Mucca Osteria

As a Portlander, I am pleased that this downtown restaurant has held the test of time especially given the changes to downtown. Their pastas are handmade, with the exception of gluten-free dishes. The menu is traditional Italian with starters and two courses. Cocktails are creative and boozy. We had the Barbabietole e Caprino Balsamic Roasted Beet salad w/Goat Cheese, Walnuts, Orange Mineral Water, and Radicchio and tomato and crab bisque soup. Pasta dishes were Bucatini w/ Polpo Crispy Octopus in a Tomato White Wine-Squid Ink Sauce, Gemelli (extruded pasta curls) w/Prosciutto and Arugula in a Lemon-Butter Sauce, Tagliatelle w/Oxtail Ragù and a Horseradish Whipped Ricotta. We brought our own wine. No dessert.

Definitely put on your dress pants for this place, it's rather nice. Even the wait staff are fancy. Most importantly though, the food is incredible. I was also pleasantly surprised to find that most of their menu items (all except the pastas and cakes) were gluten free! The food and experience are worth the price.