RingSide Fish House

RingSide Fish House
The restaurant was housed in the Fox Tower (pictured in 2012)
Map
Restaurant information
EstablishedJuly 18, 2011 (2011-07-18)
ClosedAugust 12, 2018 (2018-08-12)
Owner(s)RingSide Hospitality Group
Food typeSeafood
Street address838 Southwest Park Avenue
CityPortland
CountyMultnomah
StateOregon
Postal/ZIP Code97205
CountryUnited States
Coordinates45°31′07″N 122°40′51″W / 45.5187°N 122.6809°W / 45.5187; -122.6809

RingSide Fish House was a seafood restaurant in Portland, Oregon.[1] The business operated in southwest Portland's Fox Tower from 2011 to 2018.

Description

Mattie John Bamman of Eater Portland described RingSide Fish House as an "old-school" seafood restaurant in the Fox Tower next to southwest Portland's Director Park. In addition to fish, the restaurant served steak, oysters,[2] Crab Louie, lobster, cioppino,[3][4] poke,[5] and onion rings.[6]

The happy hour menu included hibiscus punch,[7] as well as oysters for $1 each, as of 2017.[8] Other drinks included in the El Diablo (tequila, blackberry syrup, ginger beer)[9] and the "Five" O "Three" (pear brandy, apple brandy, lemon juice, cinnamon syrup, apple syrup, lemon twist).[10]

History

In 2011, the owner of RingSide Steakhouse confirmed plans to convert a temporary Fox Tower location into a seafood restaurant.[11] The 240-seat restaurant opened on the building's second floor on July 18, 2011,[12][13] with Johnny Nunn as the initial executive chef.[14] RingSide started with happy hour and dinner service.[15]

Jennie Peterson, the daughter of RingSide owner Craig Peterson, was the general manager, as of 2014,[16] and David Ezelle was executive chef, as of April 2015.[17] Jonathan Gill was the executive chef from 2016 to 2018.[18][19] Trever Gilbert was also a chef at the restaurant.[20]

In 2016, Ringside Fish House hosted Take Your Kids to Work Day, offering lunch to children at no cost.[21]

In July 2018, Peterson and RingSide Hospitality Group announced plans to close the seafood restaurant on August 12, after operating for seven years.[22][23][24]

Reception

Mayor Sam Adams at the restaurant's opening, 2011

In 2015 and 2018, RingSide Fish House received a Best Of Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator as part of the magazine's annual restaurant awards.[25][26][27]

Eater Portland included RingSide Fish House in a 2015 overview of "where to get your East Coast lobster fix in Portland".[28] The website's Heather Arndt Anderson included the restaurant in a 2017 overview of "where to eat and drink Like a pirate in Portland". She wrote, "If you want Salty's menu options and buttoned-up atmosphere without that pesky riverfront view, there's always Ringside. It's a nice spot for a fancy downtown dinner date."[29]

Michael Russell included Ringside Fish House in The Oregonian's 2016 list of Portland's 12 best oyster bars.[30] The restaurant ranked third in the Best Seafood Restaurant category of Willamette Week's annual "Best of Portland" readers' poll.[31] In Unique Eats and Eateries of Portland, Oregon (2018), Adam Sawyer called RingSide Fish House "the perfect Yin to the steakhouse's Yang" and said the restaurant "proudly sports one of the best early and late-night happy hour menus in Portland".[32] RingSide Fish House received "honorable mention in Russell's list of "Portland's 25 most painful restaurant closures of 2018".[33]

