Signature dishes included Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic, Duck with Blackberry Sauce, and Filet of Beef Tenderloin in Port Garlic Sauce, which was so popular with diners that Baker said he felt imprisoned by it. By the end of the 1990s, though, locations began closing as sales dropped off, and when Warren was killed in a 1999 plane crash, the Mouses fate was all but cast. O'Leary's. So we dug back into our photo and story archives to learn more about places like Hilaire's Encore, the Kitchen Kettle, Jolly Joan, and more. In the 1950s and 1960s, which American drive-in culture was at its peak, traffic would sometimes back up with cars waiting to get in. space later became Metrovino, and now is home to The Fields sports bar. But all those high-rise condos and apartments around The Fields Park hadn't been built yet, and diners proved scarce. There's panic a-brewing at the Carrousel Restaurant (formerly the Carnival) located at the foot of Oregon Health & Science University.Loyal . This tiny Northwest Thurman Street Spanish restaurant was one of the first Portland restaurants to serve tapas, which is everywhere these days. - Portland, Oregon 227-4244 P18953 Putnam's Living Color, 1819 SE Locust, Portland, OR . If you were driving on I-5 across Hayden Island, there was no way you could miss the massive Eat Now at Waddles sign, which featured an adorable baby duck wearing a bib. The building is scheduled be torn down to make way for a new county courthouse. On non-show nights, you could linger over a cone of great French fries and rustic country dishes like cassoulet, bouillabaisse and sauted sweetbreads. 30th Ave., 503-719-4373, gabbianospdx.com ($$$) Read more: Gabbiano's is the red sauce Italian restaurant Portland didn't . Tripadvisor rankings factor in the average rating and number of reviews. Southwest Portland's Hillsdale neighborhood has never had the concentration of ambitious restaurants that you find in other parts of town, but this wine-focused Italian kitchen ranked among the city's best during its seven-year run. And the best eateries leave us with wonderful memories of great meals and laughter that can last a lifetime. bottom line: a carnival of disappointmentsmore, Fish & ChipsScottishFood Trucks$$Southwest Portland, It's like a carnival mid-way or a mall-food court, except the food is about 50 times moremore, American (New)Breakfast & BrunchWine Bars$$Industrial District, The Coney island carnival style illuminated "MEAT" begs to be stolen and installed in my living roommore, SouthernBreakfast & BrunchSandwiches$$Alberta Arts District, Holy underwear muhfuggin uber fantasmic mouth carnivals!!! For 10 years, this downtown delicatessen, bakery and pizza spot was a popular pre-theater spot with the symphony crowd, drawn by affordable sandwiches and salads in a cheery two-level space featuring large paintings by 19th-century French caricaturist Colomb who signed his name backwards as B. Moloch. Customers could sit beside a waterfall that ran down the cliffs above, thanks to a large outdoor seating area. Before the Pearl District turned swanky in the late '90s, it was mostly home to warehouses. But the kitchen never entirely found its groove until chef Jake Martin and pastry chef Kristen Murray arrived in 2010, taking the menu to new heights. Portland's cocktail culture exploded in the late 1990s, and there was no place better to see how creative mixed drinks could be than this Northwest Portland martini lounge, where the air was always thick with cigar smoke (this was before Oregon's Indoor Clean Air Act took effect). The signature dish was Crab Juniper, which featured a mound of Dungeness crab, a piece of sole, doused in port-cream sauce and served piping hot. This Brooklyn neighborhood German restaurant was the place to go if you wanted sausages and schnitzel without a side order of singing waiters and Deutschland kitsch. We go out to eat when we need a taste of comfort after a hard day. Details: Gabbiano's serves dinner Wednesday to Sunday at 5411 N.E. After 21 years in business, it closed in 2013, becoming Brooklyn House Restaurant. But when chef Marco Shaw opened Fife in 2002, it finally had a destination restaurant. But Couvron struggled in the post-9/11 economic slump. When this venerable downtown restaurant closed in September, it ended a 45-year run. The attitude was (almost) worth putting up with, particularly if cassoulet was on the menu the hearty white-bean stew got its oomph from duck leg confit, pork shoulder and spicy sausage, all topped with browned bread crumbs. 1. Uncle Chen closed two years later after 17 years. Owners would later add outposts on Northeast Broadway and in Seattle. We're still hoping for a comeback. Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account. Owner Henry Ford greeted diners when they came in, and worked the dining room with know-the-regulars charm. Its now a womens athletic clothing store. Bima closed in early 2000, followed by a long list of forgettable spots (remember Terra? The space became a coffee shop, and now is Daruma, a sushi spot. Videos of cricket matches were played on the big screen, while bartenders whipped up batch after batch of strong mango margaritas. During this period (around 3 months) all we ate was a low quality, unclean food that's not worthmore. It closed in March, making way for the just-opened Headwaters Restaurant. It's now home to Greg and Gabrielle Quinonez Denton's SuperBite. The restaurant closed on New Year's Eve 2007, and Hurley focused on a restaurant in Seattle. The restaurant had indoor and out door seating. This popular lunch spot, which was open almost 25 years, took great pride in serving high-quality seafood and meat, particularly wild salmon and scallops, which were grilled to perfection and served over rice with crisp steamed veggies. But in the case of this cozy Spanish tapas den, which opened in 1995, there really was a Fernando owner Fernando Moreno. There are numerous McCormick & Schmick's seafood restaurants still operating across the country, but the once Portland-based chain is now owned by Landry's Inc. restaurant group. For years, the epitome of fine dining in Portland was this French restaurant, created by restaurateur Michael Vidor in 1969 on West Burnside, offering Northwest twists on traditional Gallic fare like wine-poached duck breast and a poached lemon cheesecake that developed a cult following. Owners Michael Hebb and Naomi Pomeroy (they called themselves "Hebberoy" while they were married), created a sleek dining room dominated by beehive-like private spaces made out of recycled old-growth timber. The restaurant was demolished after the city purchased the block to make room for the streetcar line connecting downtown to the South Waterfront District. When the restaurant closed in 2014, owner Holly Hart said her goal had been to create a feminist restaurant that could double as a gathering place for gays and lesbians that wasn't a bar. Here's a restaurant that pioneered the northern edge of the Pearl District a few years ahead of its time. With vintage booths and a cash register dating back to the 1920s, this felt like a restaurant caught in a happy time loop. Bombay Chaat House. This is a review for carnival restaurant in Portland, OR: "Wonderful service. was an upscale Mexican restaurant from the creators of the Northeast's popular Taqueria Nueve. Portland Gas & Coke Co. building. Others elevated our tastes and expectations. Sweetwaters served its last Rum Runner in 2002. The dining room had a lively vibe, and the dishes coming from the open kitchen included flavors of Spain, Portugal, Greece and Morocco in addition to the expected Italian fare. What did people search for similar to carnival restaurant near Portland, OR? The Monte Carlo on Belmont! Wedged between higher-profile Caffe Mingo and Serratto, this long-running Northwest 21st Avenue Italian place, which opened in 1996, was sometimes overlooked. Local musicians like guitarist Dan Balmer and singer Nancy King had regular gigs here, and luminaries of the national jazz scene, like Dexter Gordon and Art Blakey, performed here. All locations closed abruptly in 2012. Dominating the dining room were prints from Andy Warhol's wildlife series. A 2009 electrical fire in a space next to the restaurant forced Sel Gris to close for good. Owner Ricardo Segura paired hard-to-find Spanish wines with more than 40 savory and sweet small bites, like herb-roasted potatoes and lamb skewers. Salt & Straw Ice Cream. ), before settling in as Brix Tavern. This kitschy Chinese restaurant called the Hollywood District home for 68 years. In the 1980s, this Northwest 21st Italian spot was the place for homey fettuccine alfredo and chicken linguine. JK Gill's. Those drinks helped tame the fire of the spicy fare (if you ordered hotter than medium, and youd get glares from your waiter), like coconut curry with prawns, a tandoori mixed grill, and lamb vindaloo. The company's filing status is listed as Inactive and its File Number is 118340-17. CLOSED. The menu was filled with soul food staples like fried catfish and chicken, red beans and rice, sweet yams and cornbread muffins. Dishes reflected the neighborhood's funkiness: salt-and-pepper calamari, pan-roasted chicken with mashed potatoes, and a Thai flatiron steak with sticky rice. At first, this was just a coffee and cookie company, but evolved into a lunch and dinner spot, featuring approachable fare like halibut tacos and duck quesadillas. Redwood 408 American (Traditional) Cocktail Bars $$Montavilla "My friend had the scramble he enjoyed it as well. JK Gill's. Open in Google Maps. After seven years, Compass closed in early 2003, making way for Apizza Scholls. Rose's first opened in 1956 in the space that now houses Restoration Hardware. In 2004, he abruptly closed the restaurant, along with next-doors sister restaurant Buckman Bistro. The D.F. Charcoal broiled hamburgers up