Andina Restaurant

I was recently in Portland, Oregon, for a fencing tournament. The fencing went well, but the biggest thing that I remember was the food. The first night was a simple little bar and grill-type thing, but the second night was the one that really stood out for the weekend.

I had been wandering the city looking for a particular Cuban restaurant which, I was told, had an amazing pastry chef who did wonderful things with desserts. I thought I would give it a try. Unfortunately, after about an hour, and 25 blocks, I decided that I wasn't going to find it, and turned around. I remembered passing a Peruvian restaurant, and made that my final destination, rather than the Cuban restaurant.

The name was Andina restaurant, and they were able to squeeze me in a spacious, and still only half-full, dining room. My order was taken, and the Sangria appeared in front of along with my bread. The Sangria turned out to be ok. I prefer mine to come with the actual fruit in the glass, instead of the ice cubes which really only served to dilute the drink.

The bread, however, was a different story. Many places will give you butter, olive oil, or something else to flavor your bread with. This one was no different. Except that they gave me three choices, instead of just one. The first was a mildly spicy peanut dip. My least favorite, but still not too bad. The waitress mentioned that it goes quite nicely with Thai-style spring rolls, which I definitely believe. The next one was a passion fruit and habanero sauce. This was sweet with quite a kick. Finally, there was the jalapeño and vinegar sauce. This one was the spiciest, and by far my favorite. The freshness of the jalapenos really showed through.

Once I had finished my two or so baskets of bread (what...I was hungry, and the sauces were awesome!), it was time for my appetizer. something called Causa Mixta Nikkei. Apparently, Causa is a traditional Peruvian dish that is made mashed potato dumplings mixed with oil, lemon, chilis, and onions. This one had something similar to that as a base, topped with spicy tuna and crab salad. All in a smallish cake form. Perched atop all of that, sat a crispy fried shrimp. Now, the idea was great, and at times, so was the dish. The problem came when you ran out of the crispy shrimp, the rest of the cake just felt like mush in your mouth. However, when you did get a bite with everything, the taste, texture, and even sound were all spot on.

As a main course, I tried the Adobo de Cerdo (Pork adobo). In and of itself, this was excellent. Even the green apples that were served with it added a nice acid to the (not overwhelming) heat. The problem in this dish is with the butternut squash and gorgonzola ravioli. This just seemed entirely out of place on the plate. I am not the world's biggest fan of gorgonzola, nor am I by any stretch of the imagination a hater of the cheese, but I believe in "everything in moderation". The problem was that the cheese overwhelmed everything else that was presented, and left an "off" flavor in your mouth. That being said, I would probably not order this dish again.

Finally, it was time for dessert. Amongst the alfajores (little cookies) and flan, was the Plato de Crema Quemada. Three ramekins of creme brule, each highlighting a major Peruvian export. The first was the spiced orange. Then came vanilla. Finally a caramel espresso (which, I will admit, made me a little nervous as I don't drink any coffee). However, they were all spectacular. The caramel hid even the slightest bit of coffee aftertaste, making it taste the way that I wish all coffee-flavored desserts (or just plain all coffee) would taste.

I am looking forward to returning to Portland next year, and hopefully back to the Andina Restaurant where, while I would probably not get the same appetizer or entree, I would be happy to continue to explore the menu.