Fenouil

Fenouil
Map
Restaurant information
Established2005 (2005)
Closed2011 (2011)
Food type
Street address900 Northwest 11th Avenue
CityPortland
StateOregon
Postal/ZIP Code97209
CountryUnited States
Coordinates45°31′46″N 122°40′56″W / 45.52944°N 122.68222°W / 45.52944; -122.68222

Fenouil was a French[1] and Pacific Northwest restaurant in Portland, Oregon.[2] The business operated from 2005 to 2011.

Description

Grant Butler of The Oregonian described Fenouil as an "enormous", two-story French restaurant next to Jamison Square in northwest Portland's Pearl District.[3] Willamette Week said the restaurant had "coveted see-and-be-seen" patio seating and three "cozy" fireplaces.[4] Eater Portland's Erin DeJesus described the restaurant as a "French-meets-contemporary-Northwest spot".[5] Fenouil has also been described as an "upscale dining concept".[6]

The menu included escargots, frog legs, and wild boar.[7] According to The New York Times, the "sleek" Fenouil served "brasserie classics" like roast duck with Armagnac prunes and steak frites, pumpkin and mushroom gnocchi, and lobster beignets.[8] The 220-seat[9][10] restaurant served Pacific Northwest cuisine, as of 2010.[11][12]

Fodor's said, "The large stone fireplace, expansive bar, bistro menu, and widely revered spring-onion soup are a few of the reasons patrons keep coming back to this warm and elegant two-story restaurant. Notable entrée choices vary by season, but two reliable crowd pleasers are the grilled Kobe sirloin and the wood-fired duck breast with Armagnac-soaked prunes. There's live music on Friday nights. At the end of each month the chef creates an all-inclusive "regional dinner" that explores foods from a unique culinary region."[13]

History

Fenouil operated from 2005 to 2011.[5][14][15] The restaurant was owned by Chris and Tyanne Dussin (Dussin Group).[6][16] Pascal Chureau was the opening chef.[17] He left in 2010.[18] Jake Martin became executive chef effective February 15.[19][20] Kristen D. Murray, described by Michael Russell of The Oregonian as one of city's "top" pastry chefs, worked at the restaurant.[21] Ken Forkish developed a raisin-pecan bread to accompany the restaurant's cheese plate.[22]

Molly Hottle of The Oregonian attributed the restaurant's closure to the economy.[23]

Reception

In 2006, writers for Willamette Week appreciated the menu but said the restaurant "feels more like a shiny-new Bridgeport Village suburban eatery than an authentic French restaurant".[4] Moon Oregon (2007) said Fenouil was "simultaneously flamboyant and studied", and "visually one of the most impressive" restaurants in the city.[24] In 2010, the newspaper's Deeda Schroeder said "the kitchen has no problem consistently turning out beautiful food. Whether it's a Saturday dinner or a late workday lunch, there's no question the cooks have what it takes to create tiny, work-of-art eats".[25]

The restaurant was rated three and a half out of four stars in the eighth edition of Best Places: Portland (2010),[26] and three out of three stars in the seventeenth edition of Best Places Northwest (2010).[27] Fodor's Oregon (2011) says "Popular destinations like Bluehour, Fenouil, and Andina have cemented the reputation of Northwest Portland's Pearl District as a restaurant hot spot."[28] Grant Butler included Fenouil in The Oregonian's 2016 list of "97 long-gone Portland restaurants we wish were still around".[3] In 2016, Michael C. Zusman of Willamette Week said the "fancy, Francophonic Fenouil flopped".[29] Allecia Vermillion of the Seattle Metropolitan called the restaurant "late" and "lovely" in 2018.[30]

