 Pourtal (a combination of the words "pour" and "portal”) is your entryway into the world of wines. The wine selections, over sixty of them, constantly rotate, and they can be enjoyed in different manners. Load a plastic “credit” card with any amount of money, and use it to buy pours from one of the four wine tours; the open bottles are preserved with argon gas. The price displayed is for one ounce; multiply that price by ten and you can take the bottle home (they’re stored directly below), or choose from the other bottles displayed at the bar. But if you think of Pourtal only in terms of its wine offerings, you would miss the cuisine of chef Sean Takaki. Takaki has the skills to transform casual food into good food, which isn’t always easy. We would all like to be able to take simple ingredients and turn them into dishes as tasty as those we were presented: an endive salad with Point Reyes blue cheese and a green salad with goat cheese and berries. Toasted breads are topped with roasted heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and pesto, or artichoke mousse and picada. We also recommend the grilled portobello and Beaufort on an English muffin. Cheese plates are composed with products from Andrew's Cheese Shop. But the winning dish of the evening was the toast of warm Belgian blue cheese with melted bitter chocolate. It might as well be your dessert unless you want to try the strawberry shortcake. The high-top tables are surrounded by the soothing orange tones of the décor, which was designed by owner Stephen Abronson, a former TV/film producer.
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Pourtal Wine Tasting Bar Restaurant is one of our 2012
| Top 10 LA Wine Bars Restaurants
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Splurging at top-rated restaurants is fun for special events, but where can you go for a good quality meal that won't break the bank? Gather the change out of your piggy bank and sofa cushions and take it to one of our selections for the best cheap eats in your area. Also, check out our picks for the Top 40 Cheap Eats in the U.S.
