Oregon is home to a lot of restaurants, bars, wineries, and breweries, but there are tons of hidden gems that the majority of Portlanders aren't unearthing. To help guide us to these potential discoveries, we've enlisted some of our city's many food players to share their recommendations for a weekly feature dubbed Dining Confidential.
Image of Taqueria Lindo Michoacan courtesy angrywayne via Flickr
Chef Dustin Clark — who has been with NW 21st's Wildwood restaurant since 1998 — has dedicated himself to this longtime Northwest favorite purely because of the concept: Source the finest local ingredients, know your farmers, and make lasting relationships. Today, Clark creates weekly menus at Wildwood that elevate typical New American dishes by drawing on many different influences including Italian, Eastern European, Moroccan, French, and Indian. But when he's looking to dine out on his own dime, he finds inspiration from south of the border at Taqueria Lindo Michoacan.
Of all the taquerias in Portland, Lindo Michoacan is where I eat out most frequently. A basic food cart with picnic tables and a makeshift dining shelter, Michoacan serves outstanding tacos. Their handmade tortillas are delivered piping hot and fluffy, just what I crave. The al pastor is a great balance of tender pork and dried chiles, and is arguably one of the best in town. I oftentimes order the lengua taco as well, which has an amazing texture and provides the perfect platform for their salsas. If you prefer more richness in your filling, the cabeza is slow cooked and meltingly tender. The salsa verde is a necessary garnish for all fillings with moderate heat and tons of flavor. I lean towards the extra hot habanero salsa because I enjoy spicy foods. I also like that the tacos are served very simply: fresh tortillas, choice of meat, diced onion, ample cilantro and a side of lime.
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