Portland Food and Drink

Restaurant News and Information For Portland Oregon Area Restaurants and Bars

How Not to Open a Restaurant – Terroir in Portland

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I’ve had better hors d’oeuvre at Radisson and Holiday Inn Convention Centers near suburban airports, than was served at Terroir the other night.

The new Portland restaurant Terroir, has some of the worst food I’ve experienced in some time. If their opening is any indication of what the kitchen is going to pull off on a regular basis, they really are in trouble.  In addition, the cans of RockStar Energy Drink that were everywhere were beyond tacky in a restaurant that has been working hard to build an image of fine dining.

The invite specified “Chef and Owner Stu Stein is preparing special appetizers for the evening, paired with Maryhill wines”. Here are the results of his hours in the kitchen:

  • Gooey lamb served in inedible, thick as cardboard, pastry boats
  • A “cold pea soup” shooter that tasted like lukewarm green salt water with a couple of sad peas and chives floating in it.
  • A cold polenta cube with a slice of rabbit terrine, or sausage,or something. We don’t know what because it tasted sour, as in rancid sour. We spit it out in our napkins
  • Pieces of bread with chunks of Oregon Blue cheese on the side. That sure takes technique and imagination to pull off. In addition, there weren’t any toothpicks or anything, so one had to pick up gooey stuck together cheese pieces with your fingers. Why is it someone always wants to shake my hand at these things?
  • A salmon and crab roll that was pretty good.
  • Some nice little square caramel with fleur de sel.

Overall however, it was pretty lame, and half assed. As a benefit for Mercy Corps, I can understand being a bit understated in order to focus on the “cause.” But ½ the food wasn’t even made or put together; it was nothing more than just sliced and spread, or not even that. The cheese board for example was a table with a few cheeses and some sliced bread. I mean, for free I could just go up the street and eat the samples at Wild Oats.

Pre-openings are a chance for a restaurant to show what they are made of, to make special little things that will wow their diners and hook potential future customers to come back. Nothing and I mean nothing at Terroir showed me that Stu Stein and his wife Mary Hines can cook, that they want to cook, nor that they even care about their food or their customers. I’ll go back when they finally open to the public, but if the the food at this gathering was any indication of future quality, this will be an easy review. (The restaurants at the two extremes are easy, it’s the ones right in the middle that are difficult to write.)

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Food Dude says

    I could go on and on about Terroir’s opening night, but I’ll leave it to others. Let’s just say the Rockstar Energy Drink fit the timbre of the restaurant.

    It was the new SUSTAINABLE Rockstar drink!

  4. Cuisine Bonne Femme says

    Wow, you mean “Fascism Cola” was served at Terroir’s pre-opening? And wasn’t the event a benefit for Mercy Corps NW?

    What exactly was Stu Stein thinking? That truly is a terror.

  5. foodrebel says

    I’m in France, eating great food (Troisgros tonight…) and laughing my butt off at all your comments!
    Its so funny reading those menus while traveling…Particulary “Chef” Stein, does he really know what Terroir means or he found the name in a foodie dictionnary?
    Ahhhhhh…Portland!

  6. Nikos says

    The Troisgros Restaurant website has a recipe for “Thai vinaigrette” on their opening page. It seems even the french are tired of their same old, same old

  9. Food Dude says

    Come to think of it, there are some STRONG SIMILARITIES in the format of c l a r k lewis and Terroir menu layout (I try to preserve them as much as I can). The difference is the spelling on the Terroir menu is atrocious.

  10. amoureuse says

    I dont know “Chef” Stu, and I havent eaten his food. But the relationship between organic/sustainable and Rockstar energy drink reminds me of John Daly ( pro golfer ) and how he used to wear endorsements on his golf shirts of Dunkin Doughnuts, Hooters and Trim Spa on the same shirt.
    Organic/sustainable is a real commitment, to sell out so soon ( to Rockstar ) for promotional dollars is bizzare. If Stu were smart he would have gone to Odwalla ( coke money ) for promtional dollars.

  11. Foodrebel says

    FD:
    Wish you were here, truly! BTW, I really enjoy your humour…
    When you see “Chef Stew (sorry, Stu) tell him the “Mean Drunk” says hello, he’ll get it!

    Nikos:
    IF you were here, you’d see that French cuisine has always been inspired by other cuisines. Look at the Escoffier (f you know what that is) and check out all the recipes inspired by others, starting by the Lamb Curry. Please, know your subject before you talk about it!
    Oh, excuse me, I need to get ready to go eat my “Thai Vinaigrette”

  12. Cuisine Bonne Femme says

    Rockstar is a right-wing company owned by the son of the controversial (some say hate mongering) right-wing radio/TV host and author, Michael Savage; where Rockstar has often been his main advertising sponsor. You know Savage is the guy who was “let go” from MSNBC for saying things about immigrants such as,

    “”you open the door to them, and the next thing you know, they are defecating on your country and breeding out of control.”

