Going Out No. 8: Enoteca Nostrana
Nostrana ran so Enoteca could strut.
Welcome! This is the “Going Out” edition of Riley’s Recs, where I review a restaurant, bar, or activity here in Portland. Every Sunday, I also share “Staying In” recipe recommendations for your week. What should I write about next? Feel free to leave a comment on this post or submit your idea here. And don’t forget to check out pdxrecs.com for even more recommendations and follow RR on Instagram at @rileysrecs. Enjoy!
Meal: Dinner
Price for two including tip: $144
To eat: Insalata Nostrana, Peperoni Pizza, and the Seasonal Crisp
To drink: “Heavy Glow” Sparkling Rose, Terre Siciliane Rosato, and the Palmentino (x2)
I can remember the exact moment I fell in love with Enoteca—the neo-European bar attached to Nostrana on SE Morrison. It was during a visit about a year ago when the vibrant, feel-good disco track “Yes, Sir I Can Boogie” started playing on the overhead speakers. As the song picked up in rhythm, Enoteca staff twirled behind the bar, singing along to the chorus and making drinks. I sat and took in the scene, sipping a glass of Sicilian red and realizing I’d found a little contained universe that felt nothing like Portland at all.
It’s a wonderful thing when a bar or restaurant commits to a theme and pulls it off. At Enoteca, the theme is postmodern Italian. With its new-age feel and neon lighting, the bar is a sharp juxtaposition to the old-wood, homey feel of Nostrana’s main dining room next door.
Nostrana, although wonderful, is intentionally inoffensive: There’s a parking lot. They serve pizza and salad. It’s decorated in shades of beige and red. Willamette Week’s Martin Cizmar once said, "Nostrana Is What People Mean When They Ask for 'A Nice Italian Place with Good Wine.’”
Enoteca, on the other hand, feels like the younger, cooler sister. The sister who gets to ride on the coattails of the older sister’s hard-earned fights to watch rated R movies and stay out past 10 p.m.
By this, I mean that there would be no Enoteca without all of the hard work that’s gone into making Nostrana what it is today. Since 2005, co-owners Cathy Whims and David West have fine-tuned their menus and wine programs, introducing dishes and drinks that have earned them local and national acclaim, including many James Beard nominations. There are certain iconic dishes that define Portland: Pok Pok’s wings, Huber’s Spanish coffee, etc. And Nostrana’s radicchio salad is one of them. This bright and slightly bitter salad is so beloved that it migrated to Whims’ other venture, Oven and Shaker, including its new PDX Airport outpost.
Because of Nostrana’s success (and an opportunity to expand into the space next door), Whims and West were able to dream up something as unique and bold as Enoteca. It feels celebratory and a welcome iteration for Portland’s sweetheart Italian restaurant.
When you arrive at Enoteca, you’ll see dark patterned tiled floors, a backlit bar, and gold accents everywhere. The space is decidedly chic, but takes a turn for psychedelic when you hit the bathrooms. Inside, behind the mirror, color-changing LEDs illuminate the custom art on the wall. A sound installation by surrealist poet Ken Nordine plays on repeat.
As you retreat further into Enoteca’s long, narrow space, you’ll find a back room housing the bar’s pièce de résistance: a two-story wine fridge. It’s a sight to behold (which you can, if you have the planning and foresight to book a table in advance. Unlike the bar counter, seating here fills up fast.)
Retrieving a bottle from the fridge often requires an elaborate show of ladders and acrobatics. This is because the fridge is HUGE. It’s so big that the owners paid to retrofit the building to accommodate its weight.
It’s a sign of how seriously Enoteca takes its wine program. They have hundreds of bottles on site, including half-priced to-go bottles that tend to be non-European varietals that don’t quite fit the theme of the restaurant, but are available through their supplier. To help you sort through their extensive collection, expert sommeliers are ready to help answer your call for a “crushable red” or something that goes well with your pizza.
Speaking of pizza, it’s a must-order in my book. The menu, which is a pared down version of Nostrana’s, includes a few pasta dishes and mains, but it’s hard to justify passing up pizza. The crust is chewy and full of flavor. The sauce, simple but vibrant, will make you wish you could eat it by the spoonful. Along with your pizza, you’ll be handed a pair of scissors that you can use to make jagged incisions across the crust. It’s playful yet functional, and I love it.
I will say that the meal should end here, with pizza. Unless you’re feeling a biscotti and dessert wine, I don’t think the butterscotch pudding lives up to the hype nor do any of the other dessert options. Instead, you could meander down the street for a very different vibe at Rimsky’s or just eat ice cream on the couch at home.
I want you to leave on a high note. Floating on air. Maybe twirling as the music guides you out the door and back into Portland.
It’s just that good.
Insalata Nostrana
Want to make Nostrana’s famous radicchio salad at home? You’re in luck. Their recipe is readily available online. Here’s an adapted version to follow. The trick is soaking the radicchio in ice water!
INGREDIENTS
2 heads radicchio the round Verona type
½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano freshly grated
1 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons white wine
2 tablespoons mayonnaise make your own or use a good quality prepared one
4 anchovies in olive oil, finely chopped
2 egg yolks
2 cloves garlic
For the Croutons
3 cups crusty bread, like foccacia or sourdough or baguette
4 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh sage and rosemary chopped fine
DIRECTIONS
Prep the radicchio.
Tear the radicchio into 2-inch pieces. Soak in ice water for two hours.
Drain and spin to dry.
Make the dressing.
Add all ingredients to a food processor and process. Season with salt and pepper.
Make the croutons.
Heat a skillet to medium high heat and add oil. Place the bread cubes into the skillet. Toss occasionally until toasted. Add the herbs and let cool.
Assemble.
Pile the dressed radicchio onto a platter or bowl. Sprinkle with parmesan,add the croutons, and serve.
Admittedly it’s been a while since I had a seasonal fruit crisp at Nostrana but I remember it so positively… I am upset by this insinuation that it fell flat after the glories of their pizza. The almond cream that you pour over the top?! To die for!