The November Hit List: Oma’s Takeaway, Dame, Paley’s Place, Drink Mamey, and More

Early in the pandemic, wine bar Dame was among the places to buy all the cool natural wines by the bottle. Nearly 10 months in, the bar has added a short but complete menu to pair with those same bottles. Find classic Italian pastas, like carbonara and spaghetti and meatballs, autumnal soups, salads, and of course, a signature burger, available for pickup or delivery. A short list of bottles is also available for takeout/delivery, though diehard fans will want to visit the full wine delivery page to order from the full list, which ranges from $20-$30 rosé and orange wines like Meinklang’s sparkling Prosa to spendier reds like Analemma’s rare mencia from the Columbia Gorge. 

Dining status: Dining in by reservation; takeout and delivery available.

Like many new projects and businesses, Cydnie Smith-McCarthy’s brand-new juice bar Drink Mamey was partially born out of the pandemic. While at home, she started making videos about juicing as an easy way to boost one’s immunity, sharing her years-long enthusiasm and knowledge about healthy living, which she had nurtured with her late father, with anyone who tuned in. In June, she launched Drink Mamey, and began delivering those bottles of juice across the city — which were so popular she was sold out for weeks. Her brick and mortar location of Drink Mamey, which opened on Halloween, serves a menu of juices, smoothies, and fruit bowls, and provides space for other Black makers and business owners of color to sell products and wares. 

Dining status: Takeout available.

Gado Gado owners Thomas and Mariah Pisha-Duffly took over Division Street’s former Whiskey Soda Lounge this fall with an official brick-and-mortar location of their restaurant’s COVID-era pop-up, Oma’s Takeaway, named for Thomas’ grandmother Kiong Tien Vandenberg. The duo, along with sous chef Ian Schoening, have built a whimsical Indonesian-fusion menu built around nasi lemak, the “national dish” of Malaysia. It arrives here as clove-scented garlic rice with a fried egg, spicy-fishy sambal ikan bilis, crispy peanuts, candied anchovy, and cucumber, to be paired with dishes like char siu mee goreng, pork schnitzel, corn fritters with sweet chili soy and lime leaf-infused Fruity Pebble rice krispie treats.

Dining status: Delivery and takeout available.

Breakfast-dinner vegan duo Ichiza Kitchen and Charleston-style brunch spot Brunch PDX, took over Northeast Portland’s Yakuza this September with a pan-Asian menu — think spicy mapo tofu, “chicken” adobo and crispy gyoza — to pair with rare oolong teas and sake service. (Expanded shojin ryori offerings, based on Japan’s Buddhist cooking traditions, are coming soon.). Chef and owner Cyrus Ichiza also plans to launch Huli Jing, an inclusive, LGBTQ+ friendly nighttime haunt,  out of the space as well. 

Dining status: Takeout and dine-in available. Call 503-720-0253 for reservations.

This Northeast Portland Senegalese cart is the perfect addition to the fall dining canon. Serving up a short menu of Senegalese staples, like crispy spring rolls; hearty mafe yapp, the North African peanut stew here filled out with potatoes and beef; a trio of fataya, the deep-fried beef and chicken pies; and grilled chicken or fish over rice and pickled veggies (yassa), Kabba’s joins the growing number of excellent West African restaurants that have opened over the past few years in the city. 

Dining status: Takeout and delivery available.

This coastal-inspired restaurant opened in Southeast Portland in late 2018, helmed with a crew from beloved former restaurant VQ. The menu has stayed mostly true to course, pandemic be damned. If you’re ordering takeout, you’ll find a shortened version of the eclectic, bright seafood-heavy menu — with a family style version of the restaurant’s maple and bourbon-glazed spare ribs, alongside small plates like tempura-fried squash, grilled octopus and seared albacore tuna. For those hoping to snag one of the few patio and indoor seats will find beer, wine and cocktails to pair with the full menu, filled out with non-travel-friendly seafood like oysters and scallops. 

Dining status: Takeout and dine-in available.

Warm up with vegan twists on Miami-Cuban staples at this new East Burnside restaurant from chef and owner Valerie Espinoza. Find classics like the Cubanito sandwich, here made with slow-roasted jackfruit; pan con bistec, layered with seasoned seitan “steak;” crispy fried tostones, soy-picadillo empanadas, and more. Pair lunch or dinner with a bottle of Ironbeer or Malta — Miami Nice doesn’t currently sell alcohol — and make sure to order a vegan flan or guava-queso pastelito for dessert. 

Dining status: Takeout and delivery available.

With chilly temperatures settling in for the season, warm up with tea service at home from Lovejoy’s. Recreate high tea at home, complete with scones, tea sandwiches, clotted cream, preserves, fresh fruits, sweet treats and more; order heartier British pub fare like sausage rolls and shepherd’s pie; or stock up on à la carte bread items (think crumpets and scones) for the week ahead. Each tea service includes one pot’s worth of loose tea, and if you’re really planning on making it special, Lovejoy’s also offers rentals of its signature mismatched teaware, serving trays and more.

Dining status: Dine-in via reservation; takeout and bike delivery available.

Mexican standby Xico has thought it all out: You can meal-plan for the week with ever-changing family meals, which include options like spinach, mushroom and sun-dried tomato enchiladas with poblano cream sauce, and a 25-ounce bottle of boozy Day of the Dead punch to pair. Or select “on the fly” dishes to enjoy Wednesday through Sunday. Those range from taco plates, burritos and bowls, to larger plates like rotisserie chicken and Yucatan smoked pork — to be enjoyed at home or picnic-style on the patio (with margaritas!). Frozen meals, too, can be ordered from the on-the-fly menu, including frozen versions of the weekly special, tamales, and guisados by the quart. Reheating instructions are included in your order.

Dining status: Takeout and limited dine-in available.

Chef Vitaly Paley’s longstanding eponymous restaurant has finally reopened after its pandemic hiatus. The restaurant — celebrating its 25th anniversary this year — has launched the careers of dozens of Portland chefs and was among the kitchens that helped create what would eventually become “Pacific Northwest cuisine.” Now  diners can celebrate, at the restaurant and at home, with a four-course, $65/person fall menu. The format offers a set first and second course — currently caramelized onion soup and a chilled shrimp ceviche — with a choice of main course (a lamb mixed grill with creamy shell beans; roasted honey nut squash with foraged mushrooms; or Alaskan cod over spaghetti alla chitarra) before a pecan carrot cake for dessert. Top-of-the-line Oregon wines, too, can be ordered to complete the experience. 

Dining status: Dine in via reservation; takeout and delivery available.