to 12 pound! A lovely, fresh and accommodating menu, thoughtful and attentive service, and reasonable prices, plus bonus points for their own small parkingmore, Bay shrimp on the Louie Salad tasted like it had been plucked fresh out of the ocean and onto my plate. It closed in 2014 after 35 years (or more, if you count Fong Chongs original incarnation as a grocery before becoming a restaurant in 1979). After 15 years, it closed in late 2013, making way for Bellino Trattoria Siciliano. It closed in 2008, later becoming the Pope House Bourbon Lounge. At the same time, the cocktails from the bar became some of the citys best, spawning a popular happy hour scene. People also searched for these in Portland: See more carnival restaurant in Portland. Farrell passed away in 2015 at age 87. The small but focused menu featured upscale bar fare, but food was hardly the point. But the real stars were the 18 types of pasta, including lemony spaghetti with seared scallops and homemade ravioli. The original Vat closed in 1997, and the building was torn down so the Fox Tower could be built. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). This was a place to go when you were dressed up and ready to be seen. Meals became less reliable after several chef changes, but the bar remained a vital part of the city's jazz scene, with live music most nights, including a standing gig by the late Leroy Vinnegar, the grandfather of the walking bass. If you couldnt decide on one, you could order a sampling of noodles, chosen by the chef and served with great ritual to the entire table. WELCOME TO OUR CASA We created the space with an acute attention to detail, from our intimate booths which are perfect for date night, to our custom stained glass sconces which create a warm and inviting space to share a drink. Opened in 1959, Poor Richards became known for two-for-the-price-of-one dinner specials, a deal that started in the 1970s that became the restaurants calling card. Despite service that was notoriously surly, the caf became popular, particularly as the lower end of east Burnside became a popular nightlife area. But the memory of those revelatory first bites of Bo Klines cooking in the 90s remains vivid and deeply satisfying. The Northwest Kearney space is now Caf Nell. The City, I'm glad you put Coney Island on the list--so many people only stay in Manhattan and don't visit the other boroughs! Foursquare. Growth came quickly, and the chain eventually expanded to 23 locations throughout the Northwest. Even restaurants with unbelievable staying power eventually run out of gas. Wildwood closed in 2014, and the space at Northwest 21st and Overton has sat empty ever since. By Caryn B. Brooks July 08, 2003 at 5:00 pm PDT. Some of these places dated back to the 1930s, and sounded incredible. But the restaurant morphed from a dependable neighborhood eatery into a bustling bar scene in the early '90s, and the kitchen lost its way. Back in the 1980s, this Italian restaurant was one of the anchor businesses at the Water Tower at Johns Landing, an innovative shopping center and office complex that opened in a renovated furniture factory. But the spell didnt last. Zefiro was The Oregonian's 1991 Restaurant of the Year, and it continued producing remarkable meals until closing in 2000. Like nearby Henry Thiele Restaurant, this longtime New York-style delicatessen called Northwest 23rd Avenue home long before it became a trendy shopping district. Music, Performing Arts, Readings & Talks. Address: 6424 SE Powell Blvd, Portland, OR 97206. To find out, Stacker turned to Tripadvisor to compile a list of the highest-rated Mexican restaurants in Portland, Oregon. When this cozy French restaurant from chef Anthony Demes opened in 1995 in Goose Hollow, it was difficult to get to, thanks to ongoing construction of the Westside MAX tracks. The Monte Carlo on Belmont! Birthday parties welcome. Weekend brunches focused on skillet scrambles featuring things like homemade veal sausage. D.F. But controversy was always on the menu. Tasty memories: 97 long-gone Portland restaurants we wish were still around. Adding a business to Yelp is always free. We celebrate milestones like birthdays and anniversaries there. Zefiro's burger was considered the best in town. Trader Vics returned in 2011, reopening in a large Pearl District space, with blazing tiki torches burning outside. Vivid? Two years later, the original closed, too. $31 to $50. But it was much more, thanks to genial owner Kevin Cobb, who curated the pastry case and worked small miracles in a limited kitchen. Great for happy hour. When we asked readers which closed Portland restaurants they missed the most earlier this year, a surprising number nominated The Carnival, a family-owned burger and shakes place that ran from 1950 to 2000. Bechard went on to open McMinnville's acclaimed Thistle (and achieved notoriety over a fist fight over the provenance of a pig), and the space is now the Irish pub