Welcome

Let's get one thing straight. I never thought that I would post a blog. Ever. Given a choice of tools that would enhance the human condition I would choose a stove and a my Nenox knife over a computer and a wireless modem every time. The kitchen is my cage of choice. I want to spend my time cooking and computer time is the antithesis of cooking time. So why am I rationalizing as I sit on my ass writing this first post on the Park Kitchen Blog as my cooks scrub the hood?

There are stories to tell about Park Kitchen. There is information that will make your experience at Park Kitchen more relevant, more enjoyable. You can read about it here if you want.

Not that we won't enjoy telling a good story either. It's true. We've said in the past that we like to let people come to their own conclusions. We don't want to use Park Kitchen as our soap box to talk about our brilliant food choices. Although it could be said that would be very Portland...This isn't about that.

I was terrified when I started Park Kitchen that I would have to stop learning and evolving in order to be an effective boss. Thankfully I work with whip smart cooks and servers who have proved me wrong every day I've come to work over the past 8 years. Not one day has passed without a cook, a server or a purveyor sending me off on a half an hour research project. So, if I need to do that much digesting of information just to keep up with my own restaurant, how are we supposed to keep our guests informed with 3 measly pieces of menu paper. We must really be keeping our customers in the dark.

Fear not. The Park Kitchen Blog has arrived... with stories to tell.

Information first. Stories later. The rumors are true. Park Kitchen will be opening for dinner on Sunday nights starting on January 9th. We've been trying to ignore your requests to have Sunday evening service for a few years but we've learned to listen to what our business is telling us. It's whispering, "Sunday night is calling. Your customers want it. Your landlord wants it. What are you waiting for." We're not going to wait any longer. Not only are we going to do it, we're going to do it like a proper Portlander...

We're going to offer Pork And Pinot Sundays.

Even for us vegivores, pork can always substitute as our favorite vegetable. Especially when it comes from Chris and Amy out at Square Peg Farm. That's why every Sunday will be a Pork And Pinot Sunday at Park Kitchen. We'll supply a generous green salad, a large plate focused on our favorite "other white meat" and a generous glass of Pinot Noir from the Beaver State. You, the dinner, simply supply $30 plus a tip. Easy. Cheap. Delicious. No thought involved. Of course we will have other fantastic choices for you to contemplate on Sundays but why make it hard? Pork And Pinot Sundays. Save your thought processes for the rest of the week.

There must be some catch here. In dark economic times, we can't always wear our golden speedos. In order for us to focus our attention on dinner 7 nights a week for the rest of our lives, we are putting Park Kitchen's lunch up on the chopping block. December 24th will be the last lunch at Park Kitchen. We've put a lot of thought into this decision. We know that there are a lot of regular customers that prefer Park Kitchen lunches to Park Kitchen dinners. In order for us to sustain the level of work that we put into our food and service, we felt that we needed to focus on one service. We put a lot of work into what we believed to be the best lunch in town. It was fast and affordable. It was delicious and restorative. All of the same meticulously sourced ingredients. The same technique. The same gracious and warm service. Arguably the best house made hot dog outside of Chicago. Half the price. It was a business owners poster child for a labor of love. We feel that this is the right time for us to make the decision to focus on dinner. For our regular lunch customers (you know who you are) Park Kitchen offer's our heartfelt appreciation for your patronage. In many ways, we will miss it as much as you will. Come and get your hot dogs while they last. Don't miss Bubba's Swan Song either. (It's a duck confit sloppy joe)

scott