year in a row we chose one of our under-the-radar faves and a place where the food never disappoints, Tabla on NE 28th. Drinks were in hand almost as soon as we could take our seats at the chef's bar within kibitzing range of Chef Anthony Cafiero, whose dedication to farmers' markets alone would seal the deal for me, but who also likes to play with his food in incredibly tasty ways.

We decided to go with the three-courses-for-$24 option, which gave us two apps, two pasta dishes and two entrees, a lot of (but not too much) food and a chance to share bites of lots of things, a plus on any occasion when it comes to Anthony's cooking.

The baby octopus featured among the apps was, according to Anthony, more of an adolescent, and the meaty but tender slices were served salad style with black olives, greens and cherry tomatoes (top photo). There was also a little taste for each of us of an ajo blanco (right, above), or garlic almond soup, with half of a sweetly ripe Oregon cherry instead of the traditional grapes. Perfetto!

The wine we chose was an earthy red from the Jura region of France, an '07 Arbois Poulsard Vieilles Vignes (left above) from Stephane Tissot. To me, reds are appropriate with just about any food, and this one matched the cavatelli pasta with meltingly tender beef shin (right) ever so well, the little curled rounds looking like so many luscious pasta caterpillars. (How many other food blogs will you read that description in? None!)

The albacore ala plancha (left) that I ordered for my main was genius, the tuna seared to just done-ness on the outside and pinkly rare in the center, two good-sized chunks on top of a to-die-for smoked corn-and-tomato salsa on one side and green lentils in a creamy wine reduction on the other. My mouth was so happy! And Dave's stuffed duck confit on tiny potato slices with seared greens was simplicity (and deliciousness) itself.

Call us risk-averse cowards if you like, but this meal, like the anniversary, was something to celebrate!


Details: Tabla Mediterranean Bistro, 200 NE 28th Ave. 503 238 3777.

Turning Heads at Tabla

Special occasions seem almost preternaturally fraught with tension. Those couples in the restaurant ads smiling at each other and toasting an anniversary/birthday/promotion at work? I don't care how happy they look at that moment, but chances are that by the time the dessert comes (if they even make it that far) one of them will be in tears and the other will be fuming.

Seared fig with prosciutto.

I can't tell you how many times I've counseled friends not to bring up anything that smacks of an "issue" during that special dinner with their mates. Maybe it's because most of us don't get out that often and we feel the need to use what little time we have alone with our significant others to discuss that topic that's been nagging at us for the last several years. But take my word for it, you don't want to go there. Safe topics? The weather, the food, the waiters, funny stories and happy times you've shared. Strictly off-limits (and you know this, right?): kids, work problems and anything to do with the relationship. The rule: If you can't say something nice (at least for tonight), just have more wine.

Octopus pinxto with housemade chorizo.

We recently went out for an anniversary dinner and chose Tabla on NE 28th for the occasion. My brother had been there and given it his four (or is it five?) star seal of approval, especially recommending a seat at the chef's bar, another great distraction from bringing up those forbidden topics mentioned above. Another draw was recently-appointed chef de cuisine Anthony Cafiero, a friend of my brother's and a guy with a big commitment to fresh, local food.

We started with a cocktail, my choice being their version of a negroni called The Bicycle Thief that uses basil-infused gin, campari and a specialty vermouth called Carpano Antica. Dave had his usual martini, and as our drinks were brought out Anthony passed us an amuse bouche of a half fig from his back yard, seared and topped with a sliver of caramelized prosciutto and a splash of balsamic reduction. Talk about seasonal!

Cafiero making some magic.

Since we were there to have the $24 three-course dinner (another happy thing to talk about), we chose one item each from the list of appetizers, pastas and entrées. It went without saying that we had to have the pan-fried padron peppers with lemon mousse and cherry tomatoes, and they were fabulous, quickly seared and showered with sea salt. The octopus and chorizo pinxto, a tapa of a pink-tinged whole tentacle, was set in a pool of skordalia and curled around a skewer of the housemade sausage and a cube of olive oil bread, all drizzled with a deep orange paprika oil. Artful, yes, but also a terrific combination of flavors and textures.

Cafiero's artfulness also came through in the pasta e fagioli (top photo), Anthony's version of the classic Italian-American pasta fazool. Taking a white porcelain bowl, Cafiero painted the inside with a brilliant orange hazelnut romesco, then spooned in the fazool made with pocha beans from Viridian Farms (who also grow the pimentos de padron) and a confit of Oregon albacore and red Fresno chiles. Absolutely gorgeous and an ideal example of "eating with your eyes," I also had a hard time not using my finger to scrape out the last of the sauce that was clinging to the sides of the bowl.

The flankie.

The pasta with pork sugo was a deliciously simple version of this dish, made with local pork and heirloom tomatoes. Which brings up the wine we had with this course, a bottle of Les Tabeneaux Benoit Courault, a tiny biodynamic winery in the Anjou region of France that was recommended by Tabla's sommelier, Michael Garofola. Light in color and body but with a bold fruitiness on the nose, it was wonderful with our food and accented the rich tastes but light hand used in Cafiero's preparations.

Clams with pork belly (check the fritters).

Our entrées of rosemary marinated flank steak, served with a panzanella of cucumber and tomato and a slice of grilled polenta, and the clams with pork belly were both perfectly made, the flank seared medium rare as requested and the clams rich but brothy and not overwhelmed by the tomato sauce. The clams also came with some incredible garlic bread fritters that we can only hope will appear on the bar menu really really soon. Three words: To…die…for.

And somehow, even at the peak of the evening while he was working the line and juggling orders, Cafiero managed to teach one of the waiters to do the "shopping cart" and joke with customers. It was quite a show, one that kept us not only highly entertained but extremely well fed. And just maybe looking like that happy couple in the ad.

Details: Tabla Mediterranean Bistro, 200 NE 28th Ave. Phone 503-238-3777.

Happy Happy Hour

Happy hours are aptly named, aren't they? It's the end of the work day, you need a little something to take the edge off and the drinks and/or food are just as good and much cheaper than at dinner. I like to use them for a quick date with Dave after work, or for meeting a friend before going home to make dinner.

Tabla's savory caprese.

The other night was just such an occasion, and I met a friend at Tabla on a warm spring evening. Both of us had family commitments later in the evening, but the five o'clock start time would get us home before the troops started grumbling. We got started with their happy hour drink special, a raspberry margarita, its fresh fruitiness cooling us off from a hectic day.

Raviolo with egg and poppy seeds.

The well-chosen and diverse happy hour menu gave us plenty of options, and we immediately jumped on the caprese with pickled red peppers cleverly substituting for the not-yet-in-season local tomatoes. Of course, with my egg fixation, I couldn't pass up the raviolo stuffed with cheese, herbs and an egg that was sprinkled with poppy seeds and drizzled with oil. This heavenly combination was lovely and silken, and has me wondering how difficult it would be to duplicate at home. (Any suggestions are welcome!)

Lastly, we strayed off the happy hour menu to split an entree of duck confit, my friend's can't-pass-up passion, and I'm glad we scratched her itch. This leg with its perfectly crispy skin around fall-off-the-bone tender meat was one of the best I've had and would be well worth going back for on its own.

Details: Happy hour at Tabla. Tues.-Sat., 5-6:30 pm. Tabla, 200 NE 28th Ave. Phone 503-238-3777.