Morgan has declared his “free agent” status, and will not be returning as chef at clarklewis. It will be interesting to see where he ends up.
I broke this story here this afternoon, but now The Oregonian has some more information.
During the implosion, Brownlow lost his 50 percent ownership, leading to a growing dispute with David Howitt, the venture capitalist who took over ownership last spring after infusing Clarklewis with enough money to regroup.
Howitt says he and Brownlow, 35, parted ways because of economic differences. “When I stepped in,” he says, “I said, ‘This is your place now. I don’t expect it to be a huge profit center. But I can’t come out of pocket every month to finance your dreams. He is a brilliant chef, a visionary for recipes and menu building. But he just wasn’t able to bring all of that into a model that could sustain from an economic perspective.”
“Yes, I paid the highest kitchen wages in town,” Brownlow says, “and I bought the best ingredients.” But Brownlow says he was not given all the numbers, and that there “were too many hands in the cookie jar” trying to run the show.
Rumor on the street: the restaurant has already slipped in quality. Time will tell.
Link to Oregonian article [link no longer valid]
Umami says
I have eaten at clarklewis from the moment it openned up. I ate their on nights when Morgan was in the kitchen, and nights when he wasn’t. I ate there right after MIchael left, and I was afriad it was going to close. I also have eaten there as recently as last week. The quality of the food has remained amazingly consistent. From working at a restaurant in my youth I know this is the challenge at every restaurant. I think clarklewis continue to produce the finest food in Portland. Who the hell is “word on the street” anyway. Go and find out for yourself.
love/hate says
I ate there last month, presumably after Morgan left, and the food was great. I am big Le Pigeon fan, but I thought the food was as good as it ever was. I am always skeptical about people knocking a place just because of changes at a restaurant. Restaurants are always in flux.
bluto says
I also ate at clarklewis after Brownlow left and our entrees, particularly the meats, were excellent. Someone has picked up where Morgan left off, and they haven’t missed a beat.
chowhound says
I have eaten at clarklewis several times over the past two months. The food is as good, if not better, then it ever has been. The only thing that seems different is that the staff seems happier, the atmosphere is more relaxed and people seem to be having more fun.
morgan says
ClarkLewis
will indeed continue to bring portland what it set out to do.
I have faith that every single employee or owner will strive to bring
the experience just as it was set out to be.
it’s in very very very good hands.
they know my mind, they know my thoughts on food.
run with it boys and girls!!!!
heck, I am even curious to what new level it will become.
apollo says
Do these sound like canned responses to anybody else (excluding Morgan’s, of course. Best of luck to you)? Reminds me of citysearch…
Food Dude says
Apollo: I thought the same thing, and did trace back the ip addresses and whatnot, and they seem to be legit. I guess I’ll have to get back there and try myself. On the other hand, I did get this comment on the clarklewis thread Dec 3rd:
Different strokes for different folks.
Dave J. says
Do these sound like canned responses to anybody else
Don’t recall the last time the first four posters on a thread were uniformly positive (or negative), and were all people who I don’t recall seeing here before…
bc says
I don’t think these are ‘canned’ responses at all. I believe there are a number of people who have enjoyed cl from the beginning and are voicing their opinion about the current situation.
Doesn’t it seem unfair to discredit a poster’s comment because they have not commented on a thread previously and they are being positive?
As a cl alum, I could not be happier that people are coming out to show their support for the staff and restaurant. I had dinner with my wife last night and the meal and service were great. The positive attitude permeates the entire space and is reflected in the food. It is different sans brownlow; subtle changes in the presentations and pairings that are reflective of alandt’s influence. I like the food, the staff, and I feel good about supporting a positive work environment by spending my money there.
And to be honest, there are people in the portland restaurant scene (workers, not foodies and writers) who have had less than positive experiences with brownlow and hebb and reflected some of that negativity on cl. I hope the first posters on this thread represent some of the positive energy being directed back on cl and a willingness to give them the benefit of the doubt without personal prejudices.
By the way, the taleggio toast with walnut pesto accompanied by a salad of radiccio, frisee, and apples was off the chain. So was the pork bolognese.
Entrees were prepared very well, although in my opinion, no grill cook at cl will ever be able to match the finesse and culinary prowess of a certain someone from the windy city (ahem).
