January 2 2 . 2004 •
CULTURE
......T ..............
Edible art for the people
Striving to keep the “neighbor” in neighborhood gourmet
by
m
VII Take
Romance
Dance
M ecí D aly
Saturday
February 14
8 :0 0 PM
TICKETS a v a il a b l e
* 1ri a t GAI-PIED
* IU
503-33M125
DANCE HELD AT
METRO POLICE CLUB
FORMERLY (PPAA)
618 SE ALDER
PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT
ROSE CITY GAY FREEDOM BAND
503-790-2170
www.rcqfb.orq
From left: Equinox owners Tara George and Michele Stultz with chef Desmond Luesley are
part of a quiet Portland restaurant revolution
?he days of white tablecloth restaurants
I are over,” says Desmond Luesley, chef
[ at the new North Portland hot spot
H Equinox Restaurant and Lounge.
A quiet revolution is going on in the
pecan- and green apple-painted warehouse
tucked behind storefronts on North Mississippi
Avenue. Lesbian owners Tara George and
Michele Stultz and Luesley are proving that
artful cuisine does not have to cost armfuls of
cash. Nothing on the main menu goes for more
than $12, even the grilled salmon (wrapped in
prosciutto topped with roasted fennel sauce).
"We wanted to create a place we didn’t see
out there,” says George, citing a friendly, casual
atmosphere, inspired food creations and good
prices as qualities they wanted to emulate. “A
place where we would actually want to eat."
George is lucky if she gets a bite in, though,
now that business has taken off. Barely three
months old, Equinox has quickly become a
destination amid the area’s growing trendiness.
Diners come for the quirky, palate-pleasing
dishes like “seasonal salad rolls with butternut
squash, black beans, com and grilled avocado
with habanero yogurt dip."
The menu features locally grown organics
and hormone-free meats tossed up in unusual
combinations. The salad selection (“Weeds”)
includes greens topped with warm potatoes and
Manchego cheese with shitake vinaigrette, as
well as a phenomenal beet salad with blue
cheese and fennel-tangerine dressing.
Staple seasonal ingredients pop up in vari
ous dishes, like this winter’s fennel and
shitakes. Chilies make a frequent appearance,
too, as in grilled habanero flat iron steak, chili
rellenos in mole sauce and chili-dusted tiny
chocolate truffles.
Luesley, a former chef at Maxim’s in Paris
and Le Cirque in New York, is a fan of bold fla
vors. And he credits sous-chef Ray Erickson as
being “invaluable” to the international alche
my in the kitchen.
Stultz likens Equinox’s avant-garde food at
reasonable prices to the work of heralded 20th
century Mexican muralist Diego Rivera.
“Rivera believed that people shouldn’t have to
pay to see art,” says Stultz. “So he painted on
the sides of buildings for everyone to see.”
Equinox may not be giving food away, but
the $3 happy hour means anyone can eat for
pocket change. This idealism may not seem
like the quickest way to turn a profit, and that’s
just what the three owners intended— to invest
in the community, to grow slowly and sustain
ably and to never compromise quality.
Creating a neighborhood feel is at the top of
their agenda, which extends to the staff as well.
As veterans of the restaurant industry, these own
ers know how underappreciated servers and other
staff often are. “We want our staff to he happy,"
says Stultz, who, with George, works alongside
employees waiting tables and washing dishes.
F
resh out of business school, George devel
oped a vision for the nascent restaurant and
was referred to Stultz, a former high school
teacher, by a mutual friend who also wanted to
open her own business. They hammered out a
business plan and set out to find their chef.
Another friend told them about Luesley, who
was finishing up a degree in international stud
ies. George and Stultz convinced him to come
exit of his self-imposed retirement. The three
became fast friends and have been amazed by
their ability to see eye to eye and work so well
together— perhaps not the most predictable of
partnerships. Among Luesley s illustrious creden
tials is a stint as Hugh Hefner’s private chef. He
talks about being happy to have left that world
and come west to a place “where you could
make things happen and not just be a cog.”
“He’s our boyfriend,” jokes Stultz. Luesley con
curs: “I’m a lesbian hag.” The three laugh and sip
tea, taking a breath before the throng of customers
who will svxwi be there, hungry and expectant.
Chief among them will be Jean Berg and
Barb Tillman, a 60-something lesbian couple
who have been enjoying Equinox since it
opened. “They know our names,” says Berg.
“We love the great art and the comfortable
ambiance,” adds Tillman, opening her arms to
the room. “You can have a lovely meal at truly
reasonable prices.”
As I chat with Berg and Tillman, Stultz
comes by with their check and a hint, “We do
have a wait, ladies." I hop back to my table for
dessert: fried banana won tons with a coconut
cream dipping sauce. Berg and Tillman pay
their bill and stop by the kitchen to give a
thumb’s up to Luesley.
Rushing a reporter and your loyal clientele
out the door may have just been a case of
sudden-success jitters. Let’s hope this gem of a
queer-friendly restaurant doesn’t lose its homey
warmth now that it has been “discovered.’ ’ j n
Contact E quinox R estaurant and L ounge ,
830 N. Shaver S t., at 503-460-3333.
Featurin
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