I have a ton of stuff that I’ve Twittered/Facebooked about over the past month, but haven’t felt well enough to sit down and write a post. There is so much news here you may need to take a nap to get through it. Let’s see how far I can get. I promise to quit Twittering about this stuff, and actually start posting again.
Ping restaurant in the Pearl District has been named one of the Top 10 Best New Restaurants in America by GQ magazine‘s critic, Alan Richman. They are number 4 on the list.
And then there’s the food: stewed duck leg in a sweet broth with a side of sour chili sauce for dipping—have this once and you’ll be back. Pork bun stuffed with dried, shredded, caramelized meat, a challenge to David Chang’s preeminent version. Tried pork-bone tea? That’s boiled ribs in pork broth, served with Chinese crullers and spicy soy. I became so excited eating at Ping that I calmed myself with wide flat rice noodles sautéed in garlic oil with chicken and veggies, then topped with mild, toasted chilies.
You can read the whole list at GQ Magazine.
Blue Tangerine in the Bridgeport Village is out of business, supposedly Agave Mexican Grill is going into that location. The Tangerine website is down, and no one answers the phone. That’s a bad sign.
From Wired Magazine (one of my favorites), Tuna Fraud!
A biologist walks into a sushi bar and orders some tuna. What does he get? Escolar, a nasty fish with buttery flesh that can cause bizarre episodes of diarrhea, accompanied by a waxy intestinal discharge.
It’s not a joke. It happened five times to the same scientists during a brief research project. The results of that study were published Wednesday in PLOS One.
Olympic Provisions is open on 107 SE Washington St. in Portland. As you may know, these are the same folks that own Clyde Common. From their press release,
Chef Jason Barwikowski’s menu features small plates influenced by European and North African flavors that showcase local ingredients from some of the area’s finest farmers, ranchers and purveyors. Everything on our menu and every bottle on our wine list is also available to-go.
Salumist Elias Cairo crafts “American Charcuterie” in our USDA certified meat-curing facility, using local, high-quality ingredients. Production for retail and wholesale has just begun, and we’ll be showcasing our dry-aged sausages on our menu and in our deli case in the coming weeks.
Now then. About Clyde Commons. Perhaps someone should focus a bit of attention over there. Cough.
Here is an entertaining Craig’s List ad:
The View Point Inn is reopening in the Columbia River Gorge February 12 for the 2010 season under new management and direction. Previous employees welcome to apply. ALL employees MUST be willing to appear on camera for a reality television show being filmed at The View Point Inn. The following positions are available: Executive Chef. Admin/Operations/Human Resources Manager. Personal Assistant. House Keeping. Servers. Server Assistants. Bartenders. Onsite Wedding/Event/Sales Coordinator. Hostess/Gift Shop Manager. To apply you must include cover letter with resume, have 5 years experience for position applying for, post position applying for in SUBJECT of e mail to generalmanager. Failure of individuals to include cover letter and position applying for in subject of e mail will result in NOT being considered for position…
Ok then.
Beaterville Cafe is opening an er.. adjunct next door. Supposedly they will have Mexican food, some stuff from the original Beaterville menu, Lebanese, etc. A bar will also be part of the new setup. Sounds like the menu is all over the map, but some places manage to pull this type of menu off.
Pacific Pie Co. has opened at SE 6th and & Ankeny. From their website, “specializes in handmade, Australian style savory pies, pasties and other Aussie treats. Our products feature local, humanely raised meat and organic veggies.”
I’ll bite into that.
Chef Nathan Lockwood at Jory, the much heralded restaurant at the Allison Inn & Spa in Newburg Oregon has been let go. According to The Oregonian, the food was quite good; it was on my list of interesting places to try. Unfortunately, when a business of this type starts to flounder, the chef is usually one of the first people to go. Too bad – I’m not likely to go anywhere near the place now. I guess I’m just not the spa type – once you get this many wrinkles the only thing that helps is window putty.
From The SFGate/San Francisco Chronicle
Branching out: Town Hall/Salt House/Anchor & Hope partners Mitch Rosenthal, Steven Rosenthal and Doug Washington are fine-tuning a deal to open a restaurant in Portland’s trendy Pearl district. It won’t be a replica of any of their San Francisco spots but will serve “American food, with our sensitivities,” Mitch Rosenthal says.
None of the three partners intends to move there, but they will choose the chef and other key staffers from in-house.
Rosenthal says the three are open to doing another Bay Area restaurant. In the meantime, they’re focusing on the beverage program at their current restaurants and have hired former Epic Roasthouse wine director Nicole Burke. She started Jan. 1.
