Karen Brooks

Jul 15, 2024 | pdxmonthly.com | Karen Brooks

On Saturday evening, what started as a joyful river outing near Corvallis turned profoundly tragic. Today, the family of Naomi Pomeroy confirmed to me that the chef is feared drowned. Her body has not yet been recovered. Pomeroy, 49, whose name is synonymous with Portland’s independent food scene, was inner tubing with her husband Kyle Linden Webster, co-owner of esteemed restaurants Expatriate and Yaowarat.

Oct 2, 2023 | pdxmonthly.com | Karen Brooks

Every once in a while, a restaurant opening screams Holy Smokes. As in, this could be Portland’s next big thing. Right now, the honor goes to the highly anticipated Yaowarat. Opening date is Friday, October 6 in the former Lazy Susan space at 7937 SE Stark St. Expect a Thai Chinese joint like no other. One reason: it’s hard to find this cuisine, much less an entire menu devoted to it, outside of Thailand.

Jul 27, 2023 | pdxmonthly.com | Karen Brooks

What’s it like to be a bee? To nose-dive into a blossom to find the nectar of life? The answer arrived for me recently in a dish called “Pollinator,” midway through a tasting menu at Okta.   A beautiful flower arrives on a white plate. It doesn’t look like food. It’s constructed from nasturtium petals in concentric circles, each a different shade of a hot sunset. Do I dare pick it up? I think I want to eat it, but how? Am I being punked by nature cuisine? Just grab it. A whole life hides inside.

May 10, 2023 | pdxmonthly.com | Karen Brooks