Skip to main contentSimpatica is the perfect name for this easygoing establishment, where the three boisterous chef-owners (the same crew behind Viande Meats) revitalize classic culinary themes with the panache of jazz musicians infusing new life into familiar standards. For sheer deliciousness, the food usually can't be beat. Their Sunday brunch is one of Portland's best: These guys are wizards with fat and salt (the building blocks of breakfast) and are crazy enough to make a tough-to-execute dish like fried chicken and waffles a standard. The casual style plays less well at four-course dinners on weekend nights. You'll spend upward of $100 for two, yet food can arrive in fits and starts; long, banquet-style tables are awkward when an evening stretches to three hours; and the heavy wooden chairs become weapons of ass destruction. (HY)
WWeek 2015