Tuesday, October 27, 2026

Karen Brooks

Karen Brooks eats, drinks and thinks about food for Portland Monthly, as the magazine's trend-spotting food critic at large. Karen's reviews and think pieces ferret out the restaurants, food carts, and maverick thinkers defining Portland's food voice. In 2017, Karen won one of the food world's most prestigious titles: the James Beard Craig Claiborne Distinguished Restaurant Reviewer Award. She's penned nine books on food and drink, and in 2020 guest-starred on Hulu food series Eater's Guide to the World.  

Why OK Omens Mattered

When the restaurant closes on October 17, Portland will say goodbye to a way of life and the city’s best burger-fries game.