• Home
    • About
      • Home
      • About the Site
      • The Authors
      • Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
      • Email me
    • Reviews
      • List of All Reviews
      • Best of Portland by year
        • Reader Survey: Best of Portland Food 2017
        • Best of Portland 2015
      • Steakhouse Roundup
        • Steakhouse Reviews Introduction
        • El Gaucho Steakhouse
        • Morton’s Steakhouse
        • Ringside Steakhouse
        • Ruth’s Chris
        • Steakhouse – Results
      • Product/Business Reviews
        • Retailer Reviews
        • Product Reviews
    • Topics
      • Food Writing
        • Alcohol Related
          • Beer
          • Wine
          • Spirits
        • April Fools Stories For Portland
        • Contests and Competition
        • Food Memories
        • Travel Writing
      • Authors / Book Reviews
      • Cheese information
      • Interviews: Honest dialog with people in the Portland food industry
      • Portland Food and Restaurant News and Discussion
      • Recipes
    • Guides
      • Guide to Portland coffee
        • Portland Coffee Guide
        • A Map of our favorite Portland coffeehouses
        • Reader Survey: Best Coffeehouses in Portland 2017
      • Guide to Local Wine Shops
      • Guide to Portland Bakeries
      • Guide to Portland Distilleries
      • Guide to Portland’s Beer Shops
    Portland Food and Drink

    Portland Food and Drink

    Restaurant News and Information For Portland Oregon Area Restaurants and Bars

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Send me email!

    Pet Peeves in Dining Service and Catching Up on News

    By PDX Food Dude Last Update May 13, 2017

    Portland Food & Drink is the best source for online menus, news on restaurant openings, and snarky, user-penned feedback.”

    In October, New York Magazine ran an article called Play in Portland’s Shadows. I have no idea why this just popped up in my linkback list, but the Related Links section made me laugh.

    Portland Food & Drink is the best source for online menus, news on restaurant openings, and snarky, user-penned feedback.

    Their words, not mine. I accept this award in the name of all the people who have caused me such angst, it has made me snarky.


    The 2008 James Beard nominations have been announced

    A few Portland chefs made the list:

    Rising Star Chef of the Year: Gabriel Rucker, Le Pigeon

    Best Chef Northwest: Scott Dolich, Park Kitchen (Second year in a row)

    Semifinalists include:

    Best Chef NW: Greg Higgins of Higgins, John Gorham owner/chef of Toro Bravo, Cathy Whims, Nostrana

    Outstanding Pastry Chef: Ken Forkish, Ken’s Artisan Bakery

    Wine and Spirits Professional: Stephen R. McCarthy, Clear Creek Distillery


    Both branches of Pix Patisserie have closed

    According to the rumor mill, they will be replaced by a single large location on East Burnside. Details to come.


    Chef shuffles:

    Roxana and Daniel, the Chef’s brought up from the Bay area to take over clarklewis have left. I’ve heard several versions of why, but let’s just say they needed another change. The Bluehour Chef de Cuisine, Dolan Lane is taking over in their place. After hearing quite a bit about clarklewis and all of its inherent problems, I don’t have much long-term hope for it, but wish them the best.

    A Cena chef Scott Champine is moving to Bluehour as Chef de Cuisine. Hmm. I have to say, I didn’t hear many flattering things about a Cena.

    Meanwhile, some private “chef for the stars” from Los Angeles is taking over in his place. I have a bit of hope for a Cena, as I think under the right hands it could thrive.

    Lots of rumors have Stu Stein of the defunct Terroir at Aquariva, but I don’t believe it myself. I just can’t imagine… hmm. I was thinking he had probably been run out of town.


    Vesta, the large high-end restaurant in Vancouver has closed.

    I hate to say it, but I think their plans were just a bit too ambitious, and Vancouver wasn’t ready for it.

     


    Let’s talk more about pet peeves in dining service.

    Coincidentally, Gale Green published a list that was much more complete than ours (near the bottom of the page. Even more here). Some of the entries:

    1. Seeing TVs anyplace that’s not a sports bar, but especially in otherwise upscale restaurants.
    2. Being called “guys” (as in “Hi guys” or “How are you guys doing?”) by an invariably 20-something waitperson we’ve never even met before
    3. The over-pouring of bottled water, especially in larger groups where the focus is on conversation so you might not even notice until you see how many bottles of unordered water end up on your check — and see how many full glasses of water are left on the table.
    4. Bringing to the table an open bottle of wine that you’d ordered by the glass, and then not even bothering to let you taste it first before they pour.
    5. Wine served at the improper temperature
    6. Too-sweet desserts (more common in the 1990s) or too-salty desserts (more common today)
    7. Being brought 7 petit fours for your table of 8

    You can see a compendium from a variety of restaurant critics by reading her post.

