New York Times Top Picks: Discovering Oregon's Best Restaurants 2023 - Café Olli, Lilia Cafe, and Okta
In a recent culinary revelation, The New York Times has put the spotlight on Oregon's gastronomic brilliance, featuring Café Olli, Lilia Cafe, and Okta on their coveted list of the best restaurants for 2023. This prestigious acknowledgment is a salute to the exceptional creativity and consistent quality offered by these dining havens.
Café Olli: A Haven for Artisan Bakers
With an unmatched bread program and a pastry lineup that would make any sweet tooth swoon, Café Olli stands out. The New York Times remarked:
"Maybe it’s the bread program that churns out fresh boules every day. Or the pastry menu, with its generously salted chocolate chip cookies alongside delicate laminated offerings. Or maybe it’s the eclectic array of breakfast and lunch items seemingly designed for one’s personal cravings, or the Neapolitan-style pizzas with seasonal toppings.”
Lilia: Seasonally Inspired Culinary Artistry
Lilia's ever-changing menu is a celebration of the season's bounty. The New York Times captured its essence, stating:
"Best to let dishes like silky halibut with morels, mole and flakes of rice chicharron, and pork collar confit with heirloom carrot escabeche speak eloquently for themselves. The menu changes weekly and includes fleeting ingredients like the black trumpet mushrooms decorating blue corn chochoyotes (masa dumplings) and marigold petals plucked from the chef’s garden.”
Okta: A Symphony of Local Ecology and Gastronomy
Okta, under the stewardship of Chef Matthew Lightner, has redefined the parameters of culinary innovation. Praised by The New York Times, Okta's approach is unique:
“The chef Matthew Lightner (formerly of Castagna in Portland, Ore., and Atera in New York) once cooked at Noma, whose influence is evident in dishes like lacto-fermented peppers surrounding locally caught rockfish, and the liberal use of Douglas fir and lichen. But Mr. Lightner never loses sight of deliciousness while pursuing a vision that melds ecology, philosophy and history with culinary sciences.”
Being named by The New York Times is a momentous occasion for the Oregon culinary scene. These three restaurants not only showcase the state's culinary variety but also its dedication to gastronomic excellence.
Christine Binge
Portland Oregon's Top Realtor
Join me in celebrating these gastronomic gems. As we indulge in Oregon's finest, let me be your guide to a memorable dining experience.
