Over the span of a meal, there was Pacific rockfish, albacore, Chinook salmon and Dungeness crab paired with a cornucopia of produce, much of it grown on ōkta’s own nearby farm. Each of the dishes my guest and I tried hit the mark in terms of composition (gorgeous), technique (advanced), proportion (neither too large nor too small) and flavor.Īs at Castagna over a decade ago, ingredients here are overwhelmingly local. It is tasting menu only ($165 weekdays, $260 weekends, wine pairings from $160 prices subject to 20% automatic gratuity), with the long-form option offering 15 to 20 courses. The food is, of course, the highlight at ōkta. The dining room is louder-a combination of an eclectic playlist and surprisingly bouncy acoustics. Despite the kitchen’s size and constant flurry of activity, it remains a bastion of calm and quiet. As the host leads the way to tables set along a low-rise banquette along the perimeter, or in the center of the dining room, your vision fixates on ōkta’s expansive open kitchen: Lightner, up front, finalizing dishes for service a cluster of cooks preparing plates along a counter running the length of one side shelves of cookware along the other and a big, wood-fired grill centered in the rear. The olfactory greeting is the wafting scent of wood smoke. 20 years and counting, Portland City Grill maintains its commitment to serving fresh, locally sourced seafood and exceptionally prepared steaks influenced. On entering, patrons are immediately presented with a visual summary of the night’s offerings on a tray of ice inset into a long buffet separating foyer from dining area. You’ll taste notes not typically associated with pizza: sour, bitter, funk, floral, and nuanced heat, all pinging off a thin, chewy sourdough crust. Our server knew the details of every dish and deftly fielded every question we threw her way. Sarah Minnick is the auteur of Portland’s most iconic pizza deeply connected to Oregon’s most adventurous farmers and in its own flavor land. Black-clad service staff, a mix of locals and new Oregonians, were friendly and efficient. Wood and ceramic serveware were custom made by Oregon artisans. The dining room is elegant but subdued, with furniture and fixtures mostly in lighter hues, from blond to gray. He left in 2015 and has maintained a relatively low profile since.Ī recent meal at ōkta was a multidimensional blockbuster. Under Lightner, Atera earned two Michelin stars and a rave review from The New York Times. Yet, it is already plain Lightner has added points to the peerless culinary IQ that led him to emerge as an industry star at Castagna in 2009, then thrive on the big stage at New York City’s Atera after he left Portland. It has barely been two months since the debut of ōkta, Lightner’s sparkling new McMinnville restaurant.
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