ōkta | farm and kitchen
Fine dining restaurant · Mcminnville ·
Chef-driven tasting menus with farm-fresh seasonal ingredients
Chef-driven tasting menus with farm-fresh seasonal ingredients
"One of the best meals of my life doesn’t exist anymore. A farm-to-table concept born from a 70-acre regenerative farm and fermentation lab, Ōkta was, if you’ll permit me, a revelation to the Willamette Valley region. Chef Matthew Lightner (previously of two-Michelin-starred Atera) carved out Oregon’s most ambitious tasting menu, and despite closing after just two years, the accomplishment left its mark on the community. When I learned of its abrupt closure last fall, I was aghast—and I’m not alone; the barrage of support says it all." - Nicole Kliest
"Described as Matthew Lightner’s ambitious McMinnville tasting menu restaurant, it closed in September 2024." - Rebecca Roland
"I learned that the McMinnville fine-dining destination Okta closed abruptly on September 22; chef Matthew Lightner’s project has come to an end, though the closing announcement implied the next iteration of Tributary Hotel’s restaurant will continue close collaboration with its sister farm." - Janey Wong
"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
"I was invited to a dinner at Harper Voit winery down in McMinnville for the International Pinot Noir Celebration. Alea Bakery, a McMinnville-based pop-up, served a stunning meal — keep an eye on their Instagram because they do pop up in Portland every now and then. Brendan and Haley Byer, the couple behind the pop-up, were previously on the opening team at ōkta. My two favorite courses of the night were a grilled caraflex cabbage with Briar Rose Creamery fondue, which was wonderfully charred until it had this melt-in-your-mouth texture, and a Dungeness crab rice dish, which was served cold. It had yellow wax bean, corn, and citrus and was such a fresh, light, summer-y dish." - Eater Staff