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2014 Eat & Drink Guide

2 The Mercury’s Eat & Drink Guide March 26, 2014

March 26, 2014 The Mercury’s Eat & Drink Guide 3

Teote1615 SE 12th, teotepdx.com(971) 888-5281

Room with a Vibe Upstairs and Down, Teote Is a Success

I FIRST RAN across Fuego de Lo-tus, the areperia cart that begat Teo-te, a few years ago. It was a spitting

gray day on NE Alberta, I didn’t know what an arepa was, and the man in the window seemed so drained by the labors and wor-ries of opening his business that I didn’t dare pry. I think I ordered a sausage on a roll and ate it in the backseat of my car. Nobody learned much that day.

Fast-forward several years—and sev-eral moves—and Fuego de Lotus has blos-somed into the startlingly polished and complete Teote. It’s a handsome two-story building whose aesthetics and positive energy merit strong mention: Though it’s a casual counter-service restaurant, the interior décor (particularly upstairs) is be-autof an investment daringly out of synch with the cost of the food.

The menu is built upon, but not lim-ited to, the flatbread-like arepa. These are thick pancakes of corn dough, deep-fried until firm on the outside and tender within, then slashed and filled with a va-riety of slow-cooked meat, pickled onions, cheeses, and sauces. The arepa itself is well made, and consistently so: nutty and lightly salted, warm, greaseless, and with a blend of gratifying textures.

Arepas are simply the platform, though, for a variety of remarkable meat prepa-rations. These stir-fries and braises are, largely, mature and perfectly balanced recipes, with a depth of flavor that sug-gests days of simmering and countless tiers of process. The standout here is the El Diablo (all meat arepas are $6), Carlton Farms pork belly sauteed with a decidedly sweet yet complex red chili maple sauce. Its peppers and onions are cooked nearly to a jam; pleasant hints of cardamom add to the fragrance of the caramelized, nearly melting pork. It’s topped with pickled onions, a verde sauce, cilantro, and fresh, salty, crumbled queso.

Similarly rich and complete is the Per-nil, deeply browned and braised pork in a delicious morita chili sauce. Its profile is fairly sour and distinctly spicy, with a tart

sweetness that reHills flank steak braised with peppers, was also roundly flavored. The only quadruped meat that struck me as lesser than the others was thers was the Carne Mecha-da Mole, which was a bit thin-bodied, with a sole sharp chili heat dominating.

Two chicken preparations sit at opposite ends of the spec-trum. Reina Pepiada is a rich, cool salad of hand-pulled Draper Making a chicken salad like this is work, and the technique Pollo is shredded braised chicken served very wet in a simple and distinctly smoky sauce—a safe and flavorful play, but with-out the dynamism of the beef and pork dishes.

One reason the plated meals seem less than dynamic is be-cause the sides still have a little ways to go. First on the block is the Teote salad ($4/$6), which starts out well enough: organic served regardless of their ripeness (they have a ripeness meter at the counter, but really it should be in the kitchen), which means that when unripe, they have absolutely no flavor. ✜

Small selection of cocktails, large backyard gravel patio with fire pit and bar, child-friendly menu and dining room,

vegan and vegetarian options. Teote is open Tuesday-Sunday, 11 am-11 pm.

Facts

4 The Mercury’s Eat & Drink Guide March 26, 2014

3267 SE Hawthorne Blvd.Open Everyday 2pm-2:30am

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Eating in Grandpa’s Basement Thought’s on Old/New Aesthetic

I FIRST RAN across Fuego de Lotus, the areperia cart that begat Teote, a few years ago. It was a spitting gray day on

NE Alberta, I didn’t know what an arepa was, and the man in the window seemed so drained by the labors and worries of opening his busi-ness that I didn’t dare pry. I think I ordered a sausage on a rorde sauce, cilantro, and fresh, salty, crumbled queso.

Similarly rich and complete is the Pernil, deeply browned and braised pork in a deli-cious morita chili sauce. Its profile is fairly sour and distinctly spicy, with a tart sweetness that reHills flank steak braised with peppers, was also roundly flavored. The only quadruped meat that struck me as lesser than the others was the Carne Mechada Mole, which was a bit thin-bodied, with a sole sharp chili heat domi-nating.

Two chicken preparations sit at opposite ends of the spectrum. Reina Pepiada is a rich, cool salad of hand-pulled Draper Making a chicken salad like this is work, and the tech-nique Pollo is shredded braised chicken served very wet in a simple and distinctly smoky sauce—a safe. ✜

6 The Mercury’s Eat & Drink Guide March 26, 2014

EAT LOCAL, DRINK ORGANiC

2 9 4 4 S E P O W E L L 5 0 3 . 2 3 2 . 4 6 7 7 3 9 4 7 N . W I L L I A M S 5 0 3 . 2 8 7 . 6 2 5 8

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21ST AVENUE BAR & GRILL 721 NW 21st Ave. • 503-222-4121Another drinking hole on Northwest 21st that’s neither too fancy nor too crappy with decent food (try a burger, or the calamari), especially when it’s cheap as hell during happy hour. This is also a good destination if you’re looking for outdoor seating, as they have a spacious patio out back.