    (source: workingforchange.com). Shared coincidence, Chef Stein also got “let go” from his Jefferson Public Radio job in Southern Oregon.

    The sad irony is that the Terroir pre-opening party was a benefit for a local Mercy Corps Immigrant Farm Program, yet Terroir had an anti-immigrant, right-wing, and no-doubt anti-organic company sponsor it by providing free beverages.

    What was Stein thinking?

  13. Mostly Running. says

    He must have been looking for a company that would sponsor “plagiarism” and found one instead that sponsors “pugilism.”

    MR

  14. sidemeat says

    Foodrebel,
    So, your in France, visiting internet cafes so you can blog in Portland?
    Have you tried L’Mac Grande yet?
    Tres chic.

  15. biabub says

    how brilliant is this chef stu guy to open a ‘high-end, we make color posters of our food to hang in the window, hideous etched glass, out-of-control with 1000 ingredient menu’ restaurant on MLK? we all abbreviate the streetname, but let’s not forgot this is Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd! Not to mention there is no parking on MLK and his right-wing constituency ain’t gonna park their jag in the ‘hood and walk 3 blocks to this joint. i was actually planning to go eat there just to confirm it was as awful as the decor and menu are indicating it to be, but given the Rockstar sponsorship – a drink that even New Seasons refuses to carry because of Savage’s ownership – i will take a big pass on spending my dining dollars here. best of luck to this one. my pick for the first new restaurant of 2007 to close by christmas!

  19. Nikos says

    Oh, do tell foodrebel, how is the food in France, it is so difficult these days to get there and try it for ourselves. Also, enlighten me about Escoffier, I also heard there’s another one out there, what’s her name, Julia Child, not sure, me being so clueless about food…oh wise one. Are you serious?

    I just cannot stand the condescending attitude “I am in France eating great food and scoffing at your discussions back there in poor Portland with it’s inferior food scene”. Excusez nous if we offended your outdated idea of La Belle France. Which I love, and her food , by the way. I just cannot stand the (political) implication that all other food scenes will forever be inferior to that of La Metropole…

  20. sidemeat says

    The bestest thing about going to France is that, for six months, you can start all of you comments with “while I was in France…”

  21. Kevin says

    As Terroir’s [already wildly forwarded around the country, to great amusement] website states:

    “Wine writer Matt Kramer poetically described ‘terroir’ as ‘somewhere-ness.'”

    Cuisine Bonne Femme, you seem to be that bane of all good Portlanders: a “hater.” Worse yet, you seem to be lacking a certain somewhere-ness that makes me question your sustainability.

    I think a can of ROCKSTAR brand Energy Drink, the “most unique” product of its kind, would do you good.

  23. sidemeat says

    People still go to Barcelona? Did you win tickets at a Mexican game show or something? Have to admit tho… I do like their loungers.

  24. Joisey says

    After hearing about the plagiarism issues,I was sure I’d be taking a pass on this place. However, now that I see all you bleeding hearts in a tizzy about the Rockstar connection, I may have to go spend some money there.

  25. atlas says

    Has anybody else read some of Chef Stu Steins recent blog postings?

    http://www.rimag.com/blog-stu-stein/archive.asp

    I find the blogging to be very curious. I am actually somewhat speechless, it kind of reminds me of the confusion and awe I felt when that pirate vegan place was opening. I think the template he is trying to create or rather has created would be better realized in Lake Oswego, Tualitin, or even the restaurant laden Alberta than on the corner of MLK and Fremont across the corner from a gas and sip.

  26. Cuisine Bonne Femme says

    Well Kevin when I was in France last year, eating delicious, but of questionable origin five euro kebabs and drinking French Canadian Pepsi on the merde covered sidewalks of Belleville, I would just whiff and take in the exhaust from a hundred motor scooters, piss from the prostitutes who wandered over from Pigalle, and the essential terroir of the remains of a thousand terriers.

    “Ah,” I thought to myself, “what those Provencal Portlanders need is a better sense of some-whereness, a more real taste of place, like you get in the great cities of Europe”

    How lucky for us, that Terroir is now on MLK Blvd.

  27. Jo says

    Rockstar Energy Drink conflict of political interests and crazy-ass pretentions aside, let’s get to the point…How did the food (4-5 different tidbit nibbles) taste? I’ll tell ya: Let me just say: TER-WHAAAAA? The only edible item (apart from some good stinky, runny cheese, but they can hardly take credit for that) was some kind of smoked salmon/crab roll. I’d describe the rest, but I’m about to eat dinner.
    It is never my wish for others to fail, but man ALIVE, if that party was any indication of what to expect, I’m scared for them.

  29. Food Dude says

    I added some notes from the Mercy Corps dinner at the end of this entry. Just saying.

  30. Chambolle says

    I don’t know if I was more freaked out by the description of the Mercy walkaround or by the prices on the Clarklewis menu. The posted Terroir menu actually looks more interesting to me (and much more affordable), but execution is, um, important.

  31. Food Dude says

    I was just looking over a bunch of menus and was thinking the same thing. A year ago, it was rare to see prices in the $30’s, now it is getting pretty common. I guess someone has to pay for these multi-million dollar build-outs.

    Sadly, places like Toro Bravo, Biwa, etc, show that ambiance isn’t incredibly important. Serve good food at reasonable prices and the people will come.

  32. Papaki says

    I’ve been thinking that Portland restaurants are kind of pricey — until I visited Las Vegas last weekend. Now I think: Wow, I can’t believe how cheap it is to dine out here. That $37 clarklewis ribeye would be going for $48 in any of the better-known Vegas strip restaurants. I saw lamb entrees priced at $65. Oh, and by the way, the menu at Bradley Ogden in Caesar’s Palace was highlighting “slow-cooked Oregon salmon.”

    One thing is starting to bother me a bit about all the menus posted here: They all look good, but they’re all the same. Every restaurant seems to offer pretty much the same six entrees, from the same suppliers and everything: Draper Valley chicken, Carlton Farms pork chops, Strawberry Mountain beef, halibut, salmon, rabbit, and maybe one or two others. Come on, all you artisans in the kitchen. Can someone show a little originality, please?

  33. Chambolle says

    Things in LV should be more expensive; they’re in the desert. There’s not much food of any kind that simply occurs there – much less the way that they love to play around with water (fountains, waterfalls, etc.) that’s a little disturbing. Gotta love the hubris, I guess.

  34. Sir Loins says

    Well, Papaki, I think Portland and Vegas aren’t comparable restaurant-wise, or in most any other way, either. Everything in Vegas is about spectacle, showmanship, and entertainment. The old all-you-can-eat buffets are pretty much history; it’s been all about high-priced dining “experiences” for a long time now.

    I wouldn’t call clarklewis’s $37 rib eye “cheap” whether the restaurant was in PDX or not. That said, I’ve found precious few of the upscale, fine-dining experiences I’ve had to have been worth the price, including clarklewis in its previous, slightly lower-priced incarnation.

    I have to say that I pretty much agree with your second paragraph, though.

  35. reflexblue says

    Portland restaurants are more expensive than San Francisco and Los Angeles, in general. It’s as if the sales tax you pay in California is rolled in the price in Portland.

    BTW, I was in Whistler getting married in February and was really impressed with the restaurants. The prices were very reasonable, too.
    elements is one example:
    http://www.wildwoodrestaurants.ca/htm/pbistro.html

  36. Dave J. says

    Portland restaurants are more expensive than San Francisco and Los Angeles, in general. It’s as if the sales tax you pay in California is rolled in the price in Portland.

    “In general” doesn’t work for such a statement. The question is, are Portland’s restaurants more expensive than their equivalents in L.A./S.F. And having eaten in all three cities, I’d have to say, no way. I think you’d probably end up paying 25%-33% more for the same quality meal in SF that you pay in Portland, but maybe that’s just me.

  39. Food Dude says

    I’ve recently had several friends here from San Francisco, who were saying what a great deal restaurants are here. Same with the east coast.

  40. pederson says

    I think there’s more well-priced food to be had in San Francisco, but that’s only because it’s a bigger city–plus the bar is set a lot higher for establishments. A lot of the newer places in Portland are pretty accessable. Whiskey Soda Lounge, Toro Bravo, Le Pigeon and other spots are bargains considering what you get for the money. Until very recently, nothing at Le Pigeon topped $20.

    I find a few places a bit overpriced–like Rocket. Overall, you can eat well in Portland without feeling too abused.

  41. truth says

    I find a few places a bit overpriced–like Rocket. Overall, you can eat well in Portland without feeling too abused.

    Luckily, I very rarely feel like i’m overpaying for a meal in Portland, but I did feel a bit jipped at Rocket. $14 for the gnocchi/mushroom appetizer (it was miniscule) and $20 for some pork shoulder with 2 mini potatoes and 4 pinky sized carrots just wasn’t doing it for me. I don’t usually care about portion size either, but it was noticeably small there. It also irks me that lots of joints have jumped up to $8 for every cocktail too!

    Ps. food dude – the answers.com clickypops are terribly annoying! i hope you are getting some rocket money from them at least

  43. PJ says

    I recieved an evite to the June 1st open house. Curious as I was, I chose not to attend, mostly because of his personal blog (mentioned by “Atlas” in a previous response) in Restaurant & Institutions Magazine http://www.rimag.com/blog-stu-stien/archive.asp which to me came across as Rockstar Egotistical. I think his decision to serve Rockstar Energy Drink might have been somewhat parallel to his own view of himself.