We Ate Like Iron Chef Judges!!!

BerryBaby · 03-04-2008, 10:37 AM

Last night I attended one of the best restaurants I have ever been to.
It was our monthly wine tasting meeting held at Andina's restaurant in Portland, which is a Persian restaurant. If you ever come to Portland, you MUST make this one of your stops.

The food all arrived on platters and we each had a small plate in front of us. The presentation was beautiful.

The first course was Causa Roja, Cebiche de Mango Verde y Langostinos, and Chicharron de Langostinos...my favorite which was Kiwicha-crusted shrimp served with a rocoto-currant sauce.

The Cebiche was also a favorite and SOOO full of flavor. The owner stopped by the table to instruct us how to eat it, just like on Iron Chef. She said to take a piece of the scallop, onion, pepper and sweet potato on one forkful to taste all the flavors together. WOW! It made a huge difference.

There were 3 other courses, each being as spectacular as the next. We had 7 different wines as well.

This is definitely a restaurant I will go back to...many times!

Food Network Fan · 03-04-2008, 11:17 AM

Sounds like fun.

MayQueen · 03-04-2008, 04:30 PM

I have no idea what any of those dishes are but you made them sound irresistible, BerryBaby! Glad you had such a great time.

BerryBaby · 03-04-2008, 05:48 PM

They were fancy names for fancy food...the Cerbiche was described as:
"Traditional cebiche of passionfruit and bay scallops "cooked" in lime juice, with a marinade of onions, cilantro and peppers."

Ok, one more..the Causa Rojo describe as: "Freshly mashed potatoes, infused with rocoto and sesame oil; pressed into a cake with coconut teriyaki glazed trout."

Honestly, it was very much an Iron Chef experience..or the closest I will ever come to one!

MayQueen · 03-04-2008, 10:28 PM

The plates must have looked beautiful too. And what about the restaurant itself, BerryBaby?

Food Network Fan · 03-04-2008, 10:52 PM

Is this a single location place or do they have any more locations elsewhere?

BerryBaby · 03-05-2008, 11:34 AM

The buildings in the neighborhood, know as The Pearl District and very artsy, were old warehouses. They have converted most of them into restaurants, galleries and office space. Charming, very charming and beautifully done!

The inside was very warmly decorated with high booths, golden walls, and lots of 'old' accessories..there was even an old red phone booth in a corner.

This is the only location, like many restaurants here. Lots of independently owned, one of a kind.

Andina's is owned by a woman and her two sons...they are nothing like Paula and Sons. She is a very petite woman, probably in her 60's with a very soft voice and kind smile. She made sure she spoke to every person at the event. There were 50 of us. As she made the rounds, she spoke of the food we were tasting and how to eat it to enjoy all the flavors. Just her taking the time to visit with all of us was amazing.

Although, I must admit, many of the family owned restaurants in Portland do the same. The owners are sometimes the chef as well, but still take the time to visit with guests.

As I said, this was one place I will definitely go back to. We heard, though, that dinner fills up so quickly that by 4pm all the tables are gone. Guess we will have to plan on eating early!

Food Network Fan · 03-05-2008, 11:57 AM

Sounds like you and your hubby have found a great place for a date night.

BerryBaby · 03-05-2008, 05:25 PM

Yes, and now he just has to kick this nasty virus so we can go out and celebrate his recovery. Today he's better but still far from being up-to-par.

MayQueen · 03-05-2008, 07:58 PM

Yep, sounds like a perfect reason to celebrate! I hope you're washing your hands every two minutes and wearing a mask over your face so that you don't get it too, BerryBaby!