"At Izakaya Minato, a compact Japanese-style gastropub across the street from Cong Tu Bot on Washington Avenue, order small plates of fried tofu, crispy skinned ocean trout, kelp-cured white fish, and bacon-topped okonomiyaki, or let chef Thomas Takashi Cooke be your guide with family-style omakase. If you sip junmai, take a moment to admire the unique sake cup — most of the restaurant’s collection comes from Japan, but Cooke crafted some himself, right down the street at Portland Pottery." - Stasia Brewczynski