Portland dish listed as best in the country, but good luck ordering it

(NEXSTAR) - There are an endless number of restaurants in the U.S. and even more delicious dishes, and yet, a Portland dish was named one of the best of 2023. But unfortunately, you can't order it just now.

The New York Times put together a list of “23 of the Best American Dishes of 2023.” Every year, they send reporters and editors across the country to search for the best restaurants, and during their travels, they find one-of-a-kind dishes.

“Each year as we travel the country to scout out candidates for our many best-restaurant lists — whether the big national listing in the early fall or the new ‘best of’ city lists we’ve begun rolling out — our reporters and editors eat hundreds of meals in dozens of states. Inevitably we come across that one dish that we almost wish we’d ordered two of, and wish we could find closer to home,” said the New York Times.

In Portland, that dish was the Whole Grilled Dorado at the pop-up Clandestino, formerly operating out of the Dame Collective. Unfortunately, Clandestino is "on hiatus" according to the restaurant's Instagram profile.

NYT Food Columnist Melissa Clark said the skeleton-intact Dorado from Chef Lauro Romero was among the dishes that most stood out to her this year.

"Romero grills whole dorado until the skin blisters, suffusing the tender white flesh with a smoky charred flavor that’s brightened with a pile of fresh herbs and pickled red onions. Earthy beans and warm tortillas round out this brilliantly executed — and rarely found — dish," Clark writes.

Yelp reviewers said the restaurant was otherwise reliable for elevated takes on traditional Mexican staples, but also a spot for quality seafood dishes like ceviche and oysters.

According to the Oregonian, Romero is now signed on to execute a fine-dining menu at the new Ritz-Carlton's new 20th-floor restaurant, Bellpine. It's not clear when or if his Dorado will become available again.