23 HOYT 529 NW 23rd • 503-445-7400 • www.23hoyt.comAnother restaurant from the creator of Bluehour and Saucebox. Bruce Carey has transformed the restaurant with his usual fl air. The restaurant itself is crisp, clean and comfortable with subdued colors and amusing touches. The food is high-end, creative and the menu is short but sweet and changes seasonally. An excellent selection of wines, scotch, brandy etc, as well as artisan deserts are not to be missed.

ACAPULCO’S GOLD 2610 NW Vaughn St. • 503-220-0283A neighborhood fi xture since 1980, this Half-bar/half-res-taurant serves big portions and generous margaritas. Who could ask for more? One of very few places in Northwest Portland where you can stuff yourself and get buzzed for less than ten bucks.

ANDINA 1314 NW Glisan St. • 228-9535www.andinarestaurant.comIt’s Portland’s very own slice of highbrow Peruvian cuisine with fl airs of a Japanese twist here and there. Much of the menu comes in three sizes (small, medium, large) so you don’t have to drop rent IF you don’t want to. But beware, because it easy to get carried away, especially with a menu full of creatively-concocted seafood dishes like mahi mahi and scallops, as well as spicy meats like pork in adobo sauce. The also have several vegan, vegetarian and gluten free dishes, tempting even dedicated wheat-eating carni-vores.

ANNA BANNANAS 1214 NW 21st Ave. • 274-2559www.annabannanascoffee.comAn eclectic coffee/tea hangout in an old renovated house that serves muffi ns, home-made sandwiches, salads, wraps, and burgers. Hang out for a while, play a pick up game of chess, and try out one of their fancy gourmet cof-fee drinks while you’re at it.

BAMBOO SUSHI 836 NW 23rdHours: Dinner 7 nights a week 4 – 10 p.m.Bamboo Sushi is the fi rst certifi ed, sustainable sushi res-taurant in the world. Daily, we are dedicated to bringing you the freshest fi sh, meats, and produce with the greatest consciousness to marine stewardship, sustainability, and the environment.

BAR DUÉ 1230 NW Hoyt St. • 503-241-8800www.fratellicucina.comNext to and part of the popular Italian restaurant Fratelli. Bar Dué offers an all-Italian wine menu, Italian-style drinks, antipasti, smaller-plate versions of Fratelli dishes and fea-tures crisp-crust wood-fi red oven pizzas.

BAR MINGO 811 NW 21st • 226-4646 • www.barmingonw.comA slightly scaled-down version of Caffe Mingo next door. With expertly crafted Italian food and cocktails!

BARISTA 539 NW 13th • www.baristapdx.comThey have the art of coffee roasting and brewing down to a science at Barista. Fair trade coffee is expertly transformed into the perfect cup for your sipping pleasure. A selection of pastries as well as whole beans and a plethora of brew-ing devices await you as well.

BARTINI 2108 NW Glisan St. • 503-224-7919www.urbanfondue.com/bartini.htmDressed up in black, this cave-like bar offers about a gajil-lion different takes on the martini. Bartini’s food comes from the adjacent Urban Fondue, which consists mostly of shared small plate noshes, a handful of dinners, and of course, fondue.

Northwest

Reader Picks

SCREEN DOORGENIE’SBRODER

TIN SHEDCUP AND SAUCERMOTHER’S BISTRO

GRAVYZELL’S

JUNIORS CAFECRICKET CAFE

BEST BRUNCH

8 The Mercury’s Eat & Drink Guide March 26, 2014

Happy Hour!

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2521 se Clinton St. • (503) 235-0203 •

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514 SE BELMONT (OPEN 24 HRS.) 6710 SE FOSTER (OPEN 5 AM-11 PM DAILY)

13-252522A

BASTAS TRATTORIA 410 NW 21st Ave. 274-1572www.bastastrattoria.comRestaurant DetailsItalian “slow” food in a warm, cozy atmosphere. The build-ing kind of looks like it used to be an old IHop, but is mod-ern and beautifully renovated inside. An array of appetiz-ers from fresh to fried join a selection of salads and main courses that range from seafood and fowl to sirloin and wild boar. Of course along with your meal you will more than likely be interested in sampling some wine and they’ve got you covered there too with bottles from $20 to $100. Also check out their new weekend brunch.

BEAU THAI 730 NW 21st Ave. • 223-2182 • www.beauthai.orgLongtime Northwest neighborhood standby for Thai food. Choose from their enormous menu and pick how spicy you want it.

THE BENT BRICK 1639 NW Marshall • 503-688-1655info@thebentbrick.com • thebentbrick.comHours: Daily 4pm-10pm“Bent Brick is a nice, laid-back kind of place to stop off and grab a drink and bite to eat if money’s clearly no object. (I know exactly one person for whom that’s the case.

Northwest Reader Picks

SCREEN DOORGENIE’SBRODER

TIN SHEDCUP AND SAUCERMOTHER’S BISTRO

GRAVYZELL’S

JUNIORS CAFECRICKET CAFE

BEST BRUNCH