Exceptional Willamette Valley Restaurants to Visit Post-Wine Tasting

"Michelin star ambitions are on display at the destination restaurant Okta in McMinnville’s Tributary Hotel. Castagna alumnus Matthew Lightner serves a tasting menu based on Pacific seafood and vegetables from the restaurant’s own Dundee Hills farm, a parade of elegant little dishes in gorgeous ceramic vessels. The overall dining experience is what makes Okta destination-worthy: It’s so elegant that it’ll make you sit up a little straighter; the luxe rusticity of the dining room’s earthy decor, the perfume of woodsmoke scenting the space, the hushed seriousness of the staff’s machinations in the open kitchen, and the team-style service approach to service all signal its intentions — to become the Willamette Valley’s crown jewel." - Emily Teel, Rebecca Roland