As far as I know, a chef has not yet been hired. Rumor has it, the restaurant will go into the old Bay 13 spot, and will be called Irving Street Grill. That leaves Manzana/Palomino and Olea as the two big empty restaurant spots in the pearl. I think it is interesting they would pick the Bay 13 location, as the building just isn’t conducive to a restaurant without a lot of work to mitigate the cavernous, cold feel.
This line from the Chron scares me. “None of the three partners intends to move there, but they will choose the chef and other key staffers from in-house”. I hate to say it, but I wouldn’t buy into this venture.
When The Agency, a “high end” sports bar opened next to The Civic across from PGE Park, many Civic residents were up in arms because they felt like the developer had pulled a fast one, putting in a business that could generate lots of late night noise which would bother the residents. Several meetings were held, but the developer and the owners of The Agency assured everyone noise would not be a problem. Of course it was. I visited friends at The Civic a few times, and though it was a warm night, they had to keep the doors closed to help drown out the noise (only partially successful), and there was the usual chaos you’d expect from a nightclub: people peeing in corners, vomiting in stairwells, crime in the parking lots, and lots of drunk people screaming late at night. Last month, it finally was closed by the property developer, who had clearly “taken it in the shorts”. Rumor has it, the owners had not paid rent for months, but the developer had let them stay, because they were afraid such a large vacant space would look bad. Note to owners: not nearly as bad as the Dollar Store you allowed next door.
God help us all. I recently received an invite to a new television show being filmed in Los Angeles:
In each episode, host Guy Fieri will lead competitors through a series of simple, yet nerve-wracking games that can reward them a $1 million prize. Over eight one-hour episodes, competitors will face 10 challenges that escalate in level of difficulty. Created using everyday household items, each game has a 60-second time limit and failure to finish the task on time will eliminate the contestant. One slip of the hand and you’re out. At various points throughout the game, the contestant can walk away with the money earned up to that point, but it’ll take nerves of steel to complete all 10 tasks to win $1 million. Some of the challenging tasks competitors will partake in are listed below:
BOBBLE HEAD – A pedometer is attached to the head and contestant must move their head to rack up a total 150 “steps” to complete the game.
PUNCH YOUR LIGHTS OUT – Contestant must throw beanbags one-at-a-time to hit battery operated “moon lights” hanging on a wall 10 feet away. There are 9 lights and all are lit at the start. The objective is to get all 9 lights off.
MEGA BUBBLE – Contestant must blow a bubble from a bubble wand and then blow it in the air 15 feet and through a hoop.
MOUTH TO MOUTH – Contestant must pull a dollar bill from between two bottles balanced mouth-to-mouth on top of each other. The bottles must remain balanced after the dollar is pulled. The contestant must successfully make 1 out of 5 attempts.
Darned if I didn’t happen to be busy that week!
You’ve all probably seen the Domino’s Pizza commercials where the CEO openly admits that their pizza was lousy, but they had fixed everything. Blogger Nancynall decided she wanted to find out if the new Domino’s Pizza’s really were better than the old version.
But I was interested in how Domino’s had reinvented their basic product, after taking the step of essentially confessing, “We suck.” So I ordered. The pizza came quickly. It was nice and hot. And it was awful. Really.
It still wasn’t as bad as Little Caesar’s, but it opened a whole new vista of bad — the brushed-with-flavorful-garlic-seasoning crust tasted and felt like garlic salt swimming in a bath of oil. I had to wash my hands twice before I dared touch anything afterward. Sauce meh, cheese meh and everything else, SALT SALT SALT SALT SALT. I like salt, so this was a revelation. This was pizza for a generation raised on Taco Bell and pork rinds. This was pizza for those with no taste buds left to corrupt. If pizza was liquor, this was moonshine. And so on.
David Brandon, Domino’s CEO, recently made news by giving up pizza to become the new athletic director at the University of Michigan. To which I’d say: Good career move.
“If pizza was liquor, this was moonshine.” I have to remember that line. Anyway, this is an extended version of the real Domino’s commercial. Entertaining:
I can’t remember if this made it to the site, but Blossoming Lotus moved out of the Pearl Yoga location last month. The space is going to be taken over by Prasad Cuisine. Brace yourself for the press release:
Behold, Prasad Cuisine, Karen Pride’s culinary creations brought to life in Yoga Pearl. We couldn’t be more excited about having Karen’s presence on a number of levels. Karen is a long-time yogini (the name Prasad is a Sanskrit term meaning “sacred offering”) and former chef of Blossoming Lotus, well attuned to the needs of yogis who make conscious, healthy eating a part of their path. Prasad offers something for everyone-raw, vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free choices color the menu. All of Prasad’s tasty offerings are grown and produced sustainably, organically and as much as possible, locally…
Following up on rumors from over the weekend, Willamette Week reports that Lucky Strike may be opening on SE Hawthorne Blvd.
