Nora’s Table
This simple, welcoming restaurant makes a show of its fierce local pride, said David Sarasohn in the Portland Oregonian. Owner Kathy Watson named the casual eatery after her mother, and the menu places an emphasis on locally sourced ingredients (including wine) from the fertile Columbia River Gorge. The cuisine itself, on the other hand, draws inspiration from all across the world. Chef Nathan Morgan sweeps across the globe, combining flavors from Asia, Europe, and South America. “A great deal of creativity” comes across in dishes such as snow pea soup with Spanish anchovies and crispy prosciutto. Pork is showcased in house-made bratwurst, and local seafood finds its way into a host of dishes, including the “lively” Goan curry—a “rich and subtle” combination of salmon, prawns, scallops, and clams. 110 Fifth St., Hood River, (541) 387-4000
Whiskey Soda Lounge
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After Andy Ricker opened his Portland restaurant Pok Pok, he became “famous for helping to bring the sour, funky, grilled flavors of Southeast Asian street food stateside,” said Freda Moon in The New York Times. “In food-centric Portland, it doesn’t take long for something new to become a trend.” So now, across the street, Ricker has built the restaurant’s successor, where aahaan kap klaem—Thai pub snacks—often prove as “striking” as the potent drinks, Asian rock–fueled scene, and slightly psychedelic design. Miang kham—“miniature salads of chilies, ginger, peanuts, shallot, coconut, lime, and tiny dried shrimp on a betel leaf”—taste like a hangover cure from a “crazed medicine man,” while the kha kop thawt kratiam (garlicky fried frog’s legs) seem “designed to sop up alcohol.” The drinks are just as daring, featuring house-brewed fruit vinegars that find their way into “concoctions like the Hunny, a cocktail of tequila, grapefruit juice, lime, and honey-flavored drinking vinegar.” Pair this with Ike’s Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings and “you have the world’s perfect bar food.” 3131 SE Division St., (503) 232-0102
Tabla Mediterranean Bistro
Long a neighborhood favorite, this warm bistro has recently become a “destination worth a drive across town,” said Mike Thelin in Portland Monthly. Chef Anthony Cafiero, who recently came onboard, has “brought new energy to the kitchen, elevating Tabla’s well-loved comfort food by enhancing its menu with the bright, bold flavors of Southern Europe.” At $24, the three-course prix fixe menu is among the city’s best values—but a visit to Tabla can’t be boiled down to “economics alone.” For one thing, Tabla serves some of the best pasta in the city. Try the signature Tajarin, “fluffy house-made egg-yolk noodles drizzled with earthy truffle butter and topped with grana padano.” Cafiero’s signature take on octopus, meanwhile, is rounded out with rosemary fingerling potatoes and thin-shaved asparagus, while crispy sweetbreads are topped with a “spicy romesco sauce and braised radish greens.”
200 NE 28th Ave., (503) 238-3777
