Masa Miyake tried the izakaya concept—the Japanese version of a gastro pub—formerly at his tiny aerie on Spring Street, which is now the Home Catering take out and sandwich shop. It closed shop a few years ago. But Portland newcomer, Chef Thomas Takashi Cooke, and his wife, Elaine Alden, are exploring similar opportunities here to open his restaurant, Izakaya Minato. On Tuesday evening, he held a pop up at Bao Bao showing off his menu.
He hails from San Francisco where he was head chef of that city’s highly regarded Tsunami. He and his wife Elaine moved to Portland recently.
Quite a crowd convened at Bao Bao to sample Cooke’s fine Asian fusion menu
