pambiche

warmth and wondering?. so, left to my own designs, i’m 0 for 2 on lunch experiences in portland. it was time top take the advice of a bar/restaurant owner in b”ham who graciously provided me with a list of his “good” eat and drink favorites. we decide to go cuban (for the first time) at pambiche.

around 1:30pm the place, a small place with about 25 seats, was full but thinning. we waited just a couple minutes and were shown to a small table for two. the waiter, who we could see was busy, managed to smile, greet us and assure us he would be right with us and he was. knowing next to nothing about cuban cuisine save a cuban sandwich or black beans, i fell back on a my first timer’s mo: chose a familiar ingredient with and unfamiliar preparation. billed as a cuban shrimp creole, i ordered camarones enchilados, prawns sautéed in a piquant creole sauce with west indian spices served with black beans and white rice and a michelanda cubana (cuban red beer) to drink. wifey went for pan con lechon, the cuban creole pork sandwich with adobo braised pork and a side of red beans and white rice, white wine to drink.

the beer, the cuban bloody mary, was a half full glass of “spicy tomato sauce” on the rocks and rimmed with salt accompanied by a cold dos equis, obviously for mixing to taste. the entrees arrived shortly thereafter. the plates were nicely presented with welcoming portions. my shrimp were cooked perfectly and wifey said here pork sammie was tender. but, we both noticed the same thing simultaneously, the food was very bland and certainly given the menu descriptions. was this the epitome of what cuban food tastes like? i didn’t know. i reached for the “house made” salsa but it added virtually nothing to the dishes. even the “spicy” tomato juice in the bloody mary was flat. was i missing something? we cleaned our plates and shook our heads. we chatted with the owner and our server who were more than warm and engaging but feared to ask about the lack of verve in the food. had the food been better, this would have been a three star experience but one thing that any restaurateur could learn from, because of the pleasant environment and warmth of service, i would quickly return and begin to eat my way through the menu an learn more about the food. that leaves me 0-2-1.

fantastic cuban food. we've been to pambiche about 6 times now, and have had only good experiences. great for breakfast (love the baked goods basket) and dinner is always yummy. cuban sandwiches are my favorite, and the oxtail was great. i usually sub out moros y cristianos for the regular beans and rice in my entree, because it's just so good. pastelitos are good but not the best i've had, but their desserts are stellar, especially the guava cheesecake. can be busy at peak hours so get there early!

desserts!. although we only stopped in for desserts and coffee it was still great. after a 5 minute wait to be seated outside we were met and our orders taken. delivery was quick and they were good. the bill took a while after we were finished but that is typical and understood. definitely going to have to eat a full meal here in the future.

i have wanted to go eat at this place since i found it. so i talked my friend to coming with. it was a beautiful summer day so we didn't mine the wait. we were super hungry and decided to eat inside. why the hostess put us by the service door since there was another table i am not sure, but the door keep randomly hitting our table. ok i am going to cut to the chase, the waitresses where rude, my personal favorite was the rolling of the eyes. we felt invisible the service was super slow even after people left, and the food was bland. now i love cuban food because we are a dominican family the flavors are close cousins, so i do know " sabor" this was lacking!!! i could make better food in my kitchen on a bad day... my friend must have been reading my mind because she told me the same thing... if you like authentic food don't waste your time and money. not worth it!! i left disappointed and with a headache from the crappy service. my friend suggested maybe i should have spoken spanish and we may have had a different experience.. i told her no excuse for bad service and that would not fix a bad cook.

