City: Portland, OR

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (503) 281-4464

Address: 120 Northeast Russell St.

Description: Toro Bravo carries the Spanish flag for Portland restaurants, as hospitable and friendly as the country, relaxed and sociable, but with outstanding food. It truly is a tapas “bar,” and the best approach to take there is to order just a few dishes, hang onto the menu, and then order some more. Toro Bravo reflects the cuisine of many Spanish regions as interpreted by chef John Gorham, which means that it also reflects Oregon. The kebabs, the paellas, the tortillas: Each of these is prepared as a homage to the mother country but with decided Northwest accents. Local favorites include the coppa steak, prepared with spinach and golden raisins; bacon-wrapped dates; scallops; duck rillettes; and grilled chanterelle mushrooms. Plus there are enough dishes to please everyone from vegans to omnivores. You can order refreshing sangria, a number of house cocktails, and excellent wines. Toro Bravo is open for dinner nightly.