Friday, November 26, 2004
Andina Restaurant
1314 NW Gilsan,
Portland, OR
97209
A Peruvian wine and tapas bar with a large windowed view of the street became my first in a series of stops on the so called Black Friday. Avoiding shopping was the key, but this place, was far from empty, yet not so crowded on a lazy afternoon in a calmly overcast Portland. My opening course was a Cebiche, made from scallops, fresh water shrimp and calamari in a tropical passion fruit juice was a delight.
2003 Torres De Casta Penedes Rose
Given the fruit sauce base that complimented the fresh fish Cebiche the choice of a white or Rose wine was tough, but I opted for the cooling sensation that the Rose from Spain would offer. The deep, almost red looking rose from Spain is lush and has a polite spicy undertone with enough forward fruit to stand up to the pinch of heat in the dish. The wine offered up lots of raspberry fruit and a hint of late harvest Strawberry making the choice a great way to start an afternoon of tapas and wine bar exploration.
My second dish is Pimentos Piquillo Relleno, mid sized red pepper cones stuffed with cheese, quinoa and Serrano ham. I chose to also go for some additional small plates, one of Causa Cangrejo, a traditional dish of lime flavored potato mixture that is pressed into a cake with savory fillings. I chose crab as the filling, but I could have just as easily opted for chicken, smoked trout or vegetables. I also picked a plate of chorizo from Rioja.
With those three dishes the rose was still perfect. But, I was yearning for red wine and something which would stand up to the Lomo Saltado, a traditional Peruvian dish of tenderloin beef strips that have been wok fried with onions, tomatoes, soy sauce, garlic and aji with rice and fried yuca. That meant an Argentinean 2002 Trumpeter Malbec-Syrah blend from Tupungato. This very lush, fruit forward blend of a Bordeaux and Rhone grape mix is ultra soft and ready for action. Offering up a deep purple color, the wine has a very deep fresh plum fruit base, with cassis, cherries and blueberry flavor. This is a perfect grilled red meat kind of wine as the flavors and fruit are able to stand up to pepper and herbs, while retaining their core structure and balance.
I ended lunch with a cappuccino mousse with Peruvian fruit and crème. It was like crème caramel, only fruitier.
1314 NW Gilsan,
Portland, OR
97209
A Peruvian wine and tapas bar with a large windowed view of the street became my first in a series of stops on the so called Black Friday. Avoiding shopping was the key, but this place, was far from empty, yet not so crowded on a lazy afternoon in a calmly overcast Portland. My opening course was a Cebiche, made from scallops, fresh water shrimp and calamari in a tropical passion fruit juice was a delight.
2003 Torres De Casta Penedes Rose
Given the fruit sauce base that complimented the fresh fish Cebiche the choice of a white or Rose wine was tough, but I opted for the cooling sensation that the Rose from Spain would offer. The deep, almost red looking rose from Spain is lush and has a polite spicy undertone with enough forward fruit to stand up to the pinch of heat in the dish. The wine offered up lots of raspberry fruit and a hint of late harvest Strawberry making the choice a great way to start an afternoon of tapas and wine bar exploration.
My second dish is Pimentos Piquillo Relleno, mid sized red pepper cones stuffed with cheese, quinoa and Serrano ham. I chose to also go for some additional small plates, one of Causa Cangrejo, a traditional dish of lime flavored potato mixture that is pressed into a cake with savory fillings. I chose crab as the filling, but I could have just as easily opted for chicken, smoked trout or vegetables. I also picked a plate of chorizo from Rioja.
With those three dishes the rose was still perfect. But, I was yearning for red wine and something which would stand up to the Lomo Saltado, a traditional Peruvian dish of tenderloin beef strips that have been wok fried with onions, tomatoes, soy sauce, garlic and aji with rice and fried yuca. That meant an Argentinean 2002 Trumpeter Malbec-Syrah blend from Tupungato. This very lush, fruit forward blend of a Bordeaux and Rhone grape mix is ultra soft and ready for action. Offering up a deep purple color, the wine has a very deep fresh plum fruit base, with cassis, cherries and blueberry flavor. This is a perfect grilled red meat kind of wine as the flavors and fruit are able to stand up to pepper and herbs, while retaining their core structure and balance.
I ended lunch with a cappuccino mousse with Peruvian fruit and crème. It was like crème caramel, only fruitier.
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