One of the casualties of 2020 in the Portland food and beverage scene was the end of the Tasty restaurants: Toro Bravo, Tasty N Daughters, Tasty N Alder, and Plaza del Toro. It was a sudden end where one week they were doing so much good working with nonprofits and offering pay it forward and free food bags to feed people with financial concerns during those initial shock of Covid-19 shutdowns. Then came a mix of seemingly outbursts of frustration of the times, and poor choices of words on both sides, that ultimately led to the end of the Toro era under the Gorhams. Other restaurants without the Tasty or Toro in the name were sold off, while it seems the Tasty/Toro portion is being redirected by a couple former employees and bolstered by new blood via former baker from shuttered Bar King, opening anew under the name Tasty, out in Lake Oswego. They open in that space starting with previews this weekend and official open July 1, but last weekend I had a chance to reminisce with old Tasty classics and try new tastes as they popped up for a Tasty Lake Oswego brunch temporarily at the old Bar King space.

If you were a fan of the Tasty N Alder brunch the Potatoes Bravas, Bambino Plate, Bibimbap Bacon and Eggs, Steak and Frites, Tasty Steak and Cheddar Eggs, Tasty Mary and Dim Summore cocktails, are back. From dinner menu the Low Hush Puppies with jalapeno honey butter are back as are also, thankfully the Radicchio Salad. From Tasty and Bravo and Tasty and Daughters returns Shakshuka and Biscuit Sandwich. During my visit, I had the Tasty Steak and Cheddar Eggs with corn cake and jalapeno honey butter, and a taste of my friend’s Hush Puppies, and both were wonderful.