I’m always conflicted about how to feel at the end of the year. Like, things were shitty (and for, like, at least the sixth year running). But within that, there are also moments of sweetness. 

I think that’s where we owe Portland’s restaurants a big debt of gratitude. It’s tough out there, but our chefs and servers are still bringing us the best food in the United States, hands down. 

As we sink into the gloomiest months of the year, I implore: go out there and dine. Order an appetizer and dessert. Tip well. There are so many incredible bites I savored in the last 12 months. Here are a handful of my favorites to inspire you.

Scallop Aguachile; De Noche

For this year’s Mercury Queer Issue, I had the amazing pleasure of meeting Dani Morales, then the chef of De Noche. Right as that happened, Morales became the head chef of República, the flagship in the local República & Co. restaurant group.

De Noche closed, but Morales’ inventive cooking lives on at her new posting. Eating my way through a May tasting menu, I was blown away by a raw scallop aguachile. The creamy shellfish swam in a bright magenta sauce of citrus and chiles, augmented with first-of-the-season strawberries. Be gay, do great food. (República, 100 NW 10th, mexico-forward.com)

Salmon Roe Caesar; Tartuca

North Mississippi's Tartuca does not get enough shine. A friend invited me here in June, and I was shocked by how good this unassuming li'l spot was. While I’m a bit tired of Caesar salads at this point, Tartuca’s version had crisp radicchio, a nearly obscene amount of finely shaved parmesan, and, PLOT TWIST, dollops of salmon roe. Those little extra pops of fishy saltiness elevated America’s most overplayed salad to a new level. Well done, Tartuca. (Tartuca, 3951 N Mississippi, tartucapdx.com)

Almond Brittle Ice Cream Cake; Salt & Straw

Sneaking in as a December surprise entry, this monster of a cake is the perfect thing to bring to any party. It’s got five layers, including a thin layer of almond sponge that provides a toothy bite without overwhelming the vanilla ice cream. Inside the ice cream is owner Tyler Malek’s grandmother’s own almond brittle. A layer of salted chocolate ganache and salted chocolate florentine cookies on top provide important counterbalance to the sweetness of it all. It’s a bit of a splurge at $79, but will feed an entire house party. (Salt & Straw, multiple locations, saltandstraw.com)

Charred Cabbage; Bar Nouveau

I am THRILLED that Bar Nouveau is open in my neck of the woods. I’m not ashamed to admit I have been stalking Althea Potter for years now, and her first full restaurant is something special. In November, I had an amazing meal with a good friend. Settle in for the menu description of one of the highlights: Charred cabbage from Sauvie Island Growers finished with a fermented pepper gastrique, sitting atop a bed of charred aubergine puree with a touch of tahini, French feta, savory granola, pickled habanada peppers, and finished with fresh dill. It’s a lot, and yet it all just fucking works. Thanks, girl. (Bar Nouveau, 7425 N Leavitt, nouveaufoodandwine.com)

OSU test strawberry; Columbia Farms

Every year, you’ll find me out at Columbia Farms on Sauvie Island, filling a flat with strawbs. This year, there was a small patch of test strawberries being developed by Oregon State University which haunt me in these rainy months. The berries, in unlabeled rows you had to ask around to find, were large, plump, succulent, and with the slightest hint of what I swear was pineapple. Is it June yet? (Columbia Farms, 20124 NW Gillihan, columbiafarmsu-pick.com)

Pommes Anna; Lucid Wild 

I’m not known for underdressing, but boy, did I miss the mark rolling into an October meal at LucidWild Estate in Dundee, for what turned out to be among my most opulent meals of 2025. Among the seven courses, paired with the estate’s very good wines, a Pommes Anna made with paper-thin slices of yukon potatoes, topped with caviar and luxuriating in a parmesan crema and was the height of decadence. Along with the estate’s 2021 Vintage Lust Blanc de Blancs, it made me feel like I was headed home in a private jet, not my Subaru Outback. (LucidWild Estate, 9380 Northeast Worden Hill, Dundee, lucidwildestate.com)

Chicken cutlet, arugula, ham and smoked mozz sando; Picione’s Deli

It pays to keep close eyes on the Instagram accounts of places you love. Picione’s Deli, a North Portland cart, puts out consistently excellent specials that are worth jumping on whenever possible. I made it a point to run down when they had a chicken cutlet sandwich, which frankly could’a just got me there, but then those crazy bastards had to add ham, arugula, and fresh smoked mozzarella. These sandwiches are already big bois, but I downed that whole mess in one sitting. No regrets. I await the day of this sandwich’s return. (Picone’s Quality Deli, 5215 N Lombard, piconesqualitydeli.com)

21-day dry-aged Big Glory Bay salmon; Aji Fish Butchery

Jeffrey Kim, the head chef at Zilla Sake, is running one of the most interesting fish projects in Portland right now—he’s dry aging fish. As I wrote in March: Thanks to dry aging—a relatively new and rare technique—a bite of New Zealand king salmon aged for 21 days, or a 10-day aged McFarland Springs trout tastes achingly tender and packs a concentrated flavor that’s far from fishy. I bought some of that salmon and made chirashi bowls at home, and I think it’s my New Year’s resolution to splash out on that more often. (Aji Fish Butchery, 1806 NE Alberta, ajipdx.com)

Road trip: Everything at Punjabi Boy

Big ups to the Redditors of Olympia, Washington. Heading home from Seattle this year, me and my old man were starving and looking for a place to stop. In what looks like a former fast food restaurant off a random exit south of Olympia is Punjabi Boy, which boasts the best Indian food within a two-hour radius of Portland. We’ve been back three times in 2025, and can’t help but order the lamb korma each time, delicately spiced, rich and creamy. There’s a whole page devoted to different naan, including options to stuff it with saag or coconut, cashews, and raisins. If I could pay someone to Doordash it to me weekly, I would. (Punjabi Boy, 3840 Maytown Rd SW, Olympia, WA, punjabiboyindiancuisine.com)