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Vindalho I Portland

By Rebecca Murphy

Perhaps it was the cold rain of the Pacific Northwest that turned David Machado's attention to the warm flavors of India. At Vindalho, his new Portland restaurant, Machado's fusion of Indian cooking techniques with fresh regional ingredients has created a buzz.

Vindalho's menu reflects the subcontinent's culinary diversity but also features spicy meat- and seafood-based dishes roasted in a tandoor oven, a style of cooking common to northern India. To best show off the complex, pungent flavors on the menu, Machado brought in wine consultant David Holstrom. His list goes heavy on riesling and gruner veltliner as well as chenin blanc, which Holstrom and Machado found works particularly well. A typical meal might start with a mulligatawny soup made with winter squash and lentils, then lead to a tandoor-roasted Draper Valley chicken and a side of Bengali-spiced spinach with peanuts. So it seems logical to look to the versatile, waxy flavors and slight residual sweetness of chenin like Champalou's 2004 Vouvray.

For the pork vindalho, a Carlton pork shoulder braised with chiles, garlic and ginger, Holstrom steers diners toward reds like Paul Achs's zweigelt-blaufränkisch blend from Austria or Kellerai Terlan's inky lagrein from Italy's Alto Adige. These are substantial enough not to be overwhelmed by the spice intensity of the pork while their richness soothes the palate. A combination as seamless as Machado's delicious fusion of Indian and Pacific Northwest cuisine.

Vindalho, 2038 SE Clinton St., Portland, OR; 503-467-4550; vindalho.com

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