Restaurants are hot in Portland, with a slew of new options opening up for a variety of appetites. Here are five new restaurants making a splash in town.
Burrasca
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Price Point: $14 to $20 per entrée
Location: 2032 SE Clinton St
Transformed from food cart to eatery last July, Burrasca will not disappoint. Owner Paolo Calamai and his wife, Elizabeth, bring a Florence atmosphere to Portland courtesy of a successful Kickstarter campaign that helped him raise some $14k. The menu includes Italian staples Paolo learned to cook from his mother and grandmother, including wild boar ragu pappardelle and spinach and ricotta gnocchi.
Salt and Straw's Wiz Bang Bar
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Price Point: $2 to $9 per dessert
Location: 126 SW 2nd Ave
Putting a funky and creative spin on a traditional dessert, Wiz Bang Bar features soft serve ice cream with toppings like peanut butter cereal, angel fluff and vanilla custard. The sit-down eatery is in the newly opened Pine Street Market.
Akasaru Ramen
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Price Point: $10 per bowl
Location: 2712 NE Alberta
Akasaru Ramen offers pork belly and shrimp wontons in a light chicken and dashi-based broth as well as classic izakaya. It seats 22 guests and is the sister of sushi and Japanese tapas restaurant Samurai Blue. The self-described “cozy storefront with a monkey mural” opened in mid-April.
Taylor Railworks
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Price Point: $13 to $29 per entrée
Location: 117 SE Taylor St, Suite 101
Deriving its name from nearby train tracks, Taylor Railworks features an industrial theme with an open kitchen and chef’s counter. Serving “Borderless American cuisine,” the restaurant offers spicy calamari, truffle-grilled mushrooms, slow-roasted brisket and fried chicken. With fresh ingredients coming from local farms and growers, American classics are made with often unexpected twists.
Pollo Bravo
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Price Point: $3 to $11 per plate; $23 for a “whole bird”
Location: 1128 SW Alder
Chef Josh Scofield’s third new restaurant to open this month, Pollo Bravo provides rotisserie chicken in a fast-casual Spanish tapas concept. It gets its inspiration from Pollo Rico in Barcelona and sits across the street from Tasty n Alder. Pollo Bravo's second location in Pine Street Market opened this month as well.
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