castro's beard. it has been my experience in this fine city that some of the more popular ethnic restaurants are revered more for their flair than their authenticity. sometimes all you want is some good ol' southern soul food and instead you end up with a sack of tin foil animals. or you find yourself in the mood for a simple bowl of ramen, but end up suffering some weird strain of cafeteria that charges $10 for the stuff. i tread through too many of these type of experiences before finally washing up on the shore, jaded, and resolute that i would not fall into one of these traps again.
and thats why it took me almost three years to walk through the doors of pambiche. i lumped it in with all the cutesy doodle, ethnic joints that are so cherished by native portlanders, and i wanted no part of it. so here we are, a couple weeks before the big move and we are trying to walk our way to an easy lunch. browsing the 'spoon and nothing is sounding good. then, slyly, the wife smiles that chesire cat grin and says "we could try pambiche." i immediately go into a rant about castro sending the dgi in there and wiping out the place when he saw how they bastardized his homelands cuisine, etc.. but, with smooth persistence, she manages to get me to look over the happy hour menu. perhaps it was the rum that we had been drinking, but i began to warm to the idea of tackling some of those small plates. "ok, fine" i tell her. "but if anythings portlandized theyre gonna hear about it!" so after finishing off the rum we propel ourselves down the road and away.
we arrive and are greeted and seated by a friendly gal who seems to be running the whole show with the help of one other fellow. i hear people bitch a lot about the service in this town, and sure, ive had a couple times where i wondered "what is this person doing in this industry?' but overall, i think people here have some pretty bizarre ideas about what good service actually entails. i say this because only the most miserable sod could not appreciate the kind of thorough and thoughtful service that we received at pambiche. the people were nice, on top of things and actually seemed to care about our experience and they managed to do this without coming across as patronizing either. it was a very well balanced act.
perhaps, perhaps you would like to know what i thought of the food. well, let tell you what we ordered. one espinica con queso empanada, the moros & christianos, a mound of ropa vieja, some ajiaco criollo and of course, maduros. where to begin? i have been eating empanadas my entire life, and in my entire life i have never had an empanada whose shell melted my heart the way this one did. soft, buttery, flaky, delicate..... it was a fine piece of pastry and the creamy filling allowed for no letdown. it was probably my favorite thing at our table. 2nd place winner goes to the ajiaco criollo. we had never had this dish before, and afterwards we were scrambling across the internet for a recipe for it. if i were to come back here for a proper lunch, this would be the dish i would order. a stew teeming with a variety of root vegetables, along with chunks of both pork and beef, i spooned it in as slowly as humanly possible, despite the little monster inside who was screaming out for more, now. moving along, the moros & christianos was another one i couldnt get enough of. it was a little dry but once you mix in some of that salsa, it all came together. this dish also, left me yearning for more. in between bites i had to remind myself to get a stab of the maduros, before my wife ate them all. i may have had better ones, but i cant recall where or when. they were dangerously good. which leaves us with the ropa vieja. if people only know one cuban dish, it is usually this. there used to be a cart up on division called havana cafe. this guy, he made some of the most incredible ropa vieja. it was better than any i ever had in cuba, better than any ive had stateside, better than any anywhere. and then one day he closed up shop and left for texas. i felt like i was headed for a funeral when i heard the news, and there has been a void ever since. so, it goes without saying that the ropa vieja bar was set rather high. but even on its own merit, the ropa vieja at pambiche is pretty mediocre. it was much oilier than i could understand or care for and in the flavor department all i was getting was a trace of vinegar, and not much else. if i had come here for lunch and ordered just this, i would not have much nice to say about pambiche. fortunately, i have all the other plates to fall back on and so it was only a bump in the road when weighed all together..
oh, and yes; thank you for understanding that this is simple food and doesnt need to be dressed up or given any kind of nw "twist". that this fine cuisine stands quite well on its own without any need for help from a gringos imagination.
grade: b (the $5 specialty cocktails we had were nice, though i was a bit surprised by the omission of a mojito or cuba libre)

atmosphere is electric and bright and fun. the space is very small, but there is a lot of outdoor seating during those warmer months.
service was great. they checked on us often and they were super informative when we had questions.
pricing was good. you got a good portion for your money.
i didn’t take time to check out the drinks. sorry, it was lunch time and i usually just get water, even though it’s 5:00 somewhere.

pambiche takes great pride in their desserts, which is clear by their extensive menu and glass case full of treats. while i was dining there i had the pleasure of enjoying the torta dominó, a white chocolate cake finished with chocolate ganache and a white chocolate domino piece. pambiche also has a non-alcoholic drink menu that is hard to rival; their lemonades with fresh pressed sugar cane juice bring a new flavor to a familiar drink, and the cuban milkshakes such as plátano, a banana spice milkshake, are delicious. a personal favorite of mine, and a very warm and cozy drink to have while taking advantage of pambiche's outdoor dining during the winter (yes, i did that last weekend!) is the oaxacan hot chocolate. it is a very rich hot chocolate with a touch of cinnamon and topped with whipped cream, chocolate shavings and mint (and only $3)! this drink is something i know i will crave all winter long, and i can't wait to go back and get it again.

we've been a few times and its always great. my wife thinks that the shrimp and rice are the best in the world. i can't disagree it is fantastic.


