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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 2020)
4A ❚ WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2020 ❚ APPEAL TRIBUNE Life in the Valley The restaurants we said goodbye to in 2019 The Quick Changes Owning a restaurant is not for the weak, and the fickle industry with its demanding hours and slim margins claims as many businesses as those that flourish. Salem’s dining scene lost some greats this year. What follows is a list of the dearly departed. These restaurants closed, but shifted so quickly into something else you might not have noticed it. Caffe 680 The Long-Timers Sassy Onion’s former lunch spot at 680 Hawthorne Avenue SE got a quick redesign in mid-July to become a sec- ond location of downtown Salem’s Sweetly Baked. The location represents an expanded collaboration between the two businesses. Alongside Sweetly Baked owner Christine Mathews’ cup- cakes and cookies are a limited selec- tion of Sassy Onion salads, sandwiches and wraps. It’s always sad when a beloved res- taurant closes, but it’s even sadder when the restaurant is so long-estab- lished that losing it feels personal. Silver Grille Open since 1996, Jeff and Naomi Ni- zlek announced the impending closure of their Silverton restaurant, Silver Grille, in August. The couple recently welcomed their first grandchild, a per- spective-shifting occasion that left them wondering how to free up time in the midst of running the small restau- rant. “We just knew it’s the right time to transition,” Nizlek said at the time. “As soon as we made the decision, things in our personal lives have been falling into place.” Allan’s Coffee & Tea (aka The Beanery) Allan Stuart founded his coffee roast- ery, then called Allann Bros. Coffee, in Ashland in 1972. Just a few years later in 1975 he opened his first Salem cafe loca- tion at 545 Court Street. Over the course of the next 46 years, the company oper- ated several “The Beanery” cafe loca- tions in Salem. Like the others before it, the company’s final coffee shop in Sa- lem closed in April, but still operates re- tail locations in Corvallis and Eugene. Ramen Ichiban In 1994, when Haruo “Harry” and Ka- zuo “Kay” Ogawa opened Ramen Ichi- ban in south Salem, they charged $3 for an order of gyoza and $4.50 for a bento box of pork and noodles. Haruo recalls how people would come in the door of the restaurant and just ask for a bento. They didn’t understand that bento just means food to-go and not a specific dish. After decades of teaching Salem about Japanese food, the couple sold the restaurant in August and retired. The space is now home to the Manna Japanese Comfort Food. Mirador Mexican Restaurant Six months after opening on Com- mercial Street SE, Mirador Mexican Restaurant closed. Owner Don Miguel Brambila and his family have operated several Mexican restaurants in Salem at various locations spanning the past three decades. Most recently, they owned Don Miguel Mexican Restaurant on Fairgrounds Road NE. They closed that location in January 2018. Rock-N-Rogers Darlene and Roger Hawley opened the first Rock-N-Rogers at 1405 Broad- way Street NE in 1988 in a former sand- wich shop on the corner of Hood Street NE. Owners since 2012, Glen and Loydee Stonebrink closed the three remaining Salem locations of Rock-N-Rogers throughout the course of this year. Rock-n-Rogers at Farrol’s Restaurant in Rickreall remains in operation to date. Salvador’s Bakery 2 Socorro Larios opened bakery and ta- queria Salvador’s Bakery 2 on Silverton Road in 1994. Throughout the years sev- eral of her eight children have worked alongside her there. The bakery’s late- December closure will allow Larios the chance a reprive from years of long days. The Larios family will continue to operate El Ta’comelon, the mostly out- door taco stand at 3375 Harold Drive NE open only on weekend evenings. The Food Truckers Salem’s food truck boom is still going Ranchers Continued from Page 1A The Wahls operated a beef cattle and sheep ranching facility about 3 miles away, at 34696 Swank Drive SE in Alba- ny. They previously had raised sheep for