    Related

    Category: Portland Food and Restaurant News and Discussion. Related posts about a Cena Ristorante e Enoteca, clarklewis Restaurant, Higgins Restaurant, Ken's Artisan Bakery, Yakuza Restaurant. More about Gabriel Rucker, Greg Higgins, John Gorham, Ken Forkish, Scott Dolich, Scott Shampine, Stephen McCarthy, Stu Stein.

    Previous Post: « How Should You Signal To Your Waiter You Are Finished Eating
    Next Post: Universal Fork and Knife Signaling System Arrives! »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Dave J. says

      April 1, 2008 at 9:40 am

      By “the original Pix on Hawthorne,” do you mean the one next to Pastaworks? I think the word “original” may be confusing, since as far as I know it was their most recent location.

    2. pdxyogi says

      April 1, 2008 at 1:13 pm

      1st was Division, 2nd Hawthorne, 3rd on Williams Ave.

    3. Food Dude says

      April 1, 2008 at 2:50 pm

      oops… you are right. I was thinking of the division location. I don’t think I even knew about the Hawthorne loc. Thanks Yogi.

    4. Dave J. says

      April 1, 2008 at 3:09 pm

      Wait, so now I’m confused. Which one closed?

    5. Nettie says

      April 1, 2008 at 6:09 pm

      The Pix website just lists the Williams and Division location, so I’m guessing that the Hawthorne location was indeed the one that closed. Remember that at first it was a tapas bar, with some collaboration with the guy from Navarre, and maybe a year ago it turned into another Pix outpost.

    6. eastsidegirl says

      April 1, 2008 at 8:37 pm

      John Taboada = Navarre

    7. whimsy2 says

      April 1, 2008 at 9:01 pm

      I’m greatly relieved that the one on Division didn’t close. That’s the one I live near and treat myself to now and again.

    8. lilhuna says

      April 3, 2008 at 7:26 pm

      I’m sad Yakuza is no longer doing sushi. It was actually the one place in this town that I ate sushi at. Wah-wah.

    9. pdxgout says

      April 8, 2008 at 12:25 am

      Ahem. Let’s get it right: The original Pix is alive & well on SE Division across from Lauro. The location on SE Hawthorne opened originally as Bar Pastiche, a wonderful collaboration btn the folks from Pix and Navarre, a wine bar w a balanced mix of sweet & savory bites, next to Pastaworks. It lost the savory half of the equation [too bad!], and morphed into another Pix outpost. That, apparently, is the location that’s closed.

    10. stellaoks says

      April 13, 2008 at 9:50 am

      Thanks to pdxgout for straightening that all out. I still miss Bar Pastiche. More Pastaworks is not what I had hoped for in that space but that is what we are going to get. Sign on the door says Pastaworks will be reclaiming this space.

    11. rouxster says

      June 17, 2008 at 10:17 am

      Food dude, why no visits to Aquariva? Sure it is run by corporate soul suckers, and the menu is waaay to expansive, but I had a very nice meal there a few weeks ago. Small plates, excellent service, a cutesy homemade ravioli, an excellent cheese plate, and a stellar collection of meat dishes made me one very pleasantly surprised diner.

      I was even considering it for my wedding next year, that is, if the place still exists.

      • Food Dude says

        June 17, 2008 at 11:24 am

        To tell you the truth, I forgot about Aquariva. Also, as you say, it is expensive, and I’m focusing on more moderately priced places.

        • rouxster says

          June 17, 2008 at 11:55 am

          actually, i thought the menu was too expansive, as in vast…i go by bourdain’s maxim that a restaurant should do just a few things, and do them well. they have about 40 selections, which I suppose makes sense if the dishes are viewed as tapas style. the menu was double sided, two “concepts” a red and white menu-lighter fare for the white menu and heavier northern italian for the red.

          (now if they could change that to red menu and black menu they could pare the menu with quotes from Stendahl’s excellent “Rouge et noir”, one of my favorite books, but I digress, and who wants to eat off the “noir” menu anyway?)

          in terms of price, i found the prices to be fairy reasonable, the wine list was pricey, but no different than a place like Tabla really. If I recall correctly, everything was around $10-$18…and since the portions were larger than your traditional tapas you would find at Toro Bravo or Patanegra, it turned out to be a pretty good deal.

          anyway, i would love to hear what you thought of the place. the atmosphere i sweird, which WW captured in their restaurant guide, but I liked it. plus, maybe you could figure out if the place is going to make it another year, as a staff emmber told me they weren’t doing so well.

    © 2023 · PortlandFoodandDrink.com • See Terms of Service and Privacy Policy