Patrick Coleman, of the Portland Mercury Scores interview with Greg Higgins
Patrick Coleman, the Mercury’s newish food writer, has done a long interview with Greg Higgins about early days in the Portland food scene.
So what was it like being in that whole neighborhood [SW Salmon and 10th] at the time? Vat and Tonsure was there, Hamburger Mary’s, Crocodile Records. What was that little downtown area like? It’s changed a lot.
Believe it or not, where the Heathman is now was considered fringy. It was a pretty dicey neighborhood [Higgins] was Broadway Revue then. If Broadway Revue had a heyday, I guess that was the heyday. The building across the street was called the Carriage Room and it was a strip joint and there was another strip joint on the other corner. Everybody thought there was no chance that the space [that is now] South Park where [B. Moloch was opened] could possibly succeed. They thought that it was just a doomed location. I was like, “What are you talking about. It’s like a block from the concert hall.”
People had different impressions of things, clearly. Maybe it took somebody from outside to say, “I think you could.” That whole area was funny. There was a little bar there, the Spot Tavern. It got taken over by Hamburger Mary’s eventually. It was a tavern no bigger than the area we are sitting in right here. And this crusty old retired bank executive who had been a marine in like World War II. Their whole thing was the coldest beers in town. It was decorated with all this stuff they had collected in traveling in the South Pacific as a Marine and that kind of thing. It was very much, a little slice of frozen time.
That was the way it was. That was a nice place to hang out. To this day people will say, “Oh, the stuffed mushrooms at Le Berge,” or “The Cornish game hen at the Vat and Tonsure.” I’m like, “C’mon. It’s a frozen Cornish game hen. I know you remember it like it was unbelievable, but things change.”
You can read the entire interview here. Patrick Coleman is a one man writing machine. Between him and Matt Davis, I’m not sure they have any other writers anymore.
Notice that Patrick completely stole our interview format; question, answer, question, answer. So blatant!
Suds Sister says
I miss the interviews on the site, Dude. You should bring them back.
Food Dude says
I like them too. We are still doing about one per month: https://portlandfoodanddrink.com/?cat=42.
Jennifer says
I hate to be a pill, but it’s L’Auberge…..
DinahDavis says
Ah yes, the Vat and Tonsure and The Spot Tavern.
Portland actually had quite a collection of dubious taverns sprinkled throughout the downtown area in the late ’70s and early ’80s. You know, the kind of places that had Happy Hours at 7am, and never, ever vacuumed the carpets. We art students would shamble in for cheap beers and billiard games, much to the amusement of the regulars.
The Vat was a most excellent hangout. They had a great tomato salad, although I don’t remember the cornish game hen. It was probably too expensive for me!
pdx_yogi says
That was some funky area, but then again, the greater downtown was no great shakes 20-30 years ago.
The Vat? Eewww. Rude, pretentious, and imperious. Refused to serve tea. Really smoky if I recall well.
sidemeat says
Exactly why the vat was so great.
You asked for tea?!?
Marie probably threw your sorry butt out the door
I couldn’t see for all of the smoke
I recall hearing some mewling
way over at Hamburger Mary’s
was that you?
livetoeat says
I came to Portland from Seattle on business in 1988-1989. The Heathman had a great corporate room rate at the time. We enjoyed eating at the Heathman, but our favorite lunch spot was B. Moloch. It reminded us of some of the great little cafes that were popping up in the Seattle Downtown/Pike Place Market area at that time. We always went north of the Heathman to eat. One of our clients (Zell Bros) introduced us to Cafe Montmarte, we thought that was pretty good at the time.
By 1994 I was living in Washougal on 5 acres with 3 little children. I had the most amazing organic fruit and vegetable garden. If only fate would have brought Greg Higgins and I together at that time!
Interestingly enough, my oldest (who was born 1 week after I stayed at the Heathman on business for the last time)is living on his own with a friend who works at Higgins! It would be a lot of fun to get reminisce with Greg Higgins.