Ay Carumba! Dinner at Oba

Mom and Dad gave us a gift card to Oba, a restaurant in the Pearl district of Portland, for Christmas. Ricky and I hadn't used it yet, so after we finished bark dusting yesterday we decided to shower and take ourselves out for a treat.

Boy, was it ever a treat! They recommend reservations, but since we went on a whim we didn't have any. We could have waited 20-30 minute for a table in the dining room, but instead we opted for immediate seating in the lounge. There wasn't quite as much atmosphere, and it was louder, but it also meant we got to eat right away, and we were both very hungry.

It was very difficult to make a decision on what the heck to eat. Everything on the menu looked so good. Originally Ricky was going to have the butternut squash enchiladas, then he started talking about the shrimp and scallop tamales. You can imagine my surprise, then, when our server appeared and he ordered the mesquite flank steak!

Ricky's steak was served with Spanish blue cheese, mashed potatoes, and grilled vegetables including corn and asparagus. It looked good, even to a non-meat eater like me! I had two tapas, or small plates, perfect for people who want to try more than one item. My meal consisted of 6 prawns in a coconut-orange batter with a jalapeno-citrus marmalade (simply divine!!) as well as a sampler platter of 3 ceviches (citrus marinaded seafood salad) - rock fish with avocado and tomato, bay scallops with tropical fruits (my favorite!), and prawn with coconut-ginger marinade.

For dessert we shared a "Baked Argentina," their version of a baked Alaska. It was a chocolate cake, topped with banana slices and caramel, then vanilla ice cream and, of course, the meringue. It was delicious!

We left the restaurant completely stuffed but very happy. The perfect end to a day of working in our yard.