It’s impossible to say what L’Echelle would have become if Naomi Pomeroy had lived to see it open. But at least in the broad strokes, this Southeast Portland bistro — casual, candlelit, effortlessly elegant — looks a lot like what the celebrated chef was planning before her 2024 death.
“It’s too foundational of a loss to even parse what would have been different,” said Luke Dirks, Pomeroy’s business partner, in an interview last week. “But the core of what it is and what it was intended to be has held.”
It took six months for Dirks to convince Mika Paredes, Pomeroy’s close friend and longtime lieutenant at Northeast Portland’s Beast, to become L’Echelle’s chef. It was a perfect choice. Paredes’ menu is filled with playful riffs on bistro classics, from œufs mayo to steak au poivre, that never lose sight of Pomeroy’s spirit.
“It was scary,” Paredes said of taking the reins. “I’m not trying to fill her shoes. And I know that she would not want that. I just want to make good food that leans into French tradition, keeps things simple and highlights the actual product.”
For the warm service, the wine and good cheer, the French onion soup made with the same demi glace Paredes and Pomeroy would simmer overnight at Beast, the triple-fried Kennebec potatoes that upended Portland’s French fry rankings and the little black dress of a ganache cake, L’Echelle is our 2025 Restaurant of the Year.
That’s not to say it’s a perfect restaurant. In our August review, we noted unevenness in the mains. Some, including the duck, have improved. Acoustic paneling has quieted some of the early noise. The fried brioche with the chicken liver mousse remains controversial.
L’Echelle isn’t a splashy $2 million buildout. The restaurant, which opened in May, was largely funded by investments as small as $5,000, many from neighbors who attended one of Pomeroy’s Garden Party pop-ups last year. The layout of the old Woodsman Tavern remains in place, brightened with off-white walls and booths the glossy blue of a British police box.
But L’Echelle stands out in Portland’s similarly bootstrapped dining landscape by presenting a complete vision. A place where hospitality is given the same attention as the food. A place to bring your kids for their first taste of panisse. A place to join friends for a bottle of wine after dark. A worthy tribute to Pomeroy that flourishes on its own merits.
Details: L’Echelle serves dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. daily at 4537 S.E. Division St., no phone, lechellepdx.com.
Recommended: Panisse, œufs mayo, Vichy-style carrots, French onion soup, steak au poivre and frites, the ganache cake or a frozen custard from Paredes’ Cornet Custard next door.
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Dining and Cooking