Beast

Naomi Pomeroy, who was deservedly nominated for a James Beard award this year, runs a restaurant that’s both intimate and communal. You sit at long tables and the guests tend to be knowledgeable food mavens, so there's inevitably good conversation. Since everyone is eating the same food, the meal itself is the verbal centerpiece.

The set dinner menu changes weekly and is as responsive to the seasons as a robin and it's usually a 2 1/2-hour affair, beautifully paced with superb service. Pomeroy's cooking is inspired by French grandmothers, with touches rustic and elegant.

The six courses are well-thought-out, individually and collectively, but all of it done in down-home Portland style: no fuss, no white napery. At the end of the meal you have had the perfect amount of food, in exquisite balance. The wine list is small and carefully thought out...a pairing of a small pour for each course is available, and highly recommended! .

-Roger Porter for the Oregonian