Vya
Vya is one of the latest in this most recent round of great new restaurant openings in Portland. Located off Division in the spot previously occupied by Palomar and across from the historic Ford building, Vya serves up some amazing tapas and paella.
As anyone who has to avoid gluten knows, the first thing you do when considering dining at a new restaurant is check the menu online. I was pleased and excited to see a well-marked menu with about half of Vya’s menu gluten free, including both paella options!
The space is truly lovely - great decor and expansive room with two floors of dining. Since it is two floors, if you’re mobility challenged, I highly recommend calling ahead for a reservation and ensuring they can place you on the first floor. I am recovering from a recent injury and thankfully able to do stairs now, but a month ago that would not have been the case.
The service at Vya is warm, friendly and super efficient. We ordered drinks to start and were truly impressed with the Esmeralda cocktail which was sort of a peppery, herbal hybrid of a margarita and a pisco sour - so delicious and refreshing!
I dined here with some friends, so we ordered quite a variety of tapas including some gluten containing options for them - they raved about the non-gluten free jamon croquettes. Of the gluten free options, we ordered the gilda, the patatas, the octopus carpaccio, and the mixed paella with seafood and chicken.
My favorite by far was the gilda. These are a single, large bite tapa with a large Spanish olive and peppers wrapped with an anchovy. If you like briny, savory foods, you will love this. If you’re not sure if this is for you, these are sold by the piece so you can get one to try without committing to a whole platter and can always order more if you like it, as I’m sure you will.
Not far behind that was the octopus carpaccio. Thinly sliced octopus with lemon, trout roe, chili thread and parsley oil - this was divine. Honestly though, I think what would push this dish over the top would be to place it on tiny, thin, gluten free crostinis. It’s so flavorful but could really benefit from the texture of a crostini, which would also make it a little easier to eat.
The paella was definitely good, but not the star of the show for me. I tend to like a lot of seasonings and a lot of this paella’s flavor came from an aioli, which was delicious, just not quite what I was expecting and craving. I will say it’s probably the best I’ve had in recent years though in the U.S. So many places that do paella in the U.S. just do it poorly, even when all the rest of the cuisine is on point, but this was pretty good, and thankfully not at all overcooked - which has happened to me at some other places in the past.
I’m looking forward to coming back soon to try their cheeses, cured meats and other cocktails, and of course more of the gilda!
Also, if you’re in the area and love wine, be sure to check out one of the best wine shops and tasting rooms in the city - Backcountry Wine Room in the Ford building across the street.
