Metrovino Executive Chef Gregory Denton makes the best seafood chowder in the universe. No really, he does. And using soup as a barometer of culinary excellence, you’ll not be surprised that Chef Denton’s beautiful chowder is just the beginning of a menu where nearly every dish is on the A-list. Add in the quietly opulent Pearl District setting, the gracious service, and the sure-to-impress wine list, which includes more than 80 wines by the glass, and you’ve got a surefire destination for any special occasion, whether you’re celebrating a milestone anniversary or your mother-in-law’s move to Greenland.

Beast is a unique Portland dining experience that’s fitting for all sort of special occasions, like birthdays, supper clubs, parental visits, the purchase of your first Range Rover, and so on. It’s somehow intimate, despite the dining room being comprised of two communal tables that seat you close enough to your neighbor to accidentally drink their glass of Crémant d’Alsace, and the fact that executive chef Naomi Pomeroy is plating Cattail Creek lamb loin chops mere inches from your forehead, which in my opinion just ads to the specialness of it all. The five or six-course meal is lovingly prepared, beautifully presented, and always has a happy ending, be it a plate of Steve’s Cheese or a Nectarine & Huckleberry Tarte Tatin.