Two Portland restaurants — a James Beard-recognized wine bar and a steakhouse from a "Top Chef" alum — will serve their final meals on Saturday, Oct. 17.

OK Omens, at 1758 SE Hawthorne Blvd., is shuttering after owner Monique Siu announced she is retiring following 25 years running restaurants in the city. Bistecca Woodfire Steakhouse, at 2141 NW Raleigh St., will close the same day after owner Gabriel Pascuzzi blamed tariffs and gas prices for sinking a pending sale of the concept.

What is closing on Hawthorne?

OK Omens launched as a wine-centric spinoff of Castagna, the fine-dining restaurant Siu ran and which earned her James Beard Outstanding Restaurateur semifinalist nods in 2017 and 2018. Castagna has already closed. In 2024, OK Omens itself drew a James Beard semifinalist nod for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program.

Siu told staff and followers in an Instagram post: "Whether you were here during the early days of Castagna or are a part of our OK Omens team today, your energy, dedication, and unbeatable teamwork made my vision a reality. I could not have done this without you, and I am immensely proud of what we built together over the decades. To our wonderful guests: thank you for making us a part of your lives."

The Hawthorne closure ends Siu's 25-year run operating Portland restaurants and removes one of the 2024 James Beard-tied beverage programs from the southeast trade area.

Why is Bistecca shutting down?

Pascuzzi, a former "Top Chef" contestant, framed his exit around cost pressure rather than a personal transition. "The restaurant industry is relentless, and the financial landscape has only grown more difficult," the restaurant posted on Instagram. "Ultimately, the crushing weight of tariffs and gas prices became too challenging. We were in discussions with another group to pass the torch, but those plans ultimately fell through."

Pascuzzi named two input categories — tariffs and gas prices — that hit a wood-fire steakhouse's prime-beef and cooking-fuel bills at the same time. The collapse of the acquisition talks means Bistecca is closing on a planned, voluntary wind-down timeline rather than a lender or landlord action.

What about Hey Luigi and the dinner series?

Pascuzzi also owns Hey Luigi, which remains operating. The two shuttering concepts had anchored an "I ♥ Portland" dinner series scheduled to run through December, featuring guest chefs from "Top Chef" and "Chopped." The series will not continue at either venue.

What changes for Portland on Oct. 17?

The two venues anchor different districts — Hawthorne's Southeast corridor and Raleigh's Northwest stretch — but pull from a similar independent-dinner base. The dual Saturday closing marks a notable single-day exit in a city that has tracked steady attrition among chef-driven concepts.

Siu exits by choice after a 25-year run. Pascuzzi exits citing input-cost pressure, with his second Portland concept, Hey Luigi, still serving and the shared dinner series cut short months before its scheduled December close. Watch for any successor announcement at 1758 SE Hawthorne Blvd. or 2141 NW Raleigh St. in the weeks following the closures — and for whether the "I ♥ Portland" series resurfaces at a third Portland address.