Be honest about your opinions and experiences and stop in cl for some damn good food.
Food Dude says
Oh my… they must be paying staff to post ;)
Yes, I will be going back to update my review really soon.
a cook says
BC we at cl appreciate your support and thank you for your dedication to the cause!
I cook at clarklewis and have for far more than most and would like to say thank you for the support amongst the negativity that people have created around our fine restaurant. As long as I can remember, we as a collective group of employees, said that if we could only run this place…well now we do and I have to say there is an energy there that hasn’t been there since the first days!
Morgan, Micheal and Naomi created an amazing place, idea, concept, etc. but time proved that they had no plan for longevity, and as all good things with no backbone do, they collapsed. You have to understand that if this didn’t happen there would be no CL and all you fine people wouldn’t have us to enjoy our great food, talk about, or occasionally criticize.
We put our heart and soul into this place everyday to make sure that it doesn’t go away. We love food and our proud to be such a contributor to the food scene here. We want to continue the tradition of making beautiful food, drinking great wines, and enjoying life.
It has been a rough transition and a lot of making up for, but clarklewis will survive because the people that work there love what they do and have a passion for clarklewis. We can only hope that portland will support cl for what it is. It’s not rocket science, it’s just good food and good times!
As we say in the kitchen at CL-“It’s different here”
A cook
atlas says
circle the wagons
a cook says
dear food dude- do you ever say anything positive? Can you contribute something positive to our food industry? Just another person who thinks their opinion matters. sad!
a cook says
oh yeah- we will be on the edge of our seat waiting for your review. We all know how much your opinion matters! Boy, I sure hope we can please you…
Dave J. says
Doesn’t it seem unfair to discredit a poster’s comment because they have not commented on a thread previously and they are being positive?
Not discrediting them – new people post here all the time, which is great – as much as noting how odd it is that 4 people who have never before posted here would show up to this thread and post virtually the same opinion within a 4 hour period.
Meanwhile, isn’t it odd that Morgan (which I believe to be a legit post) posts and says how awesome the cooks and staff are, and then a bunch of alleged staffers post and say how great things will be now that Morgan has left. Those two things just don’t jibe, IMHO.
If I had to guess (and it’s no more than a guess) I’d say that certain people who are worried about their investments are exploring the exciting new field of internet sockpuppetry.
owner says
Thought I would quickly weigh in and provide a bit of commentary and context. We invested in Ripe a few years back because we believed that Michael, Morgan and Naomi had a great vision and a passion for creating something new, avant garde and fun. We new they would collectivley push the envelope as it related to what we eat and how we eat it. In short, we new it would be disruptive – a needed change to the status quo in dinning. They did that in spades. All drama aside, the founders group, have elevated and changed the restaurant experience on a national scale. We who live in Portland have benefited from their work and vision.
As the current owners, we have three simple goals: (1) keep the spirit, vision and energy of Clark thriving and continue to suprise the culinary world and our customers with a fantastic dining experience; (2) have the restaurant run in a way that is financially self-sustaining; and (3) run a business where all the staff, owerns and employees feel loved, honered and are pysched to come in and work. We could care less if clark is a major profit center for us. That is NOT our goal. We will never forsake or put at risk the three stated goals above in an effort to make money. That is not why we invested in the first place and that is not why we decided to step up and own Clark. What we will do is everything in our power to make sure that we accomplish our stated goals. However, having a restaurant that is at least self sustaining allows us to make improvements, and spend the money necessary to take Clark to the next level. We are commited to doing just that.
Morgan created the Clark brand. It is part of him. He would not have left if he did not believe that Ben and the entire staff was beyond up for the task. Morgan taught Ben well and Ben is excited and ready to take Clark to the next level. We stand commited. All that we ask is that you come in and check out the vibe and food. We are confident that you will not be let down. In fact, we suspect that you might just be very, very pleasently suprised.
