Fernando's Hideaway
By Joey Scruggs
There's a sparkling jewel of a restaurant, located at 824 S.W.
1st Avenue, in the heart of downtown Portland, that you absolutely must
check out. It's personality is so unique! It's called Fernando's Hideaway
and is an authentic Spanish restaurant.
Give credit for this impressive business to the two people who
run it Fernando Moreno and Mercedes Jordana.
(Writer's note: I had met Fernando through my job at FASTIXX,
a local event ticketing agency. I knew him as the guy who had this huge
passion about Spanish music, from selling his events at the Adrianna
Hill Ballroom through us. He was charming. Little did I know, when given
this assignment from my editor, that Fernando was also the owner of
Fernando's Hideaway. It only took one visit to the restaurant to understand
what Fernando is all about: Passion.)
Fernando and his wife Mercedes are passionate to spread the
culture of New Spain; the Spain of today, not the old stereotype of
bullfights, cobblestone villages and macho men. Their Spain is modern,
eclectic and fun.
At Fernando's Hideaway, they combine food, drink, music and personality
in striking fashion.
Both Fernando and Mercedes speak with strong Spanish accents.
A smile is always there, just below the surface, waiting to break out.
Their deserved, hardwon pride surrounds them, like the glow you see
on a new mother and father, for their favorite child.
Fernando came to America 10 years ago and became a restaurant
manager in Seattle. Mercedes has been here four years. He's from Granada,
Spain, and she's form Barcelona. When they met just before Fernando
left for America, their connection continued (with many, many large
telephone bills), resulting in Mercedes leaving to join him four years
ago in Seattle. They moved to Portland two years ago and started the
business. The two absolutely love Portland!
The huge picture windows, facing west, invite you into Fernando's
domain. Wooden floors, 20 foot ceilings and Portland-style brick on
the north wall embrace you while siting at your table. Mercedes took
time out from her duty as hostess to talk about the place and show this
writer around.
A beautiful woman with a gracious smile and the playfulness of
a child in her eyes, Mercedes has a dream job that perfectly suits her
she loves to party! She lives for special occasions; Valentine's Day,
New Year's, the times when she helps coordinate special menus and gets
to dress the place up.
Filled with intimate booths throughout the main restaurant,
this writer's favorite spot at Fernando's was the back patio, a sunken
area lit by a huge skylight. If you have a special occasion to celebrate
with a group of friends, this would be hard to top.
Upstairs is where the music is Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Thursday and Friday are Latin disco nights (Mercedes' favorite is Thursday).
Saturdays, live music is featured with LaGuardia Civil (The Civil Guard),
a danceable fusion of Flamenco, Moorish, Latin, African jazz influences,
bullfighting music, Moorish rhumbas, boleros, pasa dobles, cha cha chas
and Argentine tangos are celebrated on Flamenco guitars, trumpet, saxophone,
piano, flute and drums.
Fernando's boasts a well stocked bar, with microbrew and domestic
beers, as well as the finest wine list. Every bottle is from Spain.
Pages and pages of different selections are there for the asking, from
very affordable to the very finest gourmet wine at $250 a bottle, available
at all times, mind you.
The menu is equally impressive. Entrees include Costa Dorado
(halibut with a sauce of fresh tomatoes, onions, bay leaves and cinnamon);
Zarzuela de Mariscos (a Catalan seafood stew of clams, mussels, prawns,
squid and monkfish in a tomato almond sauce), Pato con Frutas (halfduck
braised with pears, dried apricots and red wine) and Chuletas de Cordero
(grilled lamb chops with roasted vegetables and alioli sauce.)
Every Spanish restaurant is known for its Tapas, or appetizer
menu. Fernando's boasts 26 different, affordable items, all under $5
and a perfect compliment to that romantic glass of Spanish wine.
Sunday is Paella day! The making and serving of paella is a special
event. You can choose from three different varieties, paella mixta,
arroz negro, or fideua. All are chockfull of different seafood and cooked
in special paella pans according to the number of people in your party.
It is served at your table, family style. They also cater paella for
your special occasion (minimum of 15 people), serving groups as large
as 50 people.
The future looks very bright for Fernando and Mercedes. This
summer, they will add a new restaurant in Seattle, downtown on 1st Avenue
by the new performing arts center.
For an authentic, romantic place to dine or dance, try Fernando's
Hideaway, a Portland treasure bursting with the passion of New Spain.