"Cursed" Northeast MLK Restaurant Space Now Includes a Lawsuit

Carpaccio Trattoria's orecchiette with hot Italian sausage and broccoli rabe, in better days.

The corner of Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Freemont Street has gained a rep as one of Portland's "cursed" restaurant spots, with Carpaccio Trattoria being the latest to close its doors.

The Italian restaurant shut down last month. Now, its owners are facing a lawsuit for breach of contract and back rent.

Filed Thursday in Multnomah County Circuit Court, the suit names Autentico LLC, a group that includes former owners David Rizzo and Francesco Solda. (Solda's previous restaurant was run with actor Jason Priestley in Monterey, Calif.)

The owners of the building, listed as Fremont-MLK Properties LLC, say they were forced to evict the restaurant as of Jan. 25 because of the lack of payment.

The suit says that Carpaccio owes $27,096 in back rent, plus $143,654 in damages (which will be reduced if another tenant is found for the space). The suit then asks for $170,751 from Solda and $94,048 from Rizzo for breach of contract.

Carpaccio Trattoria got mixed reviews, although WW's review from August 2012 pondered if it was the restaurant that could break the MLK-Fremont curse. Carpaccio's closure was the third failing in the space: The first occupant, Terroir, shuttered after just six months. Its successor, Belly, managed to hold on for three years before succumbing. Janis Martin considered moving her restaurant, Tanuki, to the neighborhood last year, but passed after neighbors complained.

Representatives of Autentico group couldn't be reached immediately for contact.

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