My wife and I decided to have a late dinner (starting around 9PM) on a Friday night and I suggested we try Patanegra since we've never been there. We really liked Trebol and loved Toro Negro and thought this would be similar.
From the moment we got there, we started to feel rushed. I guess we were there late but seriously is 9PM on a Friday night that late especially considering it is Spanish food?
I ordered the Paella Patanegra which sounded great with lots of seafood and meats. It arrived in quite a large skillet just like at other places I've tried Paella. It was pretty tasty but my wife didn't like one of her orders of cheesy fritters. Apparently they were overcooked for her taste. I thought they reminded me of the cheese sticks from Wild Buffalo Wings
Then the bill comes... We were charged for two Paella dishes when we thought we had only ordered one. We mentioned that we thought we had only ordered one and the waitress said, that when you order Paella you must order a minimum of two orders. I don't know why because no other restaurant I've ordered Paella at has a similar requirement Fenouil, Toro Bravo and others will sell you a single plate of Paella.
While my wife was ordering she was very clearly asking questions about vegetarian options and when I ordered I said ""I'll have the Paella"". So there were enough hints there, that the waitress might have said ""Do you know that the Paella is for two?"" or something that would have alerted us to this unusual restriction. That would have been a good time for the waitress to point out the requirement in the menu not when the check arrived with two $20 orders of Paella.
Anyway, fair enough, the menu did mention that we must order two and we just missed it with no help from the waitress. So lets talk about the Paella itself.... There was no hint of saffron in this Paella, the ham and sausage were overcooked and tough and quite salty. The rice was burned to the bottom but somehow mushy on top. The clams were undercooked and several hadn't opened and were thus quite raw. Even though we ordered two orders (unknown at the time) I would say the quantity was probably only a bit more than one might get at Toro Bravo or Fenouil. It certainly didn't look like twice as much Paella as on might get elsewhere. So even in the value for dollar department, the Paella at Patanegra is poor.
Needless to say, my wife and I won't be returning to Patanegra.
Pros: OK Spanish food, but third in Portland at best
Cons: unusual menu restrictions, unhelpful wait staff
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