Wyoming-based Mountain States Lamb Cooperative, for which Mark Wahl had Muchas Gracias Beer bar (and growler-fill station) Growl Movement has closed their location on South Commercial. CAPI LYNN/STATESMAN JOURNAL strong, with newcomers joining the game at a steady pace. Some are moving from trucks to restaurants, some are moving the other direction and others have called it entirely. Squatchy’s BBQ Squatchy’s BBQ, open at 1005 N First Avenue in Stayton for just 13 months, closed in October. A Salem military fam- ily launched the brick-and-mortar busi- ness last year after news of their food truck catching fire went viral and strangers donated $28,000 to a crowd- funding campaign. Fortunately, for bar- becue lovers, owner Jason Lorraine has resumed operations of Squatchy’s BBQ as a big red food truck popping up at various locations around town. Father Hen’s Dan Bowling opened Father Hen’s Texas BBQ in December 2018, coincid- ing with the opening of The Yard Food Park on State Street. He operated the or- ange barbecue trailer until August. Bowling hopes to relaunch Father Hen’s as a job training and social enterprise- focused business at a later date. Pandan Leaf Hawaiian In August, only four months after opening colorful Hawaiian-Filipino fu- sion cafe Pandan Leaf, Jaysen Ridout and Sylvia Ocampo closed it. A nearly identical menu is available at The Yard in a food trailer called Get Seom Aloha, owned by Christie Pahl Ocampo. Big Blue Thai In May, Big Blue Thai owners Kanya- nat Puthdee and Ray Johnson closed their Royvonne Avenue restaurant to re- turn to their Candalaria food trailer. Ac- cording to state filings, the address will soon be home to a new restaurant from Vichuda Stine, owner of Keizer’s Bai Bua Thai Kitchen, called Bangkok Thai Bis- tro. Puthdee and Johnson, meanwhile, are back in a steady groove at their trail- er. NorthBlock Food Cart Pod Though not formally dismantled, the NorthBlock Food Cart pod is functional- ly defunct. Changes began when Sa- lem’s First Baptist Church (owner of the property at 695 Liberty Street NE) tem- porarily leased the space that had previ- ously housed NorthBlock’s dining area, to JE Dunn, the company working on construction of the new Salem Police Department headquarters across the street. Big Dave’s Sample This Barbecue and other food carts previously associ- ated with the pod continue to pop-up elsewhere. High on the Hog Ken and Armenda Hayes debuted their first food truck, High on the Hog BBQ & Sweets, in March at Beehive Sta- tion. Six months later, they pulled the served as secretary. The Wahls held a permit from the Oregon Department of Agriculture al- lowing them to operate a confined ani- mal feeding operation with up to 1,092 animals. Among the permit’s requirements was proper disposal of dead animals, which could include careful burial, com- posting or taking to certain landfills. Animal carcasses cannot be burned in the open. truck from Beehive and from Salem in general. The couple continues to oper- ate a second High on the Hog truck at The Barn at Hickory Station, Albany’s newly-opened food pod at 640 Hickory Street NW. They have refurbished the first cart and reopened it at The Barn as Cheese and Thank You, specializing in grilled cheese sandwiches and soup. Casa Rojas Jorge Jimenez sold Casa Rojas Mex- ican Restaurant & Cantina to couple Os- car Flores and Isabel Hernandez in May. Flores and Hernandez have reopened it as La Vida Catrina Kitchen of Mexico. Previously they operated a food truck called Don Flores Mexican Cuisine in Ti- gard. In Salem, they offer upscale takes on Mexican cuisine, including Prime skirt steak fajitas, shrimp and crab en- chiladas, and fresh halibut tacos with baja cream sauce. All of the former Muchas Gracias Mexican Food restaurants in Salem have closed. Franchise owners have transformed all of the locations that once housed them into Habaneros and Victorico’s, two new concepts with very similar menus. Fear not, both still have the Oregon burrito. Roxy Dawgs Downtown Salem hot dog stop, Roxy Dawgs, closed the location at 324 Church Street NE. They said they’re cur- rently looking for a new