T.C. CARNIVAL RESTAURANT, INC. OREGON DOMESTIC BUSINESS CORPORATION: WRITE REVIEW: Address: 2805 Sw Sam Jackson Pk Rd Portland, OR 97201: Registered Agent: Ralph H Inman: Filing Date: December 10, 1976: File Number: 118340-17: Contact Us About The Company Profile For Carnival Restaurant, Inc. After closing in 2003, Demes reopened Couvron in New York City the following year, though it didnt last long. This creative Mexican spot opened in 1986, next to Northwest Portland's Cinema 21, making it the perfect place to grab a bite after seeing the latest arthouse flick. Southpark Seafood is a chic Northwest eatery featuring sustainable seafood and farm-fresh ingredients. !gimme gimme all day everrrday ]more, It was that unmistakable carnival-style sound that France is known for.more, Perfect amount of food to share amongst friends to have a carnival of tastes all across themore, like stubby cigars, with a batter that reminded me of childhood treats at the summer carnival.more, Fast FoodDelisSandwichesSouthwest Portland, My husband and I tried this place for the first time yesterday and we asked ourselves why we waited so long! Shaw had been cooking at Oba and Tuscany Grill, but having his own place allowed him to cook farm-to-table fare where farmers were treated as creative partners. This ambitious restaurant from chef Daniel Mondok, which opened in 2007, was too good to be true. The wine list offered Italian vintages not found elsewhere, and the vibe was spiffy without being stuffy, making it popular with regulars. What are people saying about carnival restaurant near Portland, OR? But labor and lease disputes damaged the restaurants reputation, and newer street-style Thai restaurants started to get more buzz. ORDER ONLINE HERE. The space is now home to Amili. Closure seemed imminent until a new chef was brought in, and pushed the food into the stratosphere. Before the soon-to-close Macys was remodeled in 2006 to make way for the Nines Hotel, its top floor was home to the Georgian Room, a stately restaurant on the 10th floor of the Meier & Frank department store. It closed in 2007, and Bar Mingo opened the following year. Crowds would begin lining up early for burgers and fries, grilled sandwiches, homemade pie and legendary cheesecake, and the clientele included a mix of neighborhood residents and noteworthy regulars, like several Portland Trail Blazers and the late Oregon Symphony conductor James DePreist. Brothers Rob and Bruce Burns ran a company that was known for truck-stop restaurants, and in 1978 opened a fancy New Orleans spot in the historic Barber Block building on Southeast Grand Avenue. Carnival Drive In Print, Portland Oregon Photo, Color print from original 1959 negative, Roadside Restaurant Photo, Portland West Hills $25.00+ Low in stock Size Add to cart Star Seller. Genoa was known for seven-course menus, served in a dark setting that evoked a Florentine palace, and the meals could last an entire evening. The menu focused on Northern Italian dishes, heavy on cream sauce, and the minestrone and classic Caesar salad were customer favorites. For 35 years, this Chinese restaurant in downtowns Morgans Alley was the place for hot-and-spicy fare served with flare, like the Dragon and the Phoenix, a dish combining crab and chicken, served with delicate flowers sculpted from apples and cucumbers. But bad first impressions can be hard to fix, and Ten 01 closed at the end of 2010. The menu was pure Americana -- chicken pie, bacon and blue-cheese burgers, chocolate cake, and peanut butter pie. This Northwest Portland restaurant helped pioneer the farm-to-table dining movement in the early 1990s by emphasizing regional and seasonal ingredients, prepared with the utmost of care. Dishes included a hearty beef short rib goulash, and sauerkraut-covered sausages. Diners couldnt get enough of the oven-roasted mussels with saffron and tomato. Isn't the best part about huevos rancheros sopping up all the goodies from the sauce and egg? At its peak in the mid-'90s, under then-wunderkind chef Mark Gould, the kitchen served towering constructions of food this was the era of architectural cuisine with hints of Asia running throughout. Another favorite: mussels steamed in a garlicky wine broth. As Portland has grown, the restaurant scene has exploded, with a daunting number of excellent, award-winning spots to choose from. Paul closed his last location in 1998. The menus stars were omelets, like Green Eggs and Ham, a pesto-egg scramble filled with Black Forest ham. There was absolutely no fear of butter and cream at this all-seafood French restaurant in Northeast's Beaumont neighborhood, which was considered one of Portland's best restaurant in the 1980s and '90s. Little Wing's last flight was in early 2006, after a 13-year run. All rights reserved (About Us). The cooking was sometimes rocky, but when the kitchen was on, you could count on wood-grilled skewers with creamy grits, pecan-crusted catfish and chocolate-espresso