Last week, we all heard the sad news that yet another Portland restaurant institution, The Heathman will be closing at the end of March. But let’s be honest, The Heathman has not been the same since Philippe Boulot left for the MAC in 2012. The Heathman was once considered the Portland gold standard for special event dining but slowly lost its edge to increased competition, management changes and the quiet pronouncement that it was nationally chain-owned and operated. Then this week, we heard great news from Karen Brooks at Portland Monthly that Vitaly and Kimberly Paley signed a ten year lease for a seafood themed restaurant at the hotel named Headwaters, to open later this summer. The Paley’s, well known for their James Beard quality and consistency at Paley’s Place and their newest award winning restaurant Imperial have again raised the bar in this food centric city and immortalized their names as Portland’s premier restaurateurs.
Now when is Vitaly going to open a Russian themed restaurant? Trying to get a seating for DaNet is almost impossible…