The New York Times released its third annual American restaurant guide on Tuesday, an interesting mix of old and new spots, including three in Oregon.
Although the URL includes “best_restaurants_america” in the list, it’s actually more of a grab bag. The intro alternately describes the selections as “favorites” and “50 places in the United States we’re most excited about right now.” Although only half of the blurbs are labeled “new,” all three Oregon restaurants opened relatively recently – Lilia in South Portland opened last October, Cafe Olli in Northeast Portland in December 2021, and Okta in McMinnville in July 2021.
Lilia and Cafe Olli both made our own guide to the best new restaurants in Portland last year, with Lilia at #4 and Cafe Olli at #2.
Last year, Portland’s Kann and Ashland’s Mas made Gray Lady’s 2022 list. Portland’s Coquine and Eem were included in the inaugural edition.
Here’s what the Times had to say about their three Oregon picks for 2023.
About Lilia, which serves “Pacific Northwest cuisine through the eyes of a Mexican-American chef”:
“It’s best to let dishes like silky halibut with morels, mole and flaked rice chicharron, and pork neck confit with heirloom carrot escabeche do the talking. The menu changes weekly and features volatile ingredients like the black trumpet mushrooms that adorn blue corn chochoyotes (masa dumplings) and marigold flowers picked from the chef’s garden.”
Sprouted farro is served at Cafe Olli in Portland on Wednesday, November 30, 2022.Vickie Connor/The Oregonian
On reasons to love Café Olli, an all-day café that’s “anything but stale”:
“Maybe it’s the bread program that produces fresh balls every day. Or the pastry menu with generously salted chocolate chip cookies and delicate laminated offerings. Or maybe it’s the eclectic selection of breakfast and lunch dishes that seem tailored to personal desires, or the Neapolitan-style cakes with seasonal toppings.”
On Okta, which “integrates the roots, fruits, leaves and creatures… of the Pacific Northwest into a tasting menu with spiritual dimensions.”
“Chef Matthew Lightner (formerly of Castagna in Portland, Oregon, and Atera in New York) once cooked at Noma, whose influence can be seen in dishes like lacto-fermented peppers centered around locally caught rockfish and the liberal use of Douglas fir and lichen. But Mr. Lightner never loses sight of deliciousness as he pursues a vision that combines ecology, philosophy and history with culinary science.”
If you feel like there’s been a lot of national restaurant lists coming out lately, you’re not wrong. Last week, Bon Appetit included Kann in its annual restaurant guide, while Food & Wine named a Texas restaurant with Portland ties its Restaurant of the Year.
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Portland’s Best New Restaurants of 2022
–Michael Russell; [email protected]
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