Palomar

You know you've found the right building when you see the huge Geisha mural by Irish street artist Fin DAC on SE Division.  However, if you arrive from the west side, you may miss it entirely.

I'm not sure I've ever really had a favorite bar, but...Palomar is my new favorite bar!  I admit it, I like fruity drinks, and the current Portland trend toward bourbony, non-fruity cocktails is not my favorite.  So I was pretty thrilled to find this Cuban inspired bar with multiple daquiri options.  The special of the day was a blended papaya daquiri (fruity and delicious) and then I tried Daquiri #1, blended (also delicious, but less fruity).

The happy hours deals are pretty good, so we tried the croquetas de jamon and picadillo  empanadas, both tasty.

Fricasse de pollo with tostones and black beans was a very generous serving and very satisfying between the stewed chicken, crispy salty plantains, and creamy black beans.

And for dessert, I have a hard time passing up flan, it's always a creamy relatively light end to a meal.