Hilary: A couple of weeks ago, Ashley and I went on a sibling trip to Portland, OR, along with one of our brothers and his wife. It was such a fun trip! And the perfect foodie town for us to visit. One of the first things we did when we got in town was get nail art manicures at Finger Bang. If you’re ever in the area, I highly recommend checking it out for a fun, unique activity.

Ashley: I was so excited for this trip. I haven’t really been out west much, so going to a new place like this, especially one that had such great cuisine options, was something I was really looking forward too. I was also excited for the nail art…there were so many fun options!    
Hilary: We took a Lyft to get to the nail salon and our driver, Antonio, was a big foodie. He gave us a few recommendations of places to eat while we were in town. One of them was a Cuban restaurant called Pambiche. We decided to go there for lunch the next day, after we finished our 5 mile hike on the Wakheena Trail to Multnomah Falls.

It was my first time hiking and now I might be sold on doing it more often. It was so beautiful. The hike was an intermediate level hike…it got very steep at certain points and it took us about 3 ½ hours to complete. We finished at Multnomah Falls, which was a well-deserved reward. How incredible! Near the end, we turned a corner and the waterfall came into sight. I just stood there, looking up at it in awe, letting the mist wash over me. I’ve never seen anything like it and I hope that I always remember how I felt, standing at the bottom of it and looking up to the top. Pictures don’t even begin to do it justice, but of course I had to try.

Multnomah Falls

Ashley: I have done some hiking before, although not too much. The waterfall at the end was definitely amazing and worth the trek. The thing that I loved the most about it was the sound the water made as it hit the rocks towards the bottom. It was like a loud clapping sound. It was amazing and breathtaking.

Hilary: The trail itself was beautiful too. There were little waterfalls and cascading creeks along the way. We could always tell when we were getting near water because we could hear it coming up and the temperature would cool off. Needless to say, we worked up quite an appetite by the time we finished hiking and we were excited to get some Cuban food!

It was happy hour when we got there, so they had a lot of options for small plate portions at great prices. We ordered several different plates so we could try a variety of things.

Pinerito

Ashley: I started my meal off with a Pinerito (Carta Blanca rum with fresh squeezed lime and grapefruit juices, served over ice with crushed pomegranate). The grapefruit juice was strong, which I liked, but I don’t know that I could’ve drank more than one. I didn’t taste too much lime, which I was happy about. I could, however, taste the rum!

Maduros

Ashley: We started with the Maduros (fried ripe plantains). I’ve never been a big fan of plantains. I’ve tried them a few times but it’s just missing the sweetness that I’m looking for when I eat it.

Hilary: I love ripe fried plantains but everyone else seemed iffy about getting them. I went ahead and ordered them, just so people could try, and I’m glad I did. I liked them a lot! They were very ripe and mushy but caramelized slightly so the outside was just a bit crunchy. They were very sweet but the caramelization added a savoriness.

Arroz Amarillo

Next, we got the Arroz Amarillo (Valencia saffron rice made with creole chicken stock, olive oil sofrito and Spanish olives). This was a seemingly simple dish of rice with vegetables, but I loved it. You could really taste the chicken broth and other spices that it had ben cooked in to give it great flavor. And it was salted just the right amount. There was pickled cabbage that added a nice crunch and temperature contrast. I could see threads of saffron in the rice, giving it the signature yellow hue. I thought I tasted some smoked paprika which, along with the red peppers, gave a nice smoky flavor to the dish. I loved the rice and had a hard time getting myself to stop eating it so I could try other dishes!

Ashley: I thought this dish was just ok. It didn’t seem to have as much flavor as the other dishes. Don’t get me wrong…it was still delicious, but compared to the other dishes, it was lower on my favorites list. I agree with Hilary in that it had the perfect blend of chicken broth and spices…maybe with some butter. I loved taking bites with the olives in it because it added saltiness. It was good but couldn’t top the other dishes, in my opinion.

Empanada

Next we had an Empanada (spinach and cheese). I was so excited for this and oh man…I LOVED it. The pastry was so buttery and flaky. The inside was made up of cheese and spinach, you can’t go wrong with that. The cheese was so creamy and the spinach flavor was strong but not overpowering. I wish I could eat this every day.

Hilary: While this wasn’t the prettiest dish we ordered, it was very tasty and VERY cheesy and gooey. The crust was nice and flaky just like a pot pie crust. A good staple.

Ropa Vieja

Our choice for a beef dish was the Ropa Vieja (shredded beef simmered in a garlicky tomato herb broth, served with pan frito or white rice). The beef was a little stringy and maybe a tad overcooked because it was a little dry but overall, had great flavor. I tasted garlic, tomato sauce, and peppers. It was a very hearty dish. I have a recipe for beef picadillo which tastes very similar, so it was a familiar dish for me.

Ashley: I agree that the meat was slightly dry but I loved this dish anyway. It tasted very familiar to me but I couldn’t put my finger on the exact flavor. It reminded me of pot roast, but with a tomato-based sauce instead. The meat was good by itself but my favorite combo was taking a bite with meat and rice.

Masitas

Hilary: Our choice for a pork dish was the Masitas (Adobo seasoned pork, deep fried and tossed in garlic mojo sauce). It was lightly breaded and fried then served with the mojo sauce, which was a little tangy. The pork was very tender…cooked very well. This was another favorite dish for me and, if served with the Arroz Amarillo, it be the perfect meal for me!

Ashley: This reminded me of something my mom used to make for us…a fried porkchop with gravy. It was delicious. The pork, as Hilary mentioned, was super tender. The gravy was super salty but in a good way. The pork was fried but the breading was a little soggy. I still loved this dish. It came in a close second.

This ended up being one of my favorite meals of the trip. Now, I know I was pretty hungry when we got there but everything was just so delicious. I’m so glad that our Lyft driver made this recommendation for us.

Hilary: I really enjoyed our meal at Pambiche. Not only was the meal fantastic, but it was a beautiful day and we enjoyed sitting out on the patio. We just so happened to visit Portland during some unseasonably warm spring days. It was wonderful. Stay tuned for more Portland food adventures!