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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 7, 1994)
P age B3 1 he P ortland O bserver • D ecember 7, 1994 ^ o rtla n b (©bseruer ENTERTAIN MEN Old Chicago To Open Near Town Center Toni Braxton In addition to listing her as among the most beautiful women in the world. People magazine calls Toni B ra x to n ’s m e sm e riz in g v o ic e “unique enough to make her the model .to match in years to come. Time observes that Braxton “seems des tined for pop diva-dom.” The New York Times adds to the accolades, declaring h er“rich, throaty, alto [and] torchy lovelorn style a throwback to an earlier era.” Indeed, eversince Toni Braxton began her 1992 hit-making path with “Give U My Heart” (a duet with m aster p ro d u c e r/re c o rd in g sta r Babyface) and “Love Should Have Brought You Home,” chart-tipping singles taken from the Multi-Plati- n u m -p lu s L aFace R e c o rd s’ soundtrack for the Eddie Murphy movie “Boomerang,” music buyers and industry insiders eagerly await ed this dynamic singer’s all-im por tant first album. Toni didn’t disap point: Her critically acclaimed debut album Toni Braxton has been certi fied Quadruple Platinum, selling well over four million copies since its July 1993 release, and has won two Gram my, Soul Train and American Music Awards Each, In keeping with the LaFace tradition o f creating quality music, Toni took her time to put to gether an astonishing debut boasting two #1 Gold singles, “ Another Sad Love Song” and “Breathe Again.” Her reaction to her success is a combination o f amazement and mat ter o f factness. “I still don't feel that I have made it, but deep down inside 1 knew it would happen.” As a show case for her vocal artistry, T oni’s self-titled album is quite literally, breathtaking. Hauntingly soulful on Toni Braxton “Another Sad Love Song” (the first single, written by Babyface), smol dering with sensuality on the jazzy “Seven W hole Days” (another L.A. & Babyface classic in-the-making) or groovin’ with the upbeat “I Be long To You,” T oni’s prowess as a passionate and vibrant young song stress is fully evident. Toni switches moods with consummate ease on an album destined to establish her as one o f the music scene’s most excit ing new singers. W hether expressing tenderness (“You Mean The World To Me,: an L.A ./Babyface/D aryl Simmons composition), joy (“Spend ing My T im e ” ), m e la n c h o ly (“ B re a th e A g a in ” ), p ain (B e st Friends” ) or sexuality (“ C andle light”), Toni Braxton brings an em o tional honesty to every track on her very special premier musical outing. Producer L.A. Reid who chose the quality o f the songs remarks the key to her success was finding the right material for her “mature voice, great tone, great delivery, and impeccable stage presence.” “As a whole project, this album expresses who I am,” says Toni. “And that’s a typical young woman, w ho’s been through some o f life’s experi ences, w ho’s been through some o f love’s ups and downs, a woman who has a lot o f love to give. The songs on this first record are real, they’re about things that people experience in rela tionships with love heartbreak and all that goes along with dealing with everyday situations.” O ffering P o rtland’s suburb more than pizza and p a sta -O ld Chicago set to become the neigh borhood hang out. Old Chicago is set to open De c e m b e r 10, ju s t in tim e fo r Milwaukie-area residents that are looking forward to the best part of the holidays, rewarding ones shopping efforts with a little neighborhood fun and re laxation. The 7,500 square foot Old Chicago restaurant, lo cated at 11211 South East 82nd A v e ., in th e o ld Fudruckers space, will offer a lively, yet comfortable at mosphere for its patrons to delight in great food. It will also serve as a gath ering place for friends and family to watch sports, play pool, « try a new beer or j ust talk over a fresh ly-made pizza or pas ta. Hours o f operation will be conducive to n e ig h b o rh o o d g et- togethers as well: 11 a.m.- 2:00 a m., daily. Gary Foreman, Direc tor o f Operations, sees the Portland-areaas an obvious location choice for Old Chi cago, “Old Chicago’s credo is to p ro v id e fa n ta stic c u sto m e r se rv ic e , g re a t fo o d and th a t h ard -to -d e fin e little e x tra th at ensures c u sto m ers know th a t we care about them and th e ir c o m m unity. T his seem s to be in synch w ith w hat P o rtla n d e rs ’ v a lu e .” Demi DeSoto, Executive Di rector o f the Clackamas Chamber o f Commerce, thinks that Old Chicago is exactly what the Milwaukee-area needs: “This area has been growing at a tremendous rate andwewelcome O ld C h ic a g o which has a strongcommu- n ity c o m mitment and J X. will be a p e rfe c t \ f place for fam ilies and neighborsto meet." O ld C h ic a - g o ’s broad but moderately priced menu features Chi cago-styled deep-dish pizza, along with more than 40 other items, in cluding appetizers, burgers, sand wiches, calazones, large salads, a pasta bar and dessert. Menu items are prepared daily with local high- quality, fresh ingredients from orig inal recipes. Specialty pizza com bi nations include non-traditional top pings such as artichokes, Roma to m atoes, shrim p and barbecued chicken as well as traditional top pings. Aside from the main dining area, the pub will offer over 110 beers, fea turing 30 Northwest beers on tap. In addition, Old C h icag o ’s brew ed-on- prem ise beer features W rigley Red, a 1993 G reat A m erican B eer F e stiv a l G o ld M edal Winner. Brew pub cus to m e rs can e n jo y s p o rts p ro g ra m s show n on tw o I large screen tele visions or enter tainm ent provided by two pool tables. A m e rc h a n d ise area, will offer a vari ety o f interesting gifts to take home including t- shirts, sweatshirts, glasses and “home-brew kits” for patrons to learn to create th e ir ow n m ic ro b re w conncotions; Old Chicago will also sell “beer-to go” Finally, as warm weather ap proaches outdoor seating for 60 be come available. Rock Bottom Restaurants, Inc a publicly-held company, operates Old Chicago. For more information about Old Chicago, contact Lisa McCrummen 206-722-8268 FREE CONSUMER INFORMATION CATALOG Send your t w t m r and address Io Consumer Information Center Department Sotirce • Pueblo Color ado H1009 Music Millennium J) 32nd & E.Burnside 231-8926 Store 503-331-1718 23rd & NW Johnson 248-0163 3415 NE Broadway Portland, OR 97212 B o o g ie Cal P r o d u c tio n s P r e se n ts ‘■°o k f o r , h e s h o w o „ S u n d a y m o r n in g ,. & '?na*6ie TZeddisty. «r- “76e ycttt&tMAtefi Every Wednesday At Parchman Farm 1204 SE Clay 9:00 pm - 12:00 am Gome Along- To Busy Toivn GOOD, LOW VOLUME MUSIC, FINE FOODS, AND NO COVER CHARGE T he e «chanU «g W° rld of cvw\A ren' s ^Utho1 Richard Scarry comes to television for ,f,e very first time in a delightful new animated series. Showtime features quality family programs that kids will love, and busy parents can trust. 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