Portland Dining Kingpin Vitaly Paley Is Opening His Fifth Restaurant

Oregonian culinary machine Vitaly Paley is opening yet another restaurant in downtown Portland. The ink is barely dry on a deal between the Paley’s Place chef-owner and the Dossier Hotel, where Paley will take over food and beverage operations and open his next restaurant. The rest is still being decided: Paley is still working out the name and culinary concept with the hotel, but the restaurant should open before 2018 ends. Until then, the hotel’s standing restaurant, Opal, will continue to operate out of the ground floor.

“Downtown is kind of exploding, (and) we have proven ourselves in the hotel environment,” the chef said. “You have food and beverage you’re providing for the hotel, which means you have to provide breakfast-lunch-dinner, but we also provide an essential service to the community. Where we meet in the middle is kind of a perfect marriage. Once you’re able to understand how to play well in that environment, it becomes a benefit for everybody.”

If you’ve been living under a rock since the mid-’90s, here’s the gist about Paley: The Iron-Chef-winning, James-Beard-winning restaurant owner moved to Portland in 1994 and quickly opened Paley’s Place, often considered the birthplace of modern Oregonian cuisine. He leans on his French culinary background and his fascination with local ingredients — the dude decided to move to Oregon after encountering our morels in France, after all. Since then, he’s opened a handful of Portland restaurants, including wood-fired steak palace Imperial, the former home of Top Chef contender Doug Adams. Oh, and the chef is a star-maker, Portland food wise: Foie gras fanboy and multi-Beard winner Gabriel Rucker, sommelier extraordinaire Austin Bridges, and Iron Chef alum Patrick McKee all worked under Paley.

While so much of the restaurant’s song and dance is still under development, many eaters are likely crossing their fingers for a permanent DaNet location. The chef, who grew up in the Soviet Union before he escaped at 13, has recently dipped his toe into his personal history, serving Eastern European delights at dumpling nights, Russian tea service, and well-reviewed banquets. When asked if he’s considering a Russian bent to his new restaurant, the chef chose not to comment. Stay tuned for updates on the restaurant’s menu, name, and more as they come to light.

• Paley’s Place [Official]
• Dossier Hotel [Official]
• DaNet [Official]
• Previous Paley’s Place coverage [EPDX]
• Previous Imperial coverage [EPDX]
• Portland chef Vitaly Paley outcooks Jose Garces on ‘Iron Chef America’ [The Oregonian]
• Vitaly Paley awards and nominations [James Beard Foundation]
• From Russia, With Love [Portland Monthly]