Last week I wrote about my family’s girls’ weekend experience in downtown Portland, Ore. This week I wanted to tell you about our fabulous dining experience the Saturday night of our adventure at the “novo-Andean” restaurant in the city’s Pearl District, Andina.

Over the past 10 to 15 years, what was once an area of brick warehouses and small industrial businesses in the northwest section of Portland has become a vibrant, rejuvenated hotspot of restaurants, galleries, boutiques and loft apartments. One could dine out every night for a month in the Pearl and not hit the same spot twice, with everything from brew pubs to fine dining establishments offering up fabulous eats from some very creative and talented chefs. Someone in our party had heard about Andina, and we were all intrigued to try the food at this Peruvian restaurant, so our party of nine booked a reservation and arrived at the repurposed warehouse anticipating an interesting evening.

The interior of the restaurant, encompassing several dining spaces and at least two bars, covers two (perhaps three?) levels and is brightened by large windows and skylights. We arrived before 6:00 p.m. and already found the place buzzing with a cocktail crowd. We were escorted to an upstairs dining room accomodating several tables and boasting its own bar, and our waitress explained the menu set-up and the specials of the day. In addition to a full complement of entrées, Andina offers a very extensive tapas-style appetizer menu, from which one can choose vegetarian options; beef, pork, chicken or lamb dishes; and a truly impressive host of raw and cooked seafood items. Each plate can be ordered in small ($10), medium ($19) or large ($36) portions, depending on how many persons will be sharing the dish — and your appetite. Rather than the nine of us trying to reach some sort of consensus on what we would like to share, we made the wise decision to ask the chef to choose three dishes for us, based on what he felt were the best, most representative of the lot. My favorite was a platter of halved avocados, stuffed with a delectable crabmeat mixture and topped with poached prawns, but the potato frittata — layers of Peruvian potatoes reminiscent of Potatoes Anna and topped with a green chili aioli — was also a big hit.

We could easily have been content with a meal composed from the tapas menu, but we each ordered an entrée as well. I ordered quinoa-crusted scallops served with potato-parsnip purée, while others chose filet mignon, rack of lamb, and a duck breast/duck confit combo with rice and baby carrots. Every dish was delectable and a feast for the eyes, being artfully and beautifully presented on simple white plates. We appreciated that, busy and popular as the restaurant clearly was, we were not rushed through our meal. We also enjoyed the solo guitarist playing from a small loft above the dining room throughout the evening.

A full three hours after we arrived, we finally made our way back outside, where a crowd of diners waited in the warm summer air on the sidewalk for their turn at Andina’s delectable fare. I would heartily recommend a visit to this welcoming, fascinating restaurant, and be sure to come with an appetite!

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor