After discontinuing regular dinner service in October 2018, Park Kitchen has officially closed the doors. There are few Portland restaurants which I’d call “icons”, but this was one of them. The restaurant was one of the first in Portland that I truly loved. In its heyday, the food coming out of the kitchen was often the best in the city. The restaurant floundered in recent years but the nail in the coffin seems to have been lawsuits from ex-employees. Here is the announcement from owner Scott Dolich.
Park Kitchen has closed its doors after 15 magnificent years. We are extraordinarily grateful for the community which helped support us since 2003. Park Kitchen was much more than smartly sourced food and friendly service. We created great experiences for our guests. Many of our guests became close friends, returning to celebrate and share the events of their daily lives.
Our reputation was founded upon the now common practice of supporting a small number of local suppliers for our needs. Our connections to the farmers, ranchers, wineries, and foragers were the lifeblood of Park Kitchen. A very special ode of appreciation is due to Your Kitchen Garden in Canby for being the driving force behind our continuously evolving menu since May 20th, 2003.
We created many opportunities throughout the years to collaborate with our fellow chefs and suppliers to build fantastic experiences for our community. In addition to being a tremendous amount of fun, cooking with our friends and peers expanded our horizons far beyond what we would have imagined without their friendship.
Most of all, Park Kitchen is grateful for having the opportunity to work with and foster so many amazing culinarians. The numerous accolades, awards, and warm reviews Park Kitchen received were possible only through their hard work. Many Park Kitchen Alumni have gone on to contribute greatly to Portland’s food community. The legacy of our excellent cooks, chefs, dishwashers, managers, bar managers and servers will live far beyond Park Kitchen.
Thank you for sustaining us for 15 years
Scott
It’s a lovely space along the North Park Blocks. I wonder what will become of it.