PIE DREAMS: The pizza prospects for Portland’s west side are looking up: The
old Rocco’s building on West Burnside Street and 10th Avenue is being
transformed into the second outpost of eastside late-night slice joint
Sizzle Pie; Nostrana’s Cathy Whims and Aviation Gin founder Ryan Magarian are teaming up for a new pizza and cocktail restaurant called Oven & Shaker in the Pearl; and the local outpost of Seattle’s Via Tribunali is slated finally to open its doors at Southwest 2nd Avenue and Ankeny Street sometime in July.
CHEF SHUFFLE: Former Genoa chef Alex Bourgidu is taking over the kitchen at Pearl District wine bar Vino Paradiso,
which will be renamed and transformed into a more food-centered
business, focusing on the cuisine of Piedmont. Vino Paradiso’s departing
chef, Paul Losh, will be moving to Northeast Killingsworth Street’s D.O.C., replacing chef Timothy Wastell, who is moving to Firehouse in Woodlawn.
JOHN GRADE’S FOLD
Credits: John Grade
ALL THE RIGHT FOLDS: Seattle-based sculptor and conceptual artist John Grade took home the $10,000 Arlene Schnitzer Prize at the opening ceremonies for Portland Art Museum’s second Contemporary Northwest Art Awards.
PAM executive director Brian Ferriso announced the award to a packed
house in the museum’s sunken ballroom Saturday, June 18. Grade, one of
seven artists featured in the CNWAA exhibition, made a strong showing
with his innovative sculptures, which draw on the 1960s-’70s tradition
of Land Art. In particular, his massive sculpture Fold commands space with biomorphic curves broken into myriad hollow wooden boxes.
The exhibition, showing at the art museum through Sept. 11, is curated
by PAM’s curator of Northwest art, Bonnie Laing-Malcolmson.
GRüNER GROWS: Nuevo Alpine restaurant Grüner is opening an adjoining bar—welcome news to anyone who has tried to snag one of the scarce seats at the West End eatery’s current bar. Named Kask, the new bar will focus on local, artisan spirits, beer, wine, cheese and charcuterie, and will feature bartender Tommy Klus (formerly of Teardrop, Bluehour and St. Jack) behind the stick. It’s slated to open Friday, June 24.
THE SHOW MUST NOT GO ON: The Mount Tabor Theater closed unexpectedly last week,
forcing the music venue to relocate and reschedule two shows, as
financial disputes between the building’s owner and club management
intensified, sources said. Current management could not be reached for
comment, but building owner Philip Ragaway said he was confident the
venue would reopen under temporary management in a matter of weeks and
carry out the bulk of its remaining show schedule before finding new
management. “The Tabor has had a lot of fisherman pilots,” Ragaway
added. “I need Capt. Stubing from The Love Boat.”
JOHN GRADE’S FOLDCredits: John Grade
