Tasty n Sons
Suite C
Portland OR 97212
Talk about fast turnover (pretty much unheard of in the restaurant industry)! After Anju closed after only a few months, John Gorham (of Toro Bravo) opened his new brunch spot in the same Boise neighborhood spot not even two months after rumors first hit the blogs. He’s not doing breakfast in the traditional way, either. The menu, which changes often, features international flavors and preparations, some reminiscent of his Spanish tapas restaurant, and also like Toro Bravo, they are designed to be shared family-style and don’t always come out at the same time. It makes a visit to Tasty n Sons a vibrant, communal adventure. And you can always get the biscuit sandwich (with fried chicken or sausage) or French toast (with rhubarb) if you’re in the mood for something more familiar. Liz Hummer, 4/6/10
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A great meal doesn’t guarantee a great restaurant experience—case in point, our dinner last night at Tasty n Sons.
We put our name on the list for a table (no reservations for parties less than six) at 6:30 p.m. and were told our wait would be roughly half an hour. The hostess was good about updating us on our wait status, and she became apologetic when our wait passed the 30-minute mark… and then an hour (at which point she let us know she’d be treating us to a little something)… and continued to be apologetic until we were seated at 8 p.m. By that time we were ravenous.
We would’ve been content to simply order our entrees (the Toro burger served with manchego and bacon, two crispy fried deluxe chicken burgers and the damn good chicken strips—all served with fries.) but we ordered appetizers out of fear that the sporadic arrival of our entrees—served family style whenever they’re ready—would result in a fork in the neck for whoever got their entree first. We were that hungry, people. Don’t judge. The appetizers (meat and cheese board, fried cauliflower & olives with harissa cream and low country hush puppies) were delicious, I think. We ate them so quickly it was difficult to assess to what extent we actually enjoyed them. We inhaled our entrees, too—not stopping for a breath until we had dessert menus in our hands. We couldn’t resist the baked-to-order chocolate chip cookies served warm with vanilla ice cream. Like everything else we ordered, dessert did not disappoint (although we all agreed the cookies could’ve used a little salt), and because our bellies were full we were actually able to savor them.
Unfortunately, the long wait for dinner was not the only misstep of the evening. A glass of wine was forgotten, and our table was approached with dishes intended for other diners more than once. These are minor details, sure, but they’re magnified after a (stomach) growl-inducing 1.5-hour wait.
In my opinion, the dining experience at Tasty n Sons could be as exceptional as the food if the restaurant took reservations or stopped serving dishes sporadically. It’s hard to rely on a restaurant if you don’t know when you’re going to eat, or if you’re forced to order more than you intended simply to ensure that your party can dine together.