We celebrated our wedding anniversary with a multi-course progressive tasting menu with wine pairings at ōkta. The timing was with the ōkta Peak Summer Menu Mid-August – Mid-September, part of the Farm Seasion (July-October) where the tasting menu highlights their hearth mimicking the summer sun and its impact on flavor. I had the regular tasting ōkta menu while F had the vegan version – you can see some examples of the slight differences, it was fun discussing what flavors we had in our versions – most of them were very close. We had the same wine pairings every course.
Friendship
Chrysanthemum, Bush Beans, Maple. This is a custard infused with chrysanthemum with haricot vert and yellow wax beans and I believe maple blossom at the top adding some intriguing textures. His vegan version has a cashew custard. 
Far and Near
Carrot, Caramelized Farro, Sea Urchin. This is a caramelized farro waffle where my version has sea urchin and his vegan version had a kohlrabi puree, both topped with these painstakingly slices carrots. This was my favorite wine discovery from sommelier Ron Acierto, a Clos Cobonne Tentations Rosé Cotes de Provence 2022. It was so refreshing and crisp that really elevated and smoothed the briny richness of the sea urchin with its round palate and hint of fruit balanced with edge of minerality. Luckily we got to revisit this again as it was also the pairing for the next course. I often find rosé beautiful but just a touch on the sweet side for me, and this blend that uses a varietal special to Provence, Tibouren, gives this IMHO the perfect mix of accessible, easy-drinking brightness with layers of complexity. This is why you always go with wine pairings – to discover and learn while also enjoying your fine meal.
Suntouched
Sungold Tomato, Oxheart Tomato, Tomato Leaf. Not surpringsingly one of his favorite courses, we both had the same dish here highlighting the best bounty of summer, tomato, here in a tomato puree you can see peeking from the bottom.
Soil
Black Truffle, Currant Tomatoes, Briar Rose Cheese. Instead of the cheese his vegan version used miso. Mine was on some sort of shortbready-cookie cracker that I could pick up to nibble on, while his was enjoyed with a spoon.
Tropical Notes
Gagon Melon, Fig Leaf, Clam. The rice fig leaf milk in mine has some cream (vegan version did not have cream) and mine had geoduck.
Warm Winds
Zucchini, Douglas Fir, Miso. Mine has smoked caviar and is accompanied by a laminated brioche. His version uses a cashew cream
Pollinators
Foie Gras, Nasturtium Flowers and Honey. His version doesn’t have the foie gras or honey/Willamette Valley pollen of course, his is kohlrabi poached in shoyu with fermented buckwheat. My fermented buckwheat is rolled in the pollen and overall served on an almond sable. Both have the crown of orange marigold petals and yellow nasturtium petals.
New Beginnings
Red Okra, Sea Bream, Rose. His version uses amazake custard with the burgandy okra and rose oil with grey morel mushroom. It was the only time I think his vegan dish was better than the regula rone as the sea bream was very light and although delicious, the intensity of flavor absorbed by his mushroom, and the crispy outside meaty inside texture was more fun. This was his favorite course.
Bread Course
Right before the next listed course, we also got our unlisted bread course, his with olive oil from San Sebastian Spain, mine with softened house cultured butter, and Jacobsen sea salt. The country sourdough bread is made fresh for service daily using an outdoor wood fired oven at the farm,
Marine Layer
Dungeness Crab, Crocus, Peppers. Mine is a steamed dungeness crab and crab saffron custard while his is sunchoke with cashew saffron custard, both with giardiniera peppers.
Transformation
Grass-fed Beef, Rainbow Chanterelle, Cabbage. His version features a Koji Steak instead of my strip loin. Sadly, this was my least favorite course – I found my beef a little too saltiness in the coffee rubbed crust, and his koji steak had absorbed a little bit too much oil even though the texture was perfectly crisp. The wine more than made up for it though! This was an incredible double pairing of a beautiful rich Marchesi di Tradicional Barolo 2018 and a Colene Clemens Victoria 2021 Pinot Noir. 
Bramble
Blackberry, Licorice, Buckwheat. Blackberry ice, buckwheat cookie, his didn’t have the cookie I think – I remember it looking a little flatter lol.
Cloud Cover
Raspberry, Koji, Citrus. Raspberry essence with a ladyfinger, and citrus leaf foam and sweet cream ice cream. His version has fresh raspberries and raspberry essence and amazake ice cream and passionfruit. We joked that his form is more hailstone than cloud like mine.
Ending and Beginning
Chocolate, Hazelnut, Chicories. Hazelnut chicory anglais for him and chicory anglais for me, with a dark chocolate sponge cake, chocolate semi-freddo, and chocolate hazenut semi-freddo glazed in caramlized amazake.
More Dessert
Not listed in the menu was more dessert! Not vegan, a crisp brushed with hazelnut with puffed rice. And a bowl of fresh summer fruit of cherry, blackberry, blueberry, ground cherries.
We also received some sweet little boxes of chocolate caneles to take home with us, which we enjoyed with coffee in the morning. It was a wonderful food and wine adventure, and even as we were walking out the door, we were already talking about returning when they change for the final summer chapter (Part III: Radiance: Mid-September – Early October), but perhaps trying out the Cellar downstairs which is less courses and costs less. But, it’s also less courses… 5-6 courses instead of the 10 (though I’m counting more than 10 above) so torn on that.
The full 10 course tasting menu is $285 per guest, with our standard wine pairing offered at $190 per guest (with an automatic 20% service charge) or a non alcoholic wine pairing at $115 per guest. Seatings in the dining room begin at 5pm Wednesday through Sunday. Our reservations were at 5:45pm and perhaps we are slow eaters/converse a lot, but we did not leave until 9pm. Admittedly a lot of the dining room had emptied and we were watching the open kitchen cleaning tasks, so maybe it is just us taking our time. The cellar bar menu is $195 per guest, with a wine pairing offered at $175 per guest or a non-alcoholic wine pairing at $85 per guest.
They offer a regular menu, but also support a vegan option obviously, though you can also opt to be less strict and just do vegetarian or pescatarian diet substitutions – they cannot offer gluten-free, nut-free, and with the shared large kitchen anyone with severe allergies.
What would you pick – the full tasting menu or cellar menu?
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