Autentica is tucked away on NE 3oth and Killingsworth amid some of Portland's most talked about restaurants. Beast, which- well, enough said. Yakuza, which we tried a few months ago and serves arguably one of the best burgers in town and DOC, a hot new Italian joint. Still, Autentica manages to hold its own among a tough neighborhood. To kick off round two of our A-Z dinner club, there were just four of us but we had a grand old time! We were one of four parties at the restaurant when we arrived (one of which was non other than our mayor Sam Adams). We were taken to a cozy spot on the back patio. It was a warm and humid evening; perfect patio dining weather. The service was friendly and attentive, but not overly so. The patio is surrounded by brightly painted walls and lights and curious plant life. Now, on to the food:But first, the wine! After a recommendation from our delightful server, we opted to split a bottle of a 2004 Rioja, similar to a Tempernillo, from Spain. I cannot remember the name of it or the winery but all four of us agreed it was delicious at first sip. In fact, I could've had a bottle to myself. UPDATE: the brand is called, CRIANZA from Vina Amezola. :)
Okay, seriously- on to the food:
Jessica and Linda tried this gorgeous beet salad with onion and radish. Delish!
Jen shared an amazing dish (below) with ricotta stuffed corn fritters topped with mole sauce.
And I had a fabulous pork taco and the "ceviche de cayo tierno" or scallop ceviche to the layperson. Yum!Although a bit overpriced, we all enjoyed our food, service and the ambiance. We'll return without question. Hasta luego!
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