Mediterranean

The large, comfortably informal dining room at SouthPark (901 SW Salmon St., 503/326-1300, 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m. Sun.–Thurs., 11:30 a.m.–11 p.m. Fri.–Sat., $15–28) is, as its name suggests, just a block from the South Park Blocks [1] and the busy cultural venues at the Portland Center for the Performing Arts [1]. The focus is on the sunny foods of the Mediterranean, with an especially noteworthy French-style seafood stew, pasta, risotto, and paella valenciana thick with prawns, clams, mussels, chicken, and chorizo. The adjacent wine bar is a favorite for a pre- and postsymphony quaff.