Book excerpt: Doug Pitassi's 15 Best Restaurants in Portland There are few places as unique and diverse as the city of Portland, and the city's dining options reflect the openness of its residents to a wide variety of culinary delights. In this new book, Doug Pitassi takes on the daunting task of offering his expert assessment of the very best restaurants the city has to offer by providing detailed information regarding each and every restaurant earning a ranking among the 15 best. Citing the combination of the exceptionally fertile soil of the Pacific Northwest and the fearlessness of residents to try things belonging to entirely unfamiliar cultures, Pitassi praises Portland's culinary sophistication by noting that there are hundreds of restaurants worthy of inclusion among the best in Portland. Despite the difficulties inherent in his task, Pitassi successfully brings the exceptionality of the Portland dining scene into focus and provides a thorough assessment and explanation for each of his choices. The ideal book for both residents and visitors to the city of Portland, Pitassi makes sure to detail each restaurant's respective specialties along with all the hidden gems that may not always be discovered by diners during the first few visits to a given establishment. "Doug Pitassi's 15 Best Restaurants in Portland" also includes advice regarding the best times to visit each dining establishment, as some of the restaurants rely heavily on seasonality when preparing their menu offerings while others are just predictably busy at certain times. With practical advice and detailed descriptions, first-time visitors to Portland can use this book to find the perfect dining option regardless of their particular tastes or inclinations, and Portlanders can benefit from the depth of Pitassi's analysis to discover the menu offerings they may have unintentionally passed over at their favorite restaurants. The 15 restaurants in Pitassi's book represent a broad range of dining options, including everything from traditional roadside fare to fine French cuisine. Even though each restaurant is undeniably unique and offers something entirely different from the others, Pitassi has identified a single commonality among them all that elevates the dining options they are able to provide: A clear focus on creating outstanding food through the use of the highest quality ingredients and a continued commitment to innovation and preparation.