See also

References

  1. ^ Dresbeck, Rachel (2011-03-01). Insiders' Guide® to Portland, Oregon, 7th. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-7627-7477-7. Archived from the original on 2022-12-18. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
  2. ^ "Fenouil". The Oregonian. 2010-06-24. Archived from the original on 2022-12-18. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
  3. ^ a b Butler, Grant (2017-01-01). "Tasty memories: 97 long-gone Portland restaurants we wish were still around". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2020-12-28. Retrieved 2022-04-15.
  4. ^ a b "Our 100-plus Favorite Restaurants (A-G)". Willamette Week. 18 October 2006. Archived from the original on 2022-12-18. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
  5. ^ a b DeJesus, Erin (2011-04-01). "Pearl District's Fenouil Calls it Quits, to Shutter this Sunday". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2017-05-08. Retrieved 2022-04-15.
  6. ^ a b Hinton, Marc (2019-10-28). A History of Pacific Northwest Cuisine: Mastodons to Molecular Gastronomy. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-62584-658-7. Archived from the original on 2022-12-18. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
  7. ^ "Teaching Taste". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2022-12-18. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
  8. ^ Laskin, David (2007-04-15). "36 Hours in Portland, Ore". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2022-12-18. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
  9. ^ Russell, Michael (2012-03-02). "Davis Street Tavern group takes over former Fenouil space". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2022-12-18. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
  10. ^ DeJesus, Erin (2012-03-02). "Davis St. Tavern Team Opening jamison in Fenouil Space". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2022-12-18. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
  11. ^ "Restaurant review: Revitalized Fenouil a feast for the eyes and the palate". The Oregonian. 2010-05-07. Archived from the original on 2022-04-15. Retrieved 2022-04-15.
  12. ^ "Happy Hour of the Week: Fenouil". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2022-12-17. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
  13. ^ "Fenouil Review - Portland Oregon - Restaurant | Fodor's Travel". Fodor's. Archived from the original on 2022-04-15. Retrieved 2022-04-15.
  14. ^ Tepler, Benjamin (2011-04-05). "Au Revoir, Fenouil". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2020-09-25. Retrieved 2022-04-15.
  15. ^ Culverwell, Wendy (April 1, 2011). "Dussins pull plug on Fenouil". Portland Business Journal. Archived from the original on April 4, 2011. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  16. ^ "Restaurant review: Lucier". The Oregonian. 2008-12-10. Archived from the original on 2021-11-18. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
  17. ^ Russell, Michael (2011-04-02). "Fenouil restaurant in Pearl District to close Sunday, the Dussin Group announces". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2022-04-15. Retrieved 2022-04-15.
  18. ^ Beck, Byron (2010-01-15). "Fenouil's Chef Pascal Chureau Moving On to New Project". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2022-12-18. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
  19. ^ "Two high-profile restaurants refire: Lucier and Fenouil on the rise". The Oregonian. 2010-01-21. Archived from the original on 2022-12-18. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
  20. ^ Russell, Michael (2015-01-23). "The Fireside restaurant in NW Portland is missing a spark (review)". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2022-12-18. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
  21. ^ Russell, Michael (2014-07-24). "Maurice, a pleasing pastry oasis in downtown Portland (review)". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2020-03-09. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
  22. ^ Forkish, Ken (2022-09-20). Evolutions in Bread: Artisan Pan Breads and Dutch-Oven Loaves at Home [A baking book]. Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed. ISBN 978-1-9848-6037-8. Archived from the original on 2022-12-18. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
  23. ^ Hottle, Molly (2011-04-04). "Northwest Portland roundup: Fenouil shuttered, filmmaker tracks pelican, First Thursday event for earthquake relief". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2022-12-18. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
  24. ^ Morris, Elizabeth; Morris, Mark; Jewell, Judy; McRae, W. C. (2007-02-26). Moon Oregon. Avalon Publishing. ISBN 978-1-56691-930-2. Archived from the original on 2022-12-18. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
  25. ^ Schroeder, Deeda (2010-08-31). "Small Wonders". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2022-12-18. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
  26. ^ Gottberg, John; Lopeman, Elizabeth (2010-06-01). Best Places: Portland, 8th Edition. Sasquatch Books. ISBN 978-1-57061-699-0. Archived from the original on 2022-12-18. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
  27. ^ Ostgarden, Jo (2010-08-03). Best Places Northwest, 17th Edition. Sasquatch Books. ISBN 978-1-57061-735-5. Archived from the original on 2022-12-18. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
  28. ^ Moker, Molly (2011). Fodor's Oregon. Fodor's Travel Publications. ISBN 978-1-4000-0511-6. Archived from the original on 2022-12-18. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
  29. ^ Zusman, Michael C. (24 May 2016). "The Pearl's Hairy Lobster Is a Mess of Gold Leaf Dessert and Lobster Cubano". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2022-12-18. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
  30. ^ Vermillion, Allecia (2018-07-17). "Petite Galerie Revives the Dining of Bygone Days". Seattle Metropolitan. Archived from the original on 2022-12-18. Retrieved 2022-12-18.