Celebrity chef Michael Mina opened his first Oregon restaurant Oct. 16 inside the Heathman Hotel at 1001 S.W. Broadway.

Bar Sprezzatura Portland is the Mina Group's second location of the Italian-inspired concept, following its San Francisco original.

A separate Bar Sprezzatura also operates in New York City under different management. The Mina Group, which Mina co-founded in 2003 with former professional tennis player Andre Agassi, now oversees all food and beverage operations at the Heathman, according to Bridgetown Bites.

That covers morning coffee, evening dining, banquets and in-room service.

Executive chef Justin Ramirez leads the kitchen. Ramirez, a Portland local, worked at Mina's eponymous San Francisco restaurant before returning to Portland, where he cooked at Coquine, Arden and The Hoxton/La Neta, The Oregonian reported.

The team also includes general manager Tyler Groom, executive pastry chef Gabriella Martinez and lead bartender Niko Smith.

Mina, a James Beard Award winner with more than 30 restaurants to his credit, graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1989.

Bar Sprezzatura Portland is his only Pacific Northwest restaurant.

The concept draws on the bàcari, or wine bars, of Venice. Dinner service launched Oct. 16, with lunch expected later in October, according to Bridgetown Bites.

The menu features cicchetti (Venetian bar snacks), house-made pastas, seafood, pizzettes and seasonal dishes built around locally sourced ingredients. The cocktail program, shaped by partner and mixologist Carlo Splendorini, leans on spritzes, Negronis and martinis.

The Mina Group described the restaurant in a press release as blending the spirit of coastal Italy with Pacific Northwest flavors.

At a media preview before the opening, Bridgetown Bites writer Meg Cotner described a cocktail fountain greeting guests at the entrance and passed appetizers including Dungeness crab tramezzini with Meyer lemon aioli and pumpkin supplì with prosciutto and Fontina cheese. Dinner courses featured chicories from Flying Coyote, ahi tuna sashimi, gnocchi with Gorgonzola crema and olive oil-poached Alaskan halibut.

The opening arrives as the Heathman prepares for its 100th anniversary in 2027.

The hotel, listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1984, is undergoing a property refresh. Updates preserve its original Jacobean Revival architecture through extended eucalyptus wood paneling, enhanced lighting, renewed furnishings and plush velvet seating, according to Bridgetown Bites.

The hotel described the work as "preserves the character of the historic landmark while evolving the guest experience for today's traveler."

The hotel's library has returned to its original mezzanine location, with expanded lounge seating and a new vinyl collection created with Portland's Music Millennium.

The Heathman previously housed restaurants from chefs Greg Higgins and Philippe Boulot, The Oregonian noted.

The 10-story building, designed by the architectural firm DeYoung and Raold, opened in 1927 on what was then Portland's "Great White Way," a stretch of S.W. Broadway lined with theater marquees and restaurants.

Reservations are available through the Bar Sprezzatura website.