There have been a couple of notable openings this month in Portland:
The Late Chef Naomi Pomeroy’s Restaurant Opened
When she died, Chef Naomi Pomeroy was working to open a restaurant named L’Échelle. Last week the French bistro opened its doors after her business partner Luke Dirks and her family agreed to bring the project to fruition. It begins as a popup and will evolve into a more formal restaurant over time. [Eater Portland]
Parallel Wine Bar Opens
Parallel Wine Bar, which opened earlier this month on Northeast Sandy, began as a popup in 2016. Sommelier Stacey Gibson once worked trying to pair wines to the spicy and quixotic dishes at New York’s Má Pêche (part of David Chang’s Momofuku empire). Now the food is paired with her wine selections. [Portland Monthly]
National Recognition Boosted Local Pizza Shops
Hapa Pizza made a New York Times list of the country’s best pizza. Grana Pizza Napoletana and Ken’s Artisan Pizza were on the Top Pizza U.S. list. After their honors, the owners have all seen a crush of customers — and sought support from one another as they work to meet the new demands. [OPB]
Longstanding Portland Winery Is Struggling
Since 1999, Hip Chicks do Wine has been making wine fun, approachable, and welcoming. But the owners Laurie Lewis and Renee Neely are now struggling to keep their Portland winery open. The business may be affected by the number of tourists visiting Portland and an increase in competition. [Oregonian]
- Related: Hip Chicks do Wine has a GoFundMe underway.
