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Toro Bravo

<p>A relatively new (2007) addition to Portland's burgeoning East Side food scene, this smart and unpretentious tapas restaurant brightens an otherwise quiet street with its inviting ruby-red walls and polished dark wood tables. The kitchen uses local ingredients to create Spanish-inspired, sometimes revelatory dishes: marinated sheep's cheese with rose-petal harissa and mint; venison terrine with dried cherries and hazelnuts; sous vide suckling pig with sherry-cream potatoes and truffle jus. There's also a knockout paella tossed with chicken, chorizo, clams, shrimp, and mussels.</p> <p><strong>Tip: </strong>Don't miss the daily-changing cheese board; the hard-to-find artisanal selections come from Portland's most vaunted cheese seller, <a href="/thingtodo/shop/steves-cheese">Steve's Cheese</a>. </p>