See also

References

  1. ^ Sarasohn, David (2012-01-28). "RingSide Fish House takes same spare approach to surf as turf". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2022-04-05. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  2. ^ Bamman, Mattie John (2017-07-07). "Find $1 Oysters at These 6 Restaurants This Summer". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-04-27. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  3. ^ "RingSide Fish House". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2022-04-05. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  4. ^ "Jacqueline Is Reviving Cioppino, The West Coast's Sloppiest, Spiciest, Fishiest Soup". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2023-02-08. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  5. ^ Waterhouse, Ben (2016-07-13). "Poke-mania hits Portland: Where to find the city's best raw tuna". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2023-01-04. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  6. ^ "Gerry Frank's picks: Favorite places for breakfast, lunch and dinner". The Oregonian. 2017-04-28. Archived from the original on 2023-03-31. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  7. ^ Powers, Colin (2016-07-15). "25 drinks to cool you down this summer: The Cocktail Hour". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  8. ^ "Portland Suddenly Has a Whole Hell of a lot of $1 Happy-Hour Oyster Deals—Here's Where To Get Them". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2021-10-22. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  9. ^ Powers, Colin (2015-08-01). "Summer's best drinks from local bars: The Cocktail Hour". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  10. ^ Powers, Colin (2016-04-22). "Spring cocktails to taste around town, make at home: The Cocktail Hour". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  11. ^ Bakall, Samantha (2014-06-26). "RingSide Steakhouse through the decades: 70 years of history in Portland (gallery)". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2023-05-04. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  12. ^ DeJesus, Erin (2011-07-18). "Inside Fox Tower's RingSide Fish House, Opening Today". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2022-04-05. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  13. ^ Russell, Michael (2011-07-14). "RingSide Fish House opens Monday in downtown Portland, joining other new restaurants in theater-area fray". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2023-04-30. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  14. ^ DeJesus, Erin (2011-03-08). "Ringside Steakhouse Keeping Fox Tower Location for Upcoming Fish House; Burnside Spot Re-Opening March 28". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2022-04-05. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  15. ^ "RingSide Fish House opens in Fox Tower". Portland Business Journal. July 15, 2011. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  16. ^ Beck, Byron (2014-08-20). "RingSide's GM Peterson Hangs at SW's Jola Cafe". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2015-09-13. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  17. ^ Centoni, Danielle (2015-04-01). "Be Mesmerized by Super Fast Videos of Chefs Breaking Down Whole Animals". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2019-05-16. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  18. ^ Breslouer, Lee (October 19, 2016). "Signs You're in a Bullshit Seafood Restaurant". Thrillist. Archived from the original on June 25, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  19. ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2018-07-30). "Seafood Menagerie RingSide Fish House Is Closing in Fox Tower". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2018-08-17. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  20. ^ "Flying Fish Will Open a Patio Food Cart Called ChefShack With a Rotating Lineup of Culinary Experts". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2022-03-31. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  21. ^ "Bloody Mary Bloc Parties, Movies in the Pix Patisserie Courtyard, and More Portland Food Events". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2022-08-17. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  22. ^ Russell, Michael (2018-07-31). "RingSide to close downtown Portland fish house next month". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2020-11-09. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  23. ^ Giegerich, Andy (2018-07-30). "RingSide Fish House to close in August". KGW. Archived from the original on 2018-07-31. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  24. ^ Walsh, Chad (August 1, 2018). "RingSide Fish House is Closing Next Month—But Going Out With a Bang Today". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on 2018-09-02. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  25. ^ Perdue, Andy (2015-08-05). "Northwest shines in Wine Spectator restaurant awards". Great Northwest Wine. Archived from the original on 2022-10-02. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  26. ^ Degerman, Eric (2018-07-05). "Metropolitan Grill in Seattle receives rare Grand Award from Wine Spectator". Great Northwest Wine. Archived from the original on 2022-10-02. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  27. ^ "12 Prime Wine Restaurants in the Pacific Northwest". Wine Spectator. August 25, 2022. Archived from the original on October 1, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  28. ^ Brownfield, Elizabeth; Alburger, Carolyn (2015-07-22). "Where to Get Your East Coast Lobster Fix in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2022-02-22. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  29. ^ Anderson, Heather Arndt (2017-11-02). "Where to Eat and Drink Like a Pirate in Portland, Mapped". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-12-04. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  30. ^ Russell, Michael (2016-03-22). "Portland's best oyster bars". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2022-03-31. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  31. ^ "Here are the Winners of the Best of Portland Readers' Poll 2017". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2019-01-06. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
  32. ^ Sawyer, Adam (2018-10-01). Unique Eats and Eateries of Portland, Oregon. Reedy Press LLC. ISBN 978-1-68106-186-3.
  33. ^ Russell, Michael (2018-12-20). "Portland's 25 most painful restaurant closures of 2018". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2020-01-28. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
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