Today I got some very bad news—one of my all-time favorite restaurants in North Portland, Encanto, has closed its doors. Apparently, this last weekend was the last hoorah for this sopapilla-laden, New Mexican cuisine haven.
Michael Martinez and his wife owned this beautiful, friendly and warm little joint located on N. Lombard. Martinez's menu and skill in the kitchen was matched equally by a full bar featuring some of the best sangria I've ever had and tequila heavy cocktails.
Word on the street is Martinez sold his business and it will soon be re-tooled to an eatery called Cafe Cubano. I hope they have better luck than Martinez did but that seems almost impossible in this market. Especially in light of the fact that Martinez's Encanto was a critic's pet, with everyone in town lauding his inventive and fresh menu.
My head still reeling from this news, I took a moment to mourn the loss (which for a foodie and a local food reviewer is a crushing blow) but then what do I see? A posting from former Willamette Week columnist, Byron Beck (on his blog) that another fav is leaving my neck of the woods.
Roux is moving its digs to Old Town Chinatown. Beck notes that Roux's owner Dwayne Beliakoff, won't comment on what will happen at the current restaurant space, but he is toying with the idea of opening another dining establishment there this summer. I guess we'll have to just wait and see.
In the meantime, it's beginning to feel like a ghost town over here in North Portland. A moment of silence for the many restaurants we've lost over the course of 2008, in no particular order:
- Terroir
- Lagniappe
- Nutshell
- Dad's (Jimmy Chan's infamous supper club)
- Trippin Billies
- Wildfire/Carbonis
- Purple Tooth Parlor
- Belgium Embassy
- Harold's BBQ
- The Albina Green Room
- Wild Spice
- Sal's Italian Kitchen
- Sliders
- Ole Ole (St. Johns)
This economy needs to turn around and fast or the only thing left will be Taco Bell...Help us Obama One you're our only hope.