-----10 sep, 2011-----

wonderful place. we had the prima vuelta and the corn fritter was to die for. mains were shrimp and pork and both just fantastic. service was good. we ate outside and it was great to sit and enjoy the cool evening. this i'd with a trip from the west side.

yum!. i was a little wary when some friends recommended pambiche for lunch...cuban food...what's that? omg...it was amazing. everyone at the table agreed that their meals were all fantastic.

i had the "fritura and frijole" combo, which featured some cuban fritters, black beans, and an avocado salad. the avocado salad was great...avocados, red onion, parsley, extra virgin olive oil and sour orange vinaigrette. the fritters were "acelgas" and "ñame"...chard, green onion, herbs, and goat cheese, and the others were cuban yams with herbs and caramelized onions.

i would recommend it highly...i think i've found my favorite restaurant in portland. mexican food...step aside!

we love this place!. cuban food can be a little daunting to the average american palate, but i've really learned to love it. and there's nothing like the heaping plate of cuban comfort food like you'll get at pambiche. the meat is slow cooked in rich sauces that really make the dish. the atmosphere is cozy and relaxed, though i do agree with other commenters that a cocktail menu would take this restaurant to new heights. the only other thing i'm not impressed with are the moros y cristianos, which seem to be cold and dry everytime i order them. the other sides are great, though, and the desserts are brilliant-- best tres leches in town!

i love pambiche. i think that's okay to say now. it's most definitely in my top five. and it's been in my top five for more than three years.

decent, but not worth the buzz. this place is listed on urbanspoon as one of the best places in portland and i don't understand why. i've been there 3 times, each time expecting something terrific, but each time i've been underwhelmed. it's not bad food mind you, and sitting on the sidewalk during warm months is a blast, but it's just that the food isn't all that good. also, they don't have a liquor license so they don't make mojitos, which should be a must for a cuban restaurant, and their beer menu is atrocious. sorry, but there are so many better options in portland.


-----15 may, 2011-----

like it but underwhelmed. i've eaten here 5 times and only once have i eaten something that i've been thrilled by. it's good food but nothing special. i'm really surprised that it is rated in the top-5 restaurants in portland - really? their sangria is good, but because they don't have a liquor license (huh?!) they can't do mojitos!! come on!


-----20 feb, 2011-----

like it but underwhelmed. still waiting to find out why everyone keeps recommending this place. i like the vibe and sitting on the sidewalk when the sun is out is great. but the food is only a c+. i've eaten at pambiche 4 times, 3 of the meals were pretty good and one was great...just not enough flavor. and, the beer list is terrible, i know this is cuban food but having one decent portland beer wouldn't kill the vibe.

try the oxtail $10 as it should be and delicious

eclectic!. i found this restaurant on urbanspoon and it was soo good! it's a very intresting and vibrant colored restaurant. they have outdoor seating with over head heaters and indoor seating. we chose outdoor seating because we didn't want to wait 20 minutes. the wait staff was very friendly and kind in us taking our time to decide because there were so many delicious things on the menu, it was super hard to pick. when we finally ordered, food came out within 10-15 minutes and it was absolutely delicious. i got the fried cow and the meat just tasted so good. and the plantains were delicious too! it was very flavourful and awesome if you'd want a new food experience. for the drink, i got a dream something.. there was orange in it and it was pretty good, pretty bitter though. i regret not ordering the kids beer because that wouldve been interesting to try. for dessert we got a very delicious cake with coconut and passion fruit filling. it looked amazing and it tasted super amazing. it was moist and exotic. the passion fruit gave it that perfect tart- definitley worth 7 bucks.
over all, good service, good decor, and excellent food. will go again!

amazing! the wait at dove vivi was too long so we headed over to pambiche which beckoned us with it's hip swaying music. the four of us tried each others drinks and dishes. i highly recommend the cuban sidecar and the drink with lots of c's and r's (chanchancharra maybe?). my mates all loved the coco solo and i know i'll be looking for some for matthew. i'm pretty sure i'd never had cuban food so i wanted something traditional and basic and went with the sanwich cubano - delicious! the stew my bud got was hearty and amazing and i'll definitely be going back for that. the food came out fast, the service was great - a fantastic experience.