David and Heather Howitt
atlas says
I’m not implying this to be what has happened with the situation at CL, but I think we have all seen a case such as this (exampled below) in many various kinds of business…
Business not going great, disgruntled yet positive underlings getting the ear of the boss (investors), said underlings seemingly having all the right answers (if only this or that were to happen), mainstay employees (old guard) being gently sabotaged via behind the back dissing by the underlings (new guard), continued difficulties had by the old gaurd eventually lead to the dismissal or walking of the old guard, and the new guard gets a new title/pay and the coveted responsibilities they are so sure they will be able to manage more effectively/better/smoother than those before them. Investors/bosses now give company one last injection of money/work to see if it can make a show of it.
I don’t presume to know any of the politics or inner working of CL, but I would say that a cooks post(s) did make me think of this famed scenario. That coupled with a two month old rumor and I stress “rumor” that CL was going to throw in the towel after the holidays… let’s just say the recent turn of events, and of what I know of the business structure of CL, definitely has me curious.
BTW comments 13 and 14 are funny in the way a train wreck is not
JDG says
Hey, “a cook”: That little screwed up yellow thing in FD’s Post #12 is a wink: i.e., he’s yanking your (collective) chain. Lighten up!
BobS says
Yeah, You eat, and then go for chiropractic care. Worst chairs in town. They don’t have to worry about reservations. People can’t wait to get out.
Food Dude says
BC: Don’t get too defensive. It is very common on the internet for people to try to ‘stack the deck’ for and against various causes. I frequently have competing restaurants write really nasty things in reviews of each other, and do my best to weed them out. With as many readers as we have, there are many with their own agendas. Hopefully I’m getting pretty good at spotting them, though I’m sure a few get by, and a few get deleted that are genuine. I try to err on the side of putting them through.
It is very unusual for so many like reviews/comments for one restaurant to be posted in such a short time. It set off my BS meter so I did lots of extra checking before letting them through. Obviously made other people wonder the same thing.
bc says
I hate to feel like I have to defend my post, but here it goes…
I am not currently on the staff of cl and have never made that claim. I did work there for 1 1/2 years, the last year as a sous chef. I left 5 months ago to pursue a career outside of the restaurant industry on my own accord.
It is interesting to me that many people who contribute to this site voice their opinions about events transpiring at a certain restaurant and attempt to analyze and discern “what is really going on” from an outsider’s perspective, but when someone who has intimate and personal knowledge of what is going on comments, they are highly criticized.
Do you really want to know the thoughts of the people involved, or are you content to make your own assumptions from afar and pat yourself on the back for being so insightful?
It is possible that I misinterpreted one of the goals of this site to gain true perspectives of a restaurant. But what better way to do that then hear from te people who experience it?
I have nothing to gain from my comments. I also have nothing to hide. I don’t care about burning bridges or impressing people. I am no longer in the industry.
I do care about giving the truth about an environment that I was a part of and giving credit where it is due. The staff at cl is great, they always have been. In my honest opinion, the situation there has improved.
So you can make your assumptions, and discredit posts, but you really have no basis for such arguments.
Aaron Clark-Rizzio says
I was the manager at clarklewis for two and half years. I helped open the restaurant with Michael, acting as his assitant manager and then became the general manager after the first year. I have not posted before but have followed this site quite closely over the years, especially in the aftermath of Michael’s departure.
I am writing because it upsets me to see my friends and former colleagues being cast as somehow ingenuine or desperate for defending a place they have worked very hard to create. The secret of clarklewis has been the incredible committment of the staff to the restaurant. If this feels like an effort to “circle the wagons,” that’s because it is. Not an orchestrated effort, but a genuine one. It is a self fullfilling prohpecy when people start to say that a restaurant is going to close.
You will notice that most people posting in support have fully disclosed their relationship with the restaurant. What I would encourage everyone to do is form your own opinion on clarklewis. Go and find out if you like it, or don’t. If you don’t like clarklewis, don’t eat there. Clarklewis doesn’t seem to be getting all of the ridiculous press we got in the first few years, the continued backlash seems spiteful.There is no need to tear down the popular guy, (Restaurant of the Year after three months?!) it deserved it at one time. That time is over. Just let it be a restaurant; not a symbol of its former owner’s folly.
I am fully off the payroll and 3000 miles away, but just wanted to weigh-in on this ever popular debate. I’m sure some part of this post will be cut and paste, ridiculed and disected.I hope it taken in the spirit that it is offered.
