Cameron Addy, the former chef de cuisine of Ava Gene's and Papa Haydn and former owner of Belly, purchased the 30-year-old cafe with partners and has given it new life. He remodeled the dining room and kitchen and completely overhauled the menu, giving it a Mediterranean focus with occasional Southern influences. The dish of the moment? Barley risotto with creamed leeks, winter squash, chanterelles and crispy shallots. There's a decadent, Southern-tinged brunch on weekends, and he'll be launching weekday breakfast and lunch in mid-January.

In November, Peter Bro's All-Way opened in the former Red Coach space Downtown, slinging In-N-Out inspired burgers, plus fried chicken or fish, beer, fries, onion rings, and housemade sodas until 11 p.m. seven days a week. The burgers have proved so popular, they're now on the menu at Bro's Savoy Tavern. Milkshakes and ice cream still haven't arrived (come on!), but they're on their way.

Bamboo Sushi's parent group has branched out into izakaya territory with the opening of this 64-seat temple to Japanese drinking food. Robata grills burn traditional binchō-tan, a charcoal made from oak, turning out charred skewers of cruelty- and hormone-free meats, and sustainable seafood. A tight menu of small plates includes savory Japanese pancakes (okonomiyaki), and a wagyu beef burger. The weekend brunch skews more "American with Asian accents." And a large selection of sake, sochu, Japanese whiskey, and Asian-inflected cocktails make it a proper drinking den. In spring, they'll open a second location in the West End.

For years, Kyra Bussanich's customers had nowhere to sit to enjoy their gluten-free pastries. Her shop was that small. But in November it moved around the corner to a bigger space, and now offers 35 seats and an expanded menu offering cafe fare like soups, salads, quiche by the slice, and sandwiches made with house-made gluten-free bread.

Just before the new year, transplant chefs Annette Yang and Brian Leitner opened Le Vieux, the cozy dinner house in the former Noisette space. Their aim is to charm you with a warm, relaxed interior and seasonal, rotating, semi-themed menus that change every few weeks, ambling through various Old World Mediterranean cuisines. The opening menu features Moroccan touches — think lamb tagine. But the next winter menu has a French streak, with dishes like pot au feu and cassoulet. And, as befits a neighborhood joint, they offer a casual weekend brunch.

At this 40-seat Southern breakfast and lunch spot, you can chow down on fried chicken and tangy braised collard greens as early as 8 a.m. But those craving more traditional breakfast can opt for the andouille omelettes, powdered-sugar-dusted beignets, and fluffy biscuits made from White Lily flour smothered in gravy. Chef/owner Laura Rhoman, an eighth-generation Mississippi native, takes the food of her homeland seriously, and it shows.

Two former Higgins alums took over the former Mextiza space and opened a slow-food-fast restaurant in mid-November. Locally sourced ingredients and seasonal dishes can be ordered and purchased online and picked up to take home. Or you can dine in and let them wash the dishes, too. The cornerstone of the menu is the churrasco grill, which puts out rotisserie chickens and marinated grass-fed tri-tip from Carmen Ranch carved to order. Guests mix and match from the menu of side dishes and salads to complete the meal, whether it's for one person or four.

Chefs Kelly Shelton (Luce, Clarklewis, Genoa) and Ryan Gibson (Rontoms, Taqueria Nueva and DF) along with Shelton's business-minded brother Wade, quietly opened Pollo Norte in early December. But the venture inspired by Mexico City's popular neighborhood chicken shops couldn't fly under the radar long. It's already earned a rabid following for its take-out ready free-range chickens cooked on a Mexican rotisserie grill. To go with the birds, there are tortillas, salsa, and five Mexican-inspired sides, including crave-inducing pinto beans stewed with pork and chiles; potatoes roasted in pan drippings; and tangy cabbage slaw.

Cory Chunn, former chef de cuisine at Lincoln, is energizing the South Waterfront with this newly opened gastropub. The menu is all about "comfort food with a twist." There are inventive dishes like a corned beef tongue sandwich with cornichon-caper relish and gruyere; a salad with grumolo chicory, boquerones, and crunchy bits of cornbread. But there's also more straightforward options like burgers made from house-ground meat, and chicken pot pie topped with house-made puff pastry. To drink, there are six taps running local beers, plus about 10 more in bottles, and eight wines. Creating the specialty cocktails behind the bar is Steve Boccadoro, formerly the lead bartender at Cosmopolitan Resort in Las Vegas, who's also an Oregon Culinary grad.

Chef Johnny Nunn (Five-0-Three in West Linn, Ringside Fish, Brasserie Montmartre) and his wife, Kristina, were aching to open a neighborhood spot of their own. They found the perfect place near their own home, opening Verdigris in early December. There, Nunn reimagines the French bistro, offering classics like beef bourguignon alongside contemporary French dishes like ahi tuna pot au feu with mushroom dashi, beets, and pears. On weekends, it turns into a cozy brunch spot offering sandwiches like croque madame on housemade brioche, plus bigger plates like ricotta pancakes with butternut compote, and poached eggs with smoked cod potato cakes, trout roe and hollandaise.