Lucky Strike, the beloved Szechuan restaurant on outer Powell Boulevard whose pepper-bath chicken has caused me more pain than any other dish in the city (I once spent a morning curled up in bed, simultaneously cursing Lucky Strike and longing to return), has applied for a liquor license at 3862 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
(the link is dead now) Though it’s closed at the moment, if you get a chance, Lucky Strike is a good option for your Szechuan cravings.
PortlandFoodCarts is making waves today by wading into the regulations that govern whether it is legal to bring your own containers when you buy food from the carts around town.
Many of you have asked why Food Carts Portland doesn’t encourage people to bring their own reusable containers to food carts, and why we never mention the idea of cart discounts for customers who bring their own containers. In fact, we’ve gotten a bit of flack over it recently on our Facebook page and through reader emails. Well, the answer is simple: we don’t want to get anyone in trouble. That is, did you know getting food from a food cart with your own reusable container is against health regulations?
This is going to upset some folks!
You may have read when I broke the news on Twitter, Fenouil, the French restaurant at the edge of Jamison Square in the Pearl District, has been undergoing quite a bit of a shakeup. Recently, Pascal Chureau sent out an email:
Hello,
This is Pascal Chureau, founder and former owner and executive chef of Fenouil. I have moved on from Fenouil to pursue my own venture, which I am really excited about.I would love to keep you all updated as the project progresses.
Thank you, everyone, for the tremendous support at Fenouil for the last four years. I’ll be getting back to my roots and opening a neighborhood gastropub focused on good, local food, and good local people.
My best wishes to Fenouil, Lucier and the incredible staff there that I had the chance to work with.
Merci!
Pascal Chureau
According to my source, things are a mess. Jake Martin of Carlyle will be taking over the Fenouil kitchen. Pastry chef Kristen Murray expat of Lucier has started in the kitchen. The menu is being dumbed down to make it more approachable to the common man. I hope it works – great place to while away time next to the park.
Now I can’t help but wonder about the future of Carlyle. I haven’t been hearing rave reviews about that restaurant, and it seems to have dropped off of the radar. In the 2009 food survey, the restaurant hardly got mentioned in any of the responses. Hmm.
In a related subject, a friend of mine has been upset ever since Lucier closed. “I know you said the food wasn’t that great, but I wanted to see it!” Now he’s going to get his wish, as the restaurant has announced it is reopening. Does this mean our economy is all better now?! Cough. Chris Dussin, owner of both Fenouil and Lucier has taken charge of both projects. According to the Oregonian,
Dussin did not provide specifics about Lucier’s reincarnation other than to say that it will be a “little less high-end and a little more approachable” than the original. Changes in decor consistent with Lucier’s downscaling will also be made. A new chef has not been hired to run the reimagined restaurant. One thing won’t change: Lucier’s dynamite view of the Willamette River.
The Chinese Restaurant News named Wong’s King (actually they spelled it Wang’s King, so you can see how much thought they put into this), as one of the top 100 Chinese Restaurants in the Nation. Wow. Hmm. Ok. What ranking is it? 60? 70? No, it’s NUMBER 3!
Everyone repeat after me: “Just because Chinese/Japanese/Cops/Firefighters/Mail Carriers/Rock Stars/Italians eat there, doesn’t mean it’s good”.
If Wong’s King is the third best Chinese restaurant in the USA, the cuisine is in real trouble. I wouldn’t even call it the third best in Portland. When it first opened the food was pretty good, but it has been coasting on its reputation ever since.
Ten 01 Restaurant has been known for many things, and one of them was the talents of sommelier Erica Landon. Now comes news that Erica is leaving to be the new hospitality and sales director at Hawks View Cellars. Jeff Groh, currently sommelier at The Heathman will move to Ten01 to take her place. The Heathman is advertising for a replacement on Craig’s List. Wait… a Sommelier? On Craig’s List? Okay then.
Steve Jones, winner of our “Best Cheesemonger” in the latest PFD survey, has announced he is closing his NW location at Square Deal Wine, and moving to SE 60th and Belmont. The Oregonian dug up some extra details: “But the new plan will also include reasons to linger: sit-down tables and a rotating menu of cheese plates, meat plates, sandwiches, small bites, and daily specials meant to be paired with beer and wine”.