Aaron
Parsnip says
On that same note, I love my job at Clarklewis. I know that I and my fellow worker bees each hold ourselves to the same standards Morgan pounded (ouch!) into our heads, if not higher because of all the misinformation and doubt kicking about.
Do not assume you know what goes on at a restaurant. “Rumor on the street” eludes to a tabloidistic approach regarding a bunch of food makers who are merely dead set on keeping their forefathers ship afloat. Don’t punish the underlings and kick their name around before they’ve even had a chance to swallow what’s going on. I sometimes feel like a little kid lost in a park looking around and asking aloud, “Wh–wait, where’d everybody go??”
We all wanted to work with Morgan the brilliant artist, or we wouldn’t have put up with the daily tantrums and tirades that we did. It was never an easy task but bless his heart; he IS great and worth all the tears. Many great artists lack people, management, and general communication skills we all take for granted. C’est la vie. I have a hard time believing we are truly putting out the pathetic food some of you contributors seem to be aluding to. But yes, time will tell.
Poptartgrrl says
BobS, I’m with you. For the love of god, people, is it that difficult to get some comfortable chairs? I thought that a few months back, I heard/read a promise that new chairs were in the offering. And yet, everytime I drive by (which is every night) I see the same old hard, undersized chairs. I love ClarkLewis and think their food is fantastic, but the chairs suck. I hereby volunteer my services to help pick out some new ones.
Food Dude says
Welcome to all the new commenter’s (especially R.Nac) ;)
R.Nac says
My wife and I ate at cl 1.5 yrs ago when we first moved to Portland from San Francisco. We had an outstanding meal, superb service, and loved the vibe. I found GBT via this website (an oasis of restaraunt reviews for a newcomer to the area) and dined there prior to realizing the ripe connection, and visited it at least 2x per month until it closed. We stumbled onto Le Pigeon, had a tremendous meal, and then afterwards discovered the GBT roots of Rucker.
I am as bonkers about food as anyone who visits this site, and greatly value FD’s et al. reviews, as I they are as consistent with my views on food as any one can reasonably expect.
All the posturing, snide comments, self aggrandizement, supposed inside / outside analyses are pointless, soap-operatic, and detrimental to objective gustatory analysis of said restaraunt.
I only have this much more to say:
I can’t wait to re-dine at cl and see what I think.
I can’t wait for FD to review it and see what he thinks.
Everything else is verbal diarrhea.
-r.nac
Bernie Gehret says
I’m totally a foodie amatuer, so I’m coming from the basic restaurant attendee point of view. I’ve loved Supper Club and CL in the past, and LOVE the unique dining experiences I had there.
Call me a sheep, but with all the “demise of CL” postings going on here, I can’t wait to go back!
Hooray for restaurantuers who get “it” and have phenomenal service, atmosphere, AND great food! Why is that so hard to accomplish?
atlas says
R. Nac… you and your wife sound like big fans of Ripe and their offering. You loved CL on your first visit and subsequently discovered GBT via this site (but did not realize the affiliation?) and as a result of your first visit to GBT, as you mention, you dined there twice a month until it closed. You then stumble upon Le Pigeon and only later make the connection GBT… interesting, only because it displays a lack of awareness on your part.
Because as you clearly mention…you are bonkers about food and visit this site regularly, you find it an “oasis”… yet you were not aware of what not only this site covered but what was also covered in the print press. And I might add, in many instances, in an exhaustive manner. I suppose some of that must have slipped past your radar.
You seem upset that not everyone shares your fawning appreciation. You even seem upset that there is any discussion of it. Would you prefer FD disable comments?
Lastly, would you mind explaining to how discussion is in confliction with “objective gustatory analysis” I would argue the opposite and note that this site keeps it pretty clean, also that in the press and blogosphere, CL has enjoyed far more favorable comments and reviews than not.
I would guess they can handle a little speculation, comments of concern, comments of dissatisfaction, comments of glowing praise, and offerings such as yours, a comment intending to scold and dismiss other comments.
As for the presumed “demise of CL” postings going on here… out of 27 comments 18 are positive the remainder are discussion points with only a couple remarking on the age old gripe of the chair issue. Now bring up the Hebb in other postings and the wheels really spin but regarding a slew of anti-Cl postings here… it is just not the case.
