We were already crowing over the fact that three local eateries—Expatriate, Davenport, and Maurice— had made the cut as candidates for Bon Appetit's national Best New Restaurants list. Now comes the news that Kristen Murray's eclectic downtown sweets haven Maurice has crushed worthy kitchens from New York to California and emerged as #9 on the mag's list of the nation's Top 10 new places to eat in 2014. Here's a bit of B.A. Restaurant Editor Andrew Knowlton's charming take on the quirky spot:

"In the Land of Make-Believe, Måurice Luncheonette is on Main Street in a town where everyone’s got the day off, it’s always 72 and sunny, and bluebirds flutter outside every window. The all-white dining room has a few tiny booths, freshly picked flowers, and handwritten menus. It’s earnest, a bit precious, and crazy charming. But the truly insane part is that what I’m describing is the real Måurice—minus the birds and sunshine (this is still Portland)."

Hungry for more? PoMo's been following this fika hideaway for months now. The pastry chef herself was featured in a full spread in our March issue. In July, Portland Monthly restaurant critic Karen Brooks named Maurice a majorly original spot to watch, and the chic destination is also the subject of Brooks' monthly review, entitled, "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Maurice" in our upcoming September issue, on newsstands this Friday. 

Want a taste of Murray's sweets side-by-side with other pastry stars? A handful of tickets are still available for Feast Portland's Dessert for Dinner event on Thursday, September 18. Chefs Phil Speer (Austin's Uchi/Uchiko), Tim Helea (Portland's Little T), Alissa Frice (Portland's St. Jack and Frice Pastry), and Carrie Merrill (Portland's Urban Farmer, Portland) will join Murray to mashup sweet and savory treats paired with sherry and madiera pour selected by Punch Editor in Chief Talia Baiocchi. Don't wait, tickets are almost gone!