Michael Mina has spent decades building a restaurant empire from San Francisco to Dubai. This fall, he's setting his sights much closer to home and opening his first Pacific Northwest venture.

The big picture: With Bar Sprezzatura, the James Beard Award-winning, Ellensburg, Washington-raised chef will bring one of the country's better-known restaurant groups to Portland at a moment when downtown is doubling down on its culinary cachet.

• The Mina Group will take over all food and beverage operations at the historic 1927 Heathman Hotel, including the restaurant, lobby bar and hotel breakfast.

What he's saying: "Portland is really my type of city," Mina told Axios. "When I'm looking at a city to open a restaurant, I look for produce, product and clientele and then wait for the right opportunity."

Zoom in: Bar Sprezzatura will be a sibling to Mina's bar of the same name in San Francisco's Financial District. There, the Venetian bacari-inspired menu leans luxe with a $130 caviar service, lobster gnocchi and dishes that can be loaded up with uni and roe.

• Portland's version will be more relaxed, with "cozy alcoves" and "materials that aren't overly flashy," Mina said.

Best bites: Mina tapped Portland chef Justin Ramirez, who previously worked with Mina in San Francisco, to lead the kitchen. Ramirez is also known for his time at Pearl District wine bar Arden and acclaimed neighborhood eatery Coquine.

• The menu will lean heavily on Pacific Northwest produce, seafood and meats, with daily specials built around what Ramirez sources from local farms and the Oregon coast.
• Venetian-style cicchetti — or small savory snacks like crostini, olives and meatballs — will anchor the offerings alongside handmade pastas and pizzettes.
• Mina said he expects the baked clams with lardo and breadcrumbs, as well as the seasonal crudos — like a carne cruda with matsutake mushrooms — to become instant signatures.

Meanwhile, at the bar: Expect Italian-leaning cocktails (like negronis, martinis and spritzes), plenty of amaro, and Oregon touches like Clear Creek's Douglas fir brandy.

If you go: Bar Sprezzatura, inside the Heathman Hotel (1001 SW Broadway), opens this fall.

Tell a foodie

Greater shares of Americans now say that extreme heat has affected various parts of day-to-day life compared to just two years ago.

Why it matters: The findings, from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, suggest that people are increasingly aware of extreme heat's impact on their health, budgets, travel plans and more.

By the numbers: 90% of Americans now say that extreme heat has had at least a minor impact on their lives broadly, up from 83% two years ago.

• 80% say that extreme heat has had at least a minor impact on their power bills, up from 69% in 2024.
• 68% say it's affecting their outdoor activities, up from 57%.
• 42% say it's affecting their travel or vacation plans, up from 26%.

Zoom in: The shifts were driven in part by people living in the West and Midwest, both of which have recently been hit by dangerous and deadly extreme heat events.

Between the lines: Researchers have found that climate change is making extreme heat events more frequent and more intense.

• Yet the share of Americans who say that climate change is happening is dropping: 66% said so in this latest survey, down from 73% last year.

How it works: The poll of 1,165 adults was conducted July 23-27, 2026, with a margin of error of +-3.7 percentage points.

⚡️ Lori Chavez-DeRemer, the former Oregon congresswoman, accepted a new position with public affairs firm Think Big to advocate for data center growth just months after resigning as U.S. Labor secretary. (KPTV)

🚐 The city is winding down its last sanctioned site for people living in vehicles in North Portland, leaving several residents to wonder where they'll go next. (KGW)

🚫 Oxbow Regional Park will close next month through January for repairs to its aging water system — shutting down trails, campgrounds, river beaches and boat launches. (The Oregonian)

🏀 The Blazers will meet with city officials today to discuss a 20-year Moda Center lease, the first movement from the team since the city council approved its negotiation term sheet last week. (OPB)

🇲🇽 Ki'ikibáa and Mis Tacones were named among the best 41 Mexican restaurants in the country by what some consider the newspaper of record. (The New York Times) 

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Two car-free downtown blocks are getting a colorful makeover.

The latest: Pride Plaza, on Southwest Harvey Milk Street between 12th and 13th avenues, was recently repaved and will soon feature rainbow-inspired asphalt art and "playful" permanent seating, according to the transportation bureau.

• The block sits in what was once the heart of Portland's gay community, where bars and clubs anchored queer life for decades.
• PBOT says the upgrades will give that history a more permanent presence and connect the plaza symbolically to another LGBTQ+ landmark nearby.

🌟 The Darcelle XV Promenade, along Southwest Ninth Avenue, is also undergoing an upgrade. The street will be dotted with diamond and rose motifs, reflective overhead art and lighting inspired by the drag legend's jewelry.

Follow the money: The two projects cost a combined $1.8 million, funded by grants and transportation system development charges.

🔜 What's next: The two spaces will bookend a stretch of Harvey Milk Street with public art and gathering places, with most work expected to wrap by the end of September.