R.Nac says
Wow, I normally wouldn’t engage in tit-for-tat, but I can’t resist since the above reply was so obviously a personal attack and a poorly crafted one at that, although we can all appreciate the passion put into the effort.
You loved CL on your first visit and subsequently discovered GBT via this site (but did not realize the affiliation?) and as a result of your first visit to GBT, as you mention, you dined there twice a month until it closed. You then stumble upon Le Pigeon and only later make the connection GBT… interesting, only because it displays a lack of awareness on your part.
…yet you were not aware of what not only this site covered but what was also covered in the print press. And I might add, in many instances, in an exhaustive manner. I suppose some of that must have slipped past your radar.
My awareness of the Portland restaurant business, or incredible lack thereof, has nothing to do with the food being discussed, and the above comments are essentially pointless and I asume were meant to be insulting to me. Nothing in my original post made any claims about local restaurant knowledge, or having a “radar,” so I am not sure what that was all about or what the relevance is to food.
You seem upset that not everyone shares your fawning appreciation. You even seem upset that there is any discussion of it. Would you prefer FD disable comments?
Hmm, hard to fathom that one. I don’t see anywhere in my post where I stump for the restaurants or the restaurant group, or decry any negative posts. And I really don’t see how my opinions on others comments constitute a tacit implication that FD should disable comments… Awful lot of conjecture going on here.
I would guess they can handle a little speculation, comments of concern, comments of dissatisfaction, comments of glowing praise, and offerings such as yours, a comment intending to scold and dismiss other comments.
I am still not sure how my post was interpreted as scolding and dismissive, and I do apologize if my point was missed or misconstrued. The goal was to point out that in the final analysis it is the food that counts, and that is a matter of taste both literally and figuratively. All the comments about what is going on behind the scenes are interesting and add context to the food, but it would be really interesting to see some detailed posts about the food by experienced, passionate posters such as atlas or by FD himself.
Thx for the comments!
-r.nac
rye says
Getting a little off track here, people? Don’t you have anything better to do with your time than waging petty wars with one another on portlandfoodanddrink? This is my first time posting as I’m more the cook than the writer. Sometimes it’s fun to peruse this website, but I’ve never really found anything inspiring or maddening enough to join in.
First, I would like to say that I am a great fan of cl and have been since it first opened. Been there quite a few times since M. left, and have found the food to be just as beautiful & delicious as always. I am happy to see that the cl employees are “circling the wagons”, as indeed they should be. They’ve obviously been working extremely hard to keep up the quality at cl, and they deserve a lot of credit for surviving the rocky environment (both before and after the exit of Morgan). Maybe the food isn’t PERFECT all the time, but what the hell is?
That said, my real reason for posting here is the following: I believe Morgan’s exit is good riddance. Thanks for the memories, but time to move on. No offense intended toward Morgan, really, but I’ve been in this industry for a long time, and it is well known that he is a brilliant chef, but a bit of the monster if you have to work for him. Several of the above posts have hinted at this fact (yours came the closest, parsnip, but do you REALLY believe he’s worth tears?) The man is a chef, not the dictator of a small country. Why should anybody have to put up with tantrums and tirades? Contrary to how I must sound, this isn’t a bash Morgan episode. I believe the restaurant industry in general needs to step up and stop accepting bad treatment of employees by people with big egos. Morgan can’t be blamed entirely for his behavior, because he’s been allowed to be who he is due to his abilities.
Sorry to those of you who are foodies and don’t work in the industry. I’m sure all of this doesn’t interest you as long as your lamb chops show up delicious and perfectly cooked. However, there is a whole side to the restaurant industry you’ll never see unless you’re in it. The people who provide your sustenance and service deserve to be treated with respect.
atlas says
Rye, nice contribution… especially with the comment
let’s hope that can extend that to all work enviroments
R. Nac,
All apologies if you perceived my post as a personal attack, however crafted… my intent was initially to ask the one question you left unanswered and I will admit I went astray only because I found your post to be questionable (still do)…
Again let me extend an apology to you and my apparent causing you to feel personally attacked because of my post. Honestly, I can tell you that a personal attack was the furthest thing from my mind, I felt rather that I was raising valid points and fodder for discussion.