Restaurant Guide 2007

The servers call Andina’s fare “new Peruvian.” Portland doesn’t have a traditional Peruvian restaurant to compare it with, but Andina is inventive and as good as it gets for upscale, world-inspired South American fare in town. Here, dinner can be enjoyed two ways: Dine tapas-style on sharable plates of different sizes, including the likes of piquillo peppers stuffed with quinoa and serrano ham, skewers of octopus with rocoto (a South American chile pepper) and caper chimichurri (a thick herb sauce that’s the South American equivalent of ketchup), and freshly grilled asparagus; or order from the full dinner menu that boasts up-market renditions of traditional Peruvian dinners like lomo saltado (tender wok-fried beef with onion and tomato in a garlicky glaze with white rice and fried yuca), which appears on the menu alongside rack of lamb with yellow potatoes in roasted red-pepper demi-glace. These dishes are right on target with Andina’s rotating selection of fresh ceviche, oysters and other seafood choices. The cocktail roster features excellent mojitos, daiquiris and the finest margaritas in the cocktail-crazed Pearl District.  Signature dish: The ceviche is a sure bet. Standouts: A superb Spanish tortilla. Regrets: The pricing on shared plates is strange­—all items are priced at $6.50, $12 or $22, depending on the size of the plate­—whether you order octopus skewers or tortilla.