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Thursday, January 28, 2010

Food This Week’s Mercury Food Section

Posted by Patrick Alan Coleman on Thu, Jan 28, 2010 at 2:39 PM

Before we begin, I wanted to mention Jezebel.com picked up our reporting on the Whole Foods “no fatties” policy. Much of the credit goes to the pie-fueled Matt Davis who hovered about and cajoled me enough to do some actual work for a change. Thanks.

Now then…

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This week’s Last Supper is one in a semi regular series I’m calling “Reheated,” wherein I stop worrying about Portland’s cutting-edge culinary establishments and get down with the hoi polloi in restaurants that have found their rhythm. These are the oft overlooked, the long-time favorites, or the forgotten gems.

While writing this week's column I became fascinated with the idea of “old” restaurants. The subject of the review, the Berlin Inn, has been around for 18 years, but there’s something about the place that makes it seem so much older. I chalked it up to the décor and the cuisine.

But there are other, older, restaurants around the city that continue to operate seemingly past their prime. It’s not that their cuisine has managed to transcend current food trends, it’s that they have somehow found a community of regulars who manage to keep the place chugging along.

I’m thinking in particular of a place on Powell Blvd., just east of the Berlin Inn, called The Original Taco House. The joint, one of three Original Taco Houses in the city, mystifies me. I’ve eaten their tacos before. In fact, the very first food review I ever wrote in my life was about the Original Taco House and the inevitable, horrible aftermath of a meal there. I don’t see how they’ve managed to stay open since the 1960's. The answer must lie in the fact the parking lot is consistently packed. Or it could be that they "blend seasonings for recipes that suit the discriminating tastes of our clientele."

I wonder if the city’s current crop of trendsetting restaurants will have the staying power of an Original Taco House or Berlin Inn. Do we see Foster Burger still churning out the patties in 2025? Bunk still innovating sammies in 2030? I’d like to think so.

What do you think, Blogtownies? What restaurants will carry on into old age? Why?

 

Comments (9) RSS

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1
Well, any place that sells a giant bowl of booze (with 18" straws!) for under $10 is bound to stay open forever.
Posted by mel on January 28, 2010 at 5:35 PM · Report
2
Thoughts on the food quality notwithstanding, Cup and Saucer will seemingly never die.
Posted by TSW on January 28, 2010 at 6:11 PM · Report
3
Original Taco House is the worst restaurant I've ever been to in Portland.
Posted by Graham on January 28, 2010 at 7:11 PM · Report
4
My wife and I had the same curiosity and ate at the one on 82nd a couple of years ago.

The food...bland and not that good. The guacamole was that weird green mayonnaise-ish sort of stuff.

The service was incredible though. I like chips and salsa, the waiter noticed I was hogging the chips and salsa so he brought me MY OWN!

We haven't been back and probably won't go back...there are so many better places to go in Portland.
Posted by humanclock on January 28, 2010 at 8:46 PM · Report
5
I'd like a story on Hotcake House.
Posted by ambrown on January 29, 2010 at 1:06 AM · Report
6
I've threatened my wife several times with doing a survey of all the old school dinner houses in Portland -- most of them out this way in east county. Places like The Pink Feather or Clyde's or The Kettle Inn or even Sayler's. I've never had the stomach for it. Hopefully you can find the gems and stick with those, rather than the inexplicable turds of continued popularity, like The Original Taco House. Afterall, I'd like you to live on.
Posted by extramsg on January 29, 2010 at 5:37 AM · Report
7
Nice idea, msg. Patrick, get on this. Please to be starting at that Spaghetti house(?) on Skidmore, half a block in from Interstate. I've driven by for years and it's seemingly always busy. A million blue-hairs can't all have poor taste, eh?
Posted by TSW on January 29, 2010 at 8:17 AM · Report
8
I'm thinking, at least in my neighborhood, that the stayers will be the Stone, Bay Leaf, Hedge House (and probably all the Lompoc spots), that sushi place on Gladstone and Dot's.

Places I really hope stick around: Thai Food Cafe on Killingsworth (they've got mad Thai competition on the street), the Los Gorditos restaurant (coming when?), Papa G's and Sweet Pea.
Posted by ($8239f8h248cerfehjf23@&*@ebdjhb23f237OCDBO#BD*(# on January 29, 2010 at 9:34 AM · Report
9
@Oregometry

The Los Gorditos restaurant is open! It's on the corner of 12th and Division.
Posted by Alison Hallett on January 29, 2010 at 10:06 AM · Report

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