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The Paper Bridge
During 2025, I frequently crossed the Willamette craving The Paper Bridge, the North Vietnamese restaurant co-helmed by spouses Quynh Nguyen and Carlo Reinardy. Monthly specials—including a themed platter of several small dishes for the table—are always transportive. Regular must-try offerings include morning glory, pickled or sautéed; Cha Ca La Vong, sturgeon and catfish stir-fried with dill and scallion; and classic bun cha, grilled pork, housemade rice noodles, herbs and a savory/sweet sauce for dunking. The drinks menu, with boozy and nonalcoholic sections, is about as long and tantalizing as the slate of food. MICHAEL C. ZUSMAN. 828 SE Ash St., 503-265-8105, thepaperbridgepdx.com. 10:30 am–2 pm and 4–9 pm Thursday-Monday.
Pasar
Pasar’s owner and chef is a fireball from Jakarta who goes by Feny. Her expansive menu of unadulterated Indonesian dishes is laden with gems. There are no wrong turns on Feny’s menu, but one clear winner is udang telor asin—lightly battered, fried shrimp in a luxe salted duck egg yolk sauce. Emie madan, a winter warmer with noodles, tofu, potatoes, and egg in shrimp gravy, is also excellent. Spice hounds must sample Feny’s several fiery sambals. Indonesian desserts are another highlight. Kue, including two-bite cakes flavored with pandan or ubi, make marvelous meal enders. MICHAEL C. ZUSMAN. 3023 NE Alberta St., 503-477-8232, pasarpdx.com. 5–9 pm Wednesday–Sunday, noon–3 pm Saturday and Sunday.
Feral
I’m just a boring omnivore, but I absolutely loved my night out at the all-vegan restaurant Feral with no caveats. The meal felt special, but never fussy or intimidating. A highlight of my autumnal visit was the roasted apples starter ($13) with hazelnut butter, roasted grapes, pickled kohlrabi and celery that could have pulled double duty on the dessert menu. I’m glad it didn’t, though, since the ice cream with elderberry syrup ($8) also served me well. RACHEL SASLOW. 1640 NE Killingsworth St., 971-456-3439, feralvegan.com. 5–9 pm Wednesday and Thursday, 5–10 pm Friday and Saturday.
Yalla
I still occasionally daydream about the cornbread I ate at the Multnomah Village Mediterranean smokehouse Yalla a good six months ago. The “schmaltz cornbread” ($12) comes to the table in a cast-iron skillet, topped with honeycomb butter, bourbon glaze and a touch of sea salt. You eat it with a spoon. I would go back to Yalla again and again just for the cornbread, but the hummus with burnt beef ends ($19) and fried chicken with harissa honey and house pickles ($20) were both also magnificent. RACHEL SASLOW. 7850 SW Capitol Highway, 503-206-4007, sesamecollective.com/yalla. 4–9 pm Sunday–Thursday, 4–10 pm Friday and Saturday, 9 am–2 pm Saturday and Sunday.
Cafe Rowan
This Southeast Portland spot is best known for its fancy (but not too fancy) brunch and East Coast-style lobster rolls, but chef Spencer Ivankoe has more tricks up his sleeve. His inaugural chef series, Cafe Rowan Presents: A Culinary Harmony, featuring Chris Cipollone of the Michelin-starred Francie, marked the first of many multicourse dinners that will run through next year and put Ivankoe’s fine-dining creds on full display. Wildly creative and sophisticated dishes like chawanmushi with lobster and caviar, moulard duck with foie gras and figs, a gorgeous take on a baked Alaska, coupled with inspired wine pairings that leaned heavily on Oregon, made the first edition perhaps the most splendid meal and hospitality experience I had all year, and I’m downright giddy for what we can expect from Ivankoe’s all-star series in the year to come. NEIL FERGUSON. 4437 SE César E. Chávez Blvd., 503-841-5072, caferowan.com. 9 am–2 pm Wednesday–Sunday.