location for the business. In the meantime, Armando and Eva Ornelas are renovating the space. On January 2 they will open a new restaurant called Las Gorditas Ri- cas serving casual Mexican fare. The Independents It’s especially sad to lose locally- owned, neighborhood businesses. The Doughnut Shop in Stayton In-N-Out arrived, the biggest splash of the year in terms of Salem area res- taurants, but meanwhile the following big businesses ducked out. Le Cordon Bleu baking grad Katie Pe- ters and husband Michael closed their business, Stayton’s The Doughnut Shop back in May. They’ve recently an- nounced plans to open a new spot in Keizer’s former Fortaleza Bakery space for their new venture. will soon open Wicked Sweet Bakery in Keizer at 3852 River Road North. Quiznos Keizer Shotski’s The Salem area’s final remaining lo- cation of Quiznos Subs at 5133 River Road N in Keizer’s Sandy River shopping plaza closed in February. A few months later, Vichuda Stine (who opened Tup Tim Thai Cuisine on South Commercial Street in 2012) leased the space and opened Bai Bua Thai Kitchen. A fire, a lawsuit, and “an unexpected hemorrhaging of money,” finally put Shotski’s down in late July. Known for live music and drag shows, the venue changed hands multiple times since it first opened as Shotski’s Woodfired Eats in 2015. Jonah Fenn and Katie Cacca- mise were forced to close just six months after taking ownership. The Corporate Departures Newport Seafood Grill After 22 years at 1717 Freeway Court NE, Newport Seafood Grill closed sud- denly in October. The business’ Seattle- based parent company Restaurants Un- limited had filed for Chapter 11 bank- ruptcy in July, and was then sold to Houston-based Landry’s Inc. (operator of national chain restaurants including Morton’s The Steakhouse and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.). The Salem location and all other remaining Newport Sea- food Grill locations were closed the fol- lowing week. The Rock Wood Fired Pizza Six years after opening, The Rock closed its Center Street location after service on Memorial Day. In 2020 the space is slated to become a new location of Korean barbecue restaurant Kkoki BBQ, a regional brand with locations in Beaverton, Portland and Eugene. Big Town Hero Salem’s last remaining Big Town He- ro location, at 3405 Commercial Street SE, closed in January. The space is now home to Ibendoo, Salem’s only restau- rant dedicated to ramen. The Agriculture Department did not cite or fine the Wahls in connection with the incident because the animals were not burned on the ranch property, ODA spokeswoman Andrea Cantu-Schomus said. ODA had cited, but not fined, the cou- ple four other times since 2013 for per- mit violations including illegal manure and wastewater discharge to a ditch and potentially to groundwater; failing to re- port a discharge; improper manure stor- Pip’s Gourmet Dogs & Ice Cream Molalla hot dog spot Pip’s closed on December 7. In a post to the business’ Facebook page the owners said that with increased costs associated with food, labor and rent they couldn’t com- pete with corporate chains in the area. Krewe Du Soul Owners Steve and Jen Stephens made the decision to close their cajun restaurant, located in the Willamette Heritage Center, in July after about a year and a half in business. They cited low foot traffic in the space as a factor. Growl Movement Draft beer bar and growler-fill station Growl Movement consolidated, closing the six year old location on South Com- mercial. The location in Keizer at 5137 River Road N remains open. Their for- mer space at , 2990 Commercial Street SE, is now a bubble tea and sweet shop called Sweet Spot Fruit Tea & Desserts. Emily Teel is the Food & Drink Editor at the Statesman Journal. Contact her at eteel@statesmanjournal.com, Facebook, or Twitter. age; and failure to pay CAFO license fees. The permit was canceled earlier this month at Mark Wahl’s request, Cantu- Schomus said. DEQ also cited, but did not fine, the couple for leaving an open burn unat- tended. Contact the reporter at tloew@statesmanjournal.com, 503- 399-6779 or follow at Twitter.com/Tra- cy_Loew