Top Chef finalist Brian Malarkey: After 27 restaurants, I’m betting big on my hometown Portland — and we’re headed for $10 million in sales this year

At the end of July, I made the biggest bet of my career.

I bet on Portland.

It’s the biggest because of what I put behind it.

My brother and I didn’t just sign a lease.

We put down the cash to buy the building.

I just opened a 10,000-square-foot, wood-fired steak and seafood restaurant in the city’s Pearl District.

It’s my 27th restaurant and my first in the city where I was born.

On opening night, we served more than 450 guests, and the same the following night.

We turned people away both evenings, and the pace hasn’t slowed.

We’re on track to top $10 million in sales in our first year.

I’ve opened restaurants all over the country, and I have never opened one this busy from day one.

That is not what a lot of people would tell you to expect.

During the debate over the Trail Blazers’ arena, Portland has been described as a tough city to invest in , and there is a hefty body of opinion in this country that would expect my restaurant not to be full.

Let me be honest about the risk.