pecan pie pure Southern comfort. Owner and pitmaster Jewel Thomas first grilled ribs in the late 1980s on North Williams Avenue, before moving the business to Northeast Russell Street. Things would really heat up late at night, when the romantic setting and Latin dancing drew big crowds. An exciting rush fills my head every time.more, My wife and I came to the united states on December 20th, 2018. Nueva food trucks Mexican delicious tacos burritos quesadillas empanadas flautas sopas masos paellas sopes tlacollomore, Bay shrimp on the Louie Salad tasted like it had been plucked fresh out of the ocean and onto my plate. The restaurant closed in 2013, and the building became a childcare center. The bar was home to "social hour" their version of a happy hour, when it could be tough to score a table. But which incarnation of The Crab Bowl? Chen would later open two additional restaurants in downtown Portland and Beaverton. The sister restaurant Pizza Luna followed next door, and served some of Portland's finest pies at the time. The menu featured modern takes on French classics, and the cooking was so good the restaurant was named The Oregonians 2008 Rising Star of the Year. The restaurant was known for inventive salads, Szechwan noodles, and Black Angus chocolate cookies. After closing, the tucked-away space on Northwest Kearney became Hurley's, and now is Caf Nell. Piluso's was a 1950s Italian restaurant at Southwest 30th Avenue and Barbur Boulevard, where meals were punctuated with a glamorous nightly water show featuring synchronized swimmers. The restaurant's name came from a 1940s song that romanticized Hawaii. JOE Posted by: Joecook46 | March 29, 2012 at 10:14 AM JOEL, I HAD MANY CARNIVAL BURGERS AND LOVED THEM ALL, HAD A FEW Heres another restaurant that readers said they were still clamoring for when we asked which dining spots they wished were still around. More information Carnival Restaurant, Portland, OR In September, downtown's Veritable Quandary closed after 45 years. The space is now home to Park Avenue Fine Wines and Bardot wine bar. For 41 years, comfort food reigned at this popular Alameda neighborhood restaurant. But drive-in restaurants (along with drive-in movie theaters) faded in the 70s, and the last Yaws closed in 1982. At the original location on Southwest First Avenue, waiters wore white coats and served pristine seafood, while the stately bar made a perfect after-work gathering place. Joe Esparza didn't want to open up just another Mexican restaurant. On warm nights, you could dine in the beautiful outdoor garden. Enjoy your order of the Man Platter, sir. They may want to rethink potato pancake? Restaurants are special places. Heres a long-running restaurant with an unlikely origin story. Acclaim for Wildwood quickly followed: In 1995, the restaurant was named The Oregonians Restaurant of the Year; and in 1998, Schreiber won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Pacific Northwest. HOURS. The Carousel Restaurant stood in the canyon on Terwillger Blvd for some 50 or so years. TAKE-OUT. Shaw closed Fife in 2009 and relocated to Durham, N.C. Some diners didn't like the lack of authenticity "There's not much roux at Roux," one famously complained and after a brisk first year of business, Blythe quit. The last burgers were served in 2005, when the Broiler closed following a lease dispute. Over the years, Genoa was home to numerous prominent chefs, including Jerry Huisinga of Bar Mingo and John Taboada of Navarre. The restaurant was sold in 1990 to a developer, and the white stucco building with the red tile roof was demolished in 1992, making way for shops called Thiele Square in honor of the restaurant. Did we forget your favorite restaurant from yesteryear? Both sister restaurants closed in 2008, though Taqueria Nueve reopened in 2014 in a new location. This funky caf, which took its name from a Jimi Hendrix song, was witness to the Pearl District's transformation from mostly warehouses to swanky restaurants, shops and condos. Perhaps the proper label for the cuisine was dishes the chef really likes.. Website: Namaste Indian Cuisine. The lounge called the Almanac Room became popular in the 1990s with grunge rockers, who came here for inexpensive, stiff drinks and a liberal smoking policy. KILLER BURGER AT 47th AND SANDY 3. Owners Bill Lockner and Virlis Kikel filled the dining room with old car memorabilia vintage hubcaps, hood ornaments and fenders were everywhere. The attention to detail earned her a James Beard nomination. Long before Southeast Division Street became one of Portlands busiest restaurant districts, it was home to this inventive fusion restaurant, which ran from the late 1970s until 1999. After Zefiro, Israel created Grner, Siu founded Castagna, and Carey opened several restaurants, most notably Bluehour. First opened in 1959, it served Fog Cutters and Mai Tais along with a mix of Polynesian and continental fare for 37 years before closing in 1996.