Andina Restaurant Review

It's hard to say what you'll remember the most about Andina.  It might be the service, the amazing Peruvian food, the atomosphere, or the stunning presentation.  For me it was the huge gluten-free menu.

One of the things that I have liked about going gluten-free has been that it simplifies my dining decisions.  Before going gluten-free, I had always been the person in the party who would mull a bit too long over the many tantalizing options to order.  Now, in most restaurants I simply find the one item on the menu that I think might be easily modified to be gluten-free.  At Andina I didn't have that luxury.  However, at Andina I didn't mind having so many things to choose from.

My gluten-free friend and I got the works.  At least, it felt like it.  First of all, they brought us something to snack on instead of bread.  I'm not sure I've ever been to a restaurant that had a gluten-free bread substitute.  It was a delicious fried yucca dish.  We ordered a Spanish tortilla as an appetizer.  When I was in Spain during my college years, I had tortilla all the time - it's one of my favorite dishes.  It's a type of potato omelet.  I'll post a recipe one of these days, but until then you'll have to make do with this photo of Andina's version, which was definitely up to par.

Then our entrees arrived.

I can't remember the last time I was so impressed by the presentation at a restaurant.  The experience of consuming it was not a let-down.  The scallops were perfectly cooked and the mashed potatoes and various sauces were excellent.

Enough said.  If you're on the gluten-free diet, or even if you just love Latin American food, and you're in Portland, you need to check this place out.