Portello Winecafe

Thank you, portello, for a wonderfully hosted social event last weekend. The attention to detail prior to the event in planning the use of space and wine and food selections was impressive, as was having a dedicated server for the evening. Our guests were very complimentary of the cozy feel and excellent wine and food. The flavorful bruschetta, bread boards, warmed olives, cheese plates and meat balls were perfect for our celebration. I highly recommended this cafe for any occasion.

WINE'S THE WORD:  They really know how to wine and dine you here! In search of a place to have good wine and conversation, we found the Portello Wine Café in NW Crossing. I loved that even on a Friday night, it wasn't too crowded (which is the opposite of the downtown Bend scene). We were able to chat in a comfy and intimate spot.

FINE WINE & MORE:  They offer a variety of wines, both domestic and international. The wine list is ever-changing, so you won't get bored. We devoured a bottle of Dumas Station's Cow Catcher Red from Walla Walla, Washington. I think the bottle may have had a hole in the bottom because we emptied it fast! They have an awesome happy hour deal: a $5 wine list from 4-6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. And, if you happen to drag a non-wino fan along, not to fret, because they have a selection of beer too (it's Bend after all!). They also have live bands on Saturday nights so you can enjoy your good wine and bites alongside live music!

SMALL BITES:  Let me first start off by saying that everything I sank my teeth into at Portello was totally mouth-watering. We oinked out, so we tried many of the offerings on the menu. We started with the warmed olives that were marinated to perfection and served as a perfect compliment to the wine. We moved on to the cheese board, which included 4 cheeses, all of which were heavenly. My favorite was the rosemary goat cheese. The board comes with fruit as well as toast, but I found the toast too thick for some of the milder cheeses. I would have preferred a softer bread for the board.  Note that my bf just commented that he wildly disagrees - he loved the toast and described them as having the right amount of chewiness and crunch (he's sleeping on the couch tonight!).

We also tried the blue farm salad, a harmony of gorgonzola, dates, walnuts, and pears, amongst a field of mixed greens. I loved that the dressing on this salad was light and applied sparingly so that it did not take away from the other goodies in the salad. Finally, we ended on a bruschetta note. Portello has a wide variety of bruschettas and you get to choose four per order. We tried the mozzarella, tomato, & basil (always a classic favorite), the tuscan white bean with sun-dried tomatoes (a totally unique combo of deliciousness), and the brie with apples (my heart melted for this one!).  Like I said, we oinked out!

FINAL NOTE:  I definitely plan on coming back the next time I'm in Bend. This will probably be my first stop. Okay, family first, then straight to Portello!

Wine bars and small plates, these are a few of my favorite things...

While visiting Bend, it's nearly impossible to find a wine bar or wine tasting...yeah I know, I'm spoiled living in Oregon's wine country....but Bend is all about the Brews, we get that.

Yelp came to our rescue! I don't think we would have found this cute place otherwise. It's off the beaten path, in a "new and upcoming" suburbia of Bend. Kinda like a little strip mall surrounded by houses, like Orenco Station in Hillsboro. I did find it odd that they only have one review, so I asked our server how long they have been here, she replies, 6 yrs! Seriously??

We saw it was a bit busy, so we stopped in. We timed it just right, it was Happy Hour! All wines were $5 a glass, now that's what I call a HH, not just one or two featured wines, but ANY wine from their menu! I chose a Rose and my sweetie had a Spanish red. The pours are generous also. We decided on some nibbles, we ordered the Brushetta, you get to choose four different kinds. The Bruschetta was a little to thick for our liking. The flavors were great though, from the usual mozzarella and tomato to smoked salmon. We also tried the meatballs, nothing special about them, but they were good.

The service was great, the food just good, and the wine selection good, I would have like to see more Oregon wines on the menu though.