Via TravelPortland.com, Alan Richman of GQ Magazine has named the “Alaska Black Cod with Smoked Soy and Roasted Garlic Glaze” from Bamboo Sushi in Portland as one of his top 5 dishes of the year.
Finally, a challenger to Nobu Matsuhisa’s iconic black cod with miso. The cod is crunchy and fatty. The sauce suggests caramelized sake, if such a seasoning exists. Did I taste butter? Chef says no. Cracking the Japanese naval code in World War II was easy. Getting this recipe is impossible.
The View Point Inn Ridiculousness is even funnier if you saw the ad when it was posted. They cut and pasted about 3/4 of ANOTHER help wanted ad from the day before, putting in their own flourishes and flair. You would think that a place who has turned over as much staff as the VPI would have the “help wanted” ad down to a science.
Here’s the VPI ad:
http://portland.craigslist.org/grg/fbh/1556970834.html
Here’s the ad they “borrowed” from:
http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/fbh/1555868515.html
Oh joy! I noticed that too…glad I wasn’t the only one to get a chuckle out of it.
What about Ned Ludd’s mention as best value restaurant in GQ from that same article that Ping and Bamboo Sushi are mentioned?
I can’t find that. Do you have a link? I’m happy to add it.
Ping? PING??? Please. When my wife and I ate there, every single thing we ordered was inedible. And we are adventurous eaters. It was all gristle, skin, and bone. Ugh!
I agree
Just want to commend you on a great blog!! Keep up the great work, and great information. :)
Thank you.
Agave Mexican Grill is going where the blue tangerine was there is a sign in the window that’s says opening this spring. I think the blue tangerine was a Bill Hayden production
I can categorically tell you that Bill did not, outside of some extremely minor “consulting”(it’s really hard for me to lend any language to anything that he has a part in, that makes it seem positive.), have anything to do with Blue Tangerine.
I have tons of knowledge of the behind the scenes stuff at BT, and let me just tell you, it was an absolute wonder that place lasted as long as it did. In fact, how any non-chain place makes a go of it in Bridgeport Village(ridiculous leases, uncaring management, rules and reg’s that purposefully put you at a disadvantage to the chains, etc…), is utterly beyond me.
I wasn’t sure if he still had anything to do with BT but had a major part in the formation and opening of it his corporate chef now of deshutes helped with the menu and his firm did all the hiring I know because I applied there and his firm was very instrumentle in the construction and just about everything to make it a turn key operation for Mo. I have to agree its a miracle that it lasted this long. I’d like to know what’s going on with Split they seem to be strange business hours I’ve been down by there three times recently and they’ve been closed twice when there sign says they should have been open .
Thanks!
I think I want to open a restaurant across from ping, appropriately named “pong”
Hee hee…
Just for clarification, his name is Jeff Groh, not Eric Groh
Doh! I don’t know how Eric came into my mind. Thanks for the correction.
Perhaps you were thinking of David Groh? Rhoda’s husband?
Pacific Pie’s pies are amazing. I’m so glad they have opened a store front to tide my pie cravings over while the majority of the farmers markets are on hiatus for the season.
I can’t find a link, but both Ned Ludd and Bunk were included in that issue. Ned Ludd was “best value,” and there was a picture of Jason and Ben and a short interview with Jason. Bunk was in the “6 best pork sandwiches” of the year. No article or anything, just a list and pictures of the individual sandwiches. I think it was for their version of the Cubano.
I don’t subscribe to the magazine so didn’t see that, but I will check online again. Thanks for letting me know.
I don’t think it’s online, I can’t find it. I picked up a physical copy at the airport on my way home to Portland from Chicago for the holidays, because the place I work at (Nightwood) was also named one of the top 5 dishes. I was pleasantly surprised to see so many Portland friends included.
Wong’s King 3rd best Chinese in the US?! That’s hilarious.
Viewpoint has new management AND a new “direction”, whatever that means. Guess it means they seek a chef who is a “foodie bitch” but not a “primadonna”. Hmmm….that’s a delicate balance to strike, no?
Any press release announcing a restaurant that opens with “Behold…”, I’d “Beware”.
Any place advertising you must be willing to be part of a reality tv show as part of your employment is certain to attract serious-minded drama free hard working people devoted to their craft.
It won’t matter. Nobody employed there is going to get any face time; it’s all going to be about Geoff and Angelo.
Dude – they’re the camera crew and it’s going to be closed circuit to the 3 bedrooms only.
