DINING Dinner: Culinary All-stars Kann When it comes to culinary star power, Portland’s trailblazing chefs turn heads. The city has a decades-old reputation for bountiful produce and farm-to-fork eateries. But in recent years, local chefs have garnered international acclaim and competed with heavyweights in larger cities to score coveted awards. Here we introduce a few trending chefs and the much-loved restaurants earning the buzz. Each year the “Oscars of food,” the James Beard Awards, recognizes culinary trendsetters around the country. Lately the Beard Foundation — named after Portland’s own son — has shown a lot of love to creative culinary talents whose food is bold, thoughtful and fun. To get a taste, book a table at Magna Kusina (2525 SE Clinton St.), where Carlo Lamagna — a 2022 Best Chef Northwest & Pacific nominee — serves vibrant Filipino dishes that are both beautiful and delicious. At Berlu (605 SE Belmont St.), Vince Nguyen, the 2023 Best Chef Northwest & Pacific winner, offers Vietnamese-style gluten- and dairy-free baked goods. Portland has also seen the stratospheric rise of fellow nominees Katy Millard of the cozy date-night standout Coquine (6839 SE Belmont St.) and Bonnie Morales of Kachka (960 SE 11th Ave.), where famous dishes such as Herring Under a Fur Coat are not what your Russian grandmother used to make. Go for the house-infused vodkas paired with caviar as a different take on happy hour or a late-night adventure. Fans of “Top Chef: Portland” — set against the culinary backdrop of the Rose City and other regions of Oregon in 2021 — may want to try some of contestant Gabriel Pascuzzi’s tasty fare in person. You can visit either of his two Portland restaurants: Mama FROM LEFT: EVA KOSMAS FLORES; JUAN JOSE SANCHEZ Bird (2145 NW Raleigh St.) and the popular grain-bowl eatery, Feel Good PDX (1120 SE Belmont St.). Also try Korean food by Best Chef Northwest nominee Peter Cho of Han Oak (511 NE 24th Ave.), or some of the city’s favorite pho at Ha VL (2738 SE 82nd Ave.) and Rose VL (6424 SE Powell Blvd.) by Christina Luu and Peter Vuong. The awardwinning chicken and rice at Nong’s Khao Man Gai (417 SW 13th Ave.) is a simple but transformative dish — and a food cart turned brick-and-mortar success story by the energetic Nong Poonsukwattana. Portland’s top pizza is a tough contest, but most stand by Sarah Minnick’s wood-fired pies at Lovely’s Fifty Fifty (4039 N. Mississippi Ave.) or the standard-setting slices at Ken’s Artisan Pizza (304 SE 28th Ave.) by acclaimed chef Ken Forkish, author of “Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast,” considered to be a bible for bakers. República 20 PortlandUncovered.com
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