John Gorham is a household name in Portland. The restaurateur is the face, co-owner and executive chef behind many of the city’s most favored restaurants including Spanish-inspired Toro Bravo, steakhouse Tasty n’Alder and breakfast mainstay Tasty n’Sons. Most recently, he has added Mediterranean Exploration Company to his list of accomplished projects, a restaurant plating cuisine inspired by international travel around the Mediterranean, found in the heart of the Pearl District.
Joined by executive chef Kasey Mills (formerly of Toro Bravo for the better part of the last decade), the two chefs aspire to show the “story” behind their regional cuisine, inspired by the people behind the food they experienced on their research-travel sessions prior to opening this restaurant. Thus, the restaurant’s title—the menu is a manifestation of the exploration the team took of the Mediterranean, from the west to the east.
An open industrial venue with exposed ceilings, no-frills lighting, large warehouse windows and a roll-up windowed garage door proves to be less reminiscent of a factory and more a welcoming, communal urban shared space—with innovative spins on authentic dishes and complicated yet toothsome cocktails. The main dining room hosts movable two-and four-top tables encased by light wood panel (and slightly stiff) bench seats and dark wood-frame chairs plus an eight-seater communal table and street-gazing window seats. In the bar, a high-top table seats eight plus bar top seats and a chef’s counter offers a closer look at the cooking.
Designed with group dining in mind, the menu stretches across countries, portion-sizes, diet-styles and a breadth of proteins—all shareable, adjustable and sounding delectable. The well-versed and polite serving staff romances this menu, detailing the daily changes and updates and fields questions with patience and expertise.
Broken down into methods of preparation, I started in the “Raw” section. A uniquely prepared tombo tuna tartare was chopped into bite-sized fish chunks, tossed with hibiscus flowers, caper leaves, radish and lime for a zesty, floral and fresh fare. From the “Oven,” the roasted carrots—a dish my vegetarian dining partner was happy to see making a menu comeback—were succulent in harissa, tarragon and yogurt. For “Mezza,” the grilled octopus salad was vibrant with bell peppers and unctuous with a tender chew to the sea creature. My “Piato” selection was the scallops (three, to be exact) that were seared in butter and placed on a bed of agresto (in the pesto family, but with verjuice and a variety of nuts), leeks and topped with breadcrumbs. I capped the meal off with the lamb chops from “The Grill,” a half portion that touted several ounces of meat more than I expected and was grateful for because I could not get more of the oregano and garlic marinaded meat off of the bone.
Outside of wine (try the rotating orange wine feature) and beer (other than Peroni, draft is dedicated to Oregon brews), the cocktail list varies from complex to a little convoluted, yet pulls it off in a dozen mouthwatering libations. To test your listening skills, ask your server for the Smoking Gaucho, a sipper of mezcal, reposado tequila, lemon, Aperol and sherry, then try to repeat the ingredients back to her. The Spanish Diplomat brings on a sort of umami effect with its components (palo cortado sherry, white vermouth, Bénédictine, bitters, Marcona almond and orange oils) and The Oldest Lemon is a lip-smacker, a citrus-spun Old Fashioned worth more than the less-than-appetizing epithet.
Appropriately priced for a journey around Mediterranean, the menu is told with the authenticity of the men that experienced this exploration. Adventure abound, pack your bags and head to the Mediterranean Exploration Company.