“..and tonight on “The Accidental Innkeepers”…a bride doesn’t get her security deposit back, Geoff fires an employee for wearing the wrong style shoes and Angelo recounts a completely irrelevant episode from his Broadway days in the early 1940s”
Seriously. It took six months, a bounced check, and an installment plan to get back the money those people owed me after my wedding there. And Geoff screamed at a busload of our guests as they were leaving. We had a wonderful evening on the whole, but Jesus, those people are a nightmare to work with for an event.
Recounted this evening to a number of mutual ex-colleagues who recall all of the above first hand, when the tears cleared, they decided you’re OK for a Chef after all. Class.
What, I wasn’t OK before?
BTW, they’re saving the Tijuana Botox and the Nude Calendar for sweeps week. Ratings Gold, Jerry!!
I don’t think you should write Jory off your list off places to go because they axed the chef. That place is ridculously well-funded so it is not a situation where finances are driving the decision. I had great food there but also had to send 2 dishes back out of 4 meals. One was a pork tenderloin cooked to a dry, white, flavorless mass and a quail that was closer to sashimi than it was to, well, anything else. We had a salad once that must have had half a pound of bleu cheese on it as well. On the other hand I had some of the best food I have had out in wine country there as well. Too inconsistent. My experience mirrors my conversations with nearly every person I have talked with who has eaten there more than one time.
It is also a freaking beautiful hotel. Great rooms. If you are into the spa stuff it is allegedly top notch. The bar is also well-appointed and their snacky style food was excellent in general. The prices are rarefied for the rooms but the menu and, particularly, the wine list is fairly priced (if you get the right dish and it is cooked appropriately of course).
My point is, the chef is going to have to be pretty darn good, or I’m not going to drive all the way down there – I’m not the spa type – especially at “rarefied” prices.
I’m at a multi-day meeting at the Allison as I type this. First day lunch was very good, 10x better than other generic “hotel-pan” buffet lines that I’ve experience in my life. Chicken with a wild mushroom/pancetta ragout was moist, flavorful and quite delicious. Yukon Gold mashed spuds (creamy, salty) and wild greens. Quite nice.
If their catering crew is any indication of their restaurant crew (maybe their are the same), I look forward to trying Jory for dinner tonight.
BTW, one of the staffers said that a team of “consultants” are filling in for Nathan right now.
I’ve only ever been to Wong’s King for Dim Sum, so can’t comment on the food in general. Is there a place with better Dim Sum that you prefer? I’d love to hear about it!
Ocean City.
Yup, I’ll second the vote for Ocean City. Been there 3 times now and the dimsum is hotter, fresher and served with a smile. Plus, if you get there before noon you won’t have to wait for a table. Even after noon it’s not terrible. Certainly nothing like the hour to hour-and-a-half wait at Wong’s.
Third that. And Ocean City is way better than WK for dinner as well.
What’s going on at Clyde Common? Use to be great for lunch.
Agree there needs to be some TLC put back in there.
What happened to Erin?
I haven’t particularly liked the food served at CC at dinner time for quite some time. Things have been very hit and miss, food and service. Lunches were always really good, and that is when I tended to go in. Lately, though, they haven’t been as good either.
(I think I’m using way too many commas tonight. I blame it on prescriptions)
I have been to Clyde Common once. Went with a friend and we were seated on the balcony which was empty and the main floor was empty. The menu made no sense to either of us. Honestly there was nothing listed that I wanted. We waited for our server to come by to answer our questions. After ten minutes, she didn’t return and we got up and left. I’ve never been back.
BTW…….Any news on Park Kitchen? Off the radar? What’s up there?
What has happened to Park Kitchen is something I’ve been wondering about too. I will have more thoughts after the survey is completed, but, in two years, they have gone from star (and my restaurant of the year), to absolutely no buzz whatsoever. No press coverage, no crowds, no talk on the food sites. I have some theory’s, but they can wait for now.
Went for lunch back in Late Sept/Early Oct and again for a wine dinner around the same time. Was not particularly impressed either time. As with Clyde Common, hit-or-miss seems to be an apt description, at least as regards the food, which is a shame given how fantastic it was. On the other hand, I didn’t have any problems with service, of which I can back up criticisms in the case of CC.
I had a very good smoothie and sandwich at the Prasad cart when it was on Alberta street so don’t write them off just yet.
I am kind of excited about the Prasad Cuisine thing. I used to eat at the Lotus a lot, so I was excited to see that some one was taking over the spot. It should be good though I checked out the menu online and it looks a lot like the old Lotus menu but now they serve eggs.
Mmmmmmmm, Pacific Pies. Everybody should try them. Seriously. I worked in a kitchen w/ the owners, and they are great people. Very committed to sustainability, beautiful ingredients, loving care = delicious results.