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ISSUE #32.19 • FOOD & DRINK • REVIEW
Dish

The True Tortilla


Autentica lives up to its name with real-deal Mexican eats.

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Autentica
IMAGE: AMY OULETTE
BY IVY MANNING | 503 243-2122

[March 15th, 2006] Naming your restaurant Autentica is a risky move. If there were even a hint of inauthentic food at former Southpark sous chef Oswaldo Bibiano's new Concordia neighborhood restaurant, Portland foodies would cry foul after the first stale tortilla chip.

All doubts are handily cast aside as you walk into the terra cotta-tinted dining room. The first thing you may see is the chef-owner's mother, Roberta Bibiano, or his wife, co-owner Ebelia Madrano, standing in the gleaming open kitchen making tortillas. It's those velvety tortillas that serve as a homey anchor for a type of Mexican food that is rarely seen in Portland, a cuisine with little in the way of concessions to gringo palates and all the soul of home cooking.

To start, tender octopus with red onion and serrano peppers ($7) and mixed seafood ceviche acapulqueno ($8) are fresh tributes to Bibiano's hometown near Acapulco. Triple up on richly spiced chopped pork tacos with fiery salsa ($1.50) or a shredded chicken and chipotle ($3) tostada. The star of the starters? Ultra-rich sopa fideos ($6), a mild broth with vermicelli noodles ladled over delicate poached eggs.

But the true litmus test of a genuine Mexican kitchen is its mole. When done right, the dish tastes rustic but incredibly complex at the same time. It does just that at Autentica. The mole teloloapan ($13), served over a half-chicken, includes eight different kinds of dried chilies, which race across the palate with sweetness, heat, toasty nut flavor and a touch of earthiness. Plus the fistfuls of steaming tortillas that accompany the dish are the world's most perfect sauce sopping-up device.















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A green mole gets bright acidity from tomatillos and lushness from ground pumpkin seed, proving a perfect foil for a delicate pork tenderloin ($12). It's also found on the enchilada plate ($11), drenching a shredded chicken-filled tortilla alongside a Oaxacan cheese-stuffed poblano chiles rellenos that packs just enough heat to make you sweat.

On weekends, brunch features Mexican soul food like huevos rancheros ($8)—over-easy eggs on tortillas in a mild red chili broth with ham-studded black beans—and the movingly soulful chilaquiles ($8), strips of fried corn tortillas in red chili sauce topped with crema alongside a small, juicy grilled steak. It's the kind of breakfast that has "hangover cure" written all over it.

Autentica isn't perfect: Occasional waits for food and sincere but uncertain service smack of a restaurant that is still trying to find its footing. But those silky-singed tortillas and lush mole are payback enough. Besides, everyone knows bona fide authentic cooking takes time.

Autentica, 5507 NE 30th Ave., 287-7555. Lunch and dinner 11 am-10 pm Tuesday-Friday, brunch and dinner 10 am-10 pm Saturday-Sunday. $$ Moderate.

 

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RECENT COMMENTS ON “The True Tortilla”

4

The True TortillaWent there the saturday after your review. missed the deep flavor and richness that other authentic Portland area reatuarants seem to muster. Service was sub-par. Several table...

Story Forum Archive, Mar 27th, 2006 12:00am
5

The True TortillaThis place is fantastic. I think the review was right on target...if you are looking for more tacqueria food, go to one of the many places here and there are plenty that do it...

Story Forum Archive, Mar 28th, 2006 12:00am
6

The True TortillaAfter seeing the review in WW "Cheap Eats," I was anxious to try Autentica. Thursday is Pozole night and I was among the many patrons who ordered the weekly speciality. A plate...

Story Forum Archive, Apr 7th, 2006 12:00am
7

The True TortillaFunny about authentic "mexican" food. My Guatemalan co-worker absolutely loves Matzalan and thinks they have the most wonderful food. She did laugh up a storm at a newspaper ...

Story Forum Archive, Aug 1st, 2006 12:00am
 
 
 





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