I have confirmed that Troy MacLarty is leaving Lovely Hula Hands in about two weeks. No reason has been given for his departure.
Troy MacLarty worked at at Alice Water’s famed Chez Panisse in Berkeley, before being lured to Portland by the much maligned Michael Hebberoy. As things began to melt down in the Hebberoy empire, he left, reappearing later at Simpatica, and finally at Lovely Hula Hands which had just moved into a much larger space. Under his capable hands, LHH rose to to the point where it was my Restaurant of the Year for 2007. In my last review I wrote, “Salads are inspired and perfectly executed; in my opinion, some of the best in the city. On my second visit I had the radicchio with pear butter vinaigrette, brie, and glistening candied pecans. It was like a brie butter fog had settled over the leaves. I wanted to lie down in it. This was an exceptional effort that shows just how much you can do with a salad.” To this day, I think it’s the best salad I’ve ever had.
At this point I have not confirmed his new plans, but it sounds like he is staying in Portland.
This oupled with Marco Shaw leaving town makes me very sad. I really hope that MacLarty sticks around.
My money is on Maclarty joining forces with Simpatica’s Benjamin Dyer in Dyer’s soon-to-be-announced Eastside butcher shop / restaurant. Dyer is a big Maclarty fan and I believe the two are friends as well. As a casual observer of the PDX food scene, it seems to be a logical fit. I guess we will know soon.
this has been confirmed I believe. WW or Merc. cant remember which.
Salad…
That’s too bad – the kitchen at Lovely Hula Hands is among the best in town. It more than made up for a surly-to-the-point-of-rude FOH. Now I’m struggling to think of a reason to go back.