Last April Fools Day we celebrated our 16thbirthday. This puts a smack dab in the middle of our company adolescence. We have developed the ability to (almost) behave like an adult when called upon, but we are still deeply ensconced in our age of ideals.

We no longer measure ourselves against our own "humble beginnings." Instead, we recognize our place among the independent restaurant compatriots who define the Portland dining scene.

But the new intelligentsia has staged a coup. The collective “They” has been dismantled, partitioned, and redistributed. “They” is no longer a shadowy them; “They” is a very specific ze.