Lucier (restaurant)

Lucier
Lucier occupied the space which later housed Dough Zone (pictured in 2022)
Map
Restaurant information
EstablishedMay 2008 (2008-05)
ClosedDecember 2008 (2008-12)
Owner(s)
  • Chris and Tyanne Dussin of the Dussin Group
  • Pascal Chureau
ChefPascal Chureau
Food typeEuropean
Street address1910 South River Drive
CityPortland
CountyMultnomah
StateOregon
Postal/ZIP Code97201
CountryUnited States
Coordinates45°30′29.5″N 122°40′21″W / 45.508194°N 122.67250°W / 45.508194; -122.67250
Seating capacity100

Lucier was a restaurant in Portland, Oregon, that specialized in European cuisine.[1] The business, which was described as "the most opulent restaurant space in Portland history", only operated for seven months in 2008. News outlets described the failed venture as "the most colossal faceplant in Portland dining history"[2] and the city's "greatest restaurant boondoggle".[3] Lucier was the only restaurant in Oregon that the American Automobile Association awarded with four diamonds.

Description

Lucier was a restaurant located at RiverPlace[4] in South Portland's South Waterfront district. Martin Cizmar of Willamette Week described Lucier as "the most opulent restaurant space in Portland history".[5] The Oregonian said the "ultra-contemporary showpiece" restaurant was named after French-Canadian fur trader Étienne Lucier.[6]

The Oregonian's Michael Russell said Lucier was housed in a "prow-like building" with cantilevered windows and views of the Willamette River.[7] The 7,600-square-foot (710 m2)[8] interior had "one-of-a-kind features", including "a marble wall milled with abstract swimming designs", a "shimmering" canal that was also described as a lazy river and water channel[2][9] lined with iridescent gold tiles, and "oversized chandeliers made from bronze tubes of varying heights".[10] According to Christina Melander of The Oregonian, Lucier had African hardwoods, custom-leather furniture made in Italy, and a "brigade-style" kitchen.[11] The restaurant had silver front doors, twenty glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly, leather-padded bathroom walls, and a bar "capped by a gold dome designed to resemble the sun".[7]

The dining room accommodated approximately 100 people.[12][13] Lucier offered free valet parking.[14]

The menu included modern European cuisine[15][16] and, according to The Oregonian, "[encouraged] diners to create their own three, four or five course tasting menus—mixing and matching entrees and starters at will".[17] The newspaper said:

Menus comprise a la carte, bar and a seven-course chef's tasting menu that emphasizes a few ingredients—tomatoes and the red mullet fish rouget, for example—throughout the entire meal. To encourage diners to try luxury items like Kobe beef and live scallops in the shell, the kitchen will prepare them in tiny portions, coupling, say, an ounce of Wagyu beef with a New York steak to demonstrate the difference.[11]

Lucier's executive chef said the food "[pulled] flavors from Morocco, Italy and Portugal as well as from France, and [borrowed] techniques from Japan".[11] The foie gras had coconut foam, macadamia nut "glass" similar to brittle, and a piece of pineapple. The halibut was prepared sous vide. The striped bass carpaccio had yuzu, olives, and currants. A dish called The Egg was a "lightly scrambled duck egg served in its shell topped with sevruga caviar and accompanied by teardrop-shaped brioche toasts". The butter-poached lamb was served with sweetbreads, pea shoots and fingerling potatoes.[17]

The wine list had 1,600 labels.[18] Two-hundred Champagnes were available by the glass.[11]

History

Lucier opened in May 2008[19][20] in a building that was owned by Onder Development.[8] Alvarez + Brock oversaw a $4 million design.[10] Spouses[21] Chris and Tyanne Dussin of the Dussin Group were co-owners of Lucier.[22][23] Food writer Karen Brooks of The Oregonian said the duo "banked on a dramatic river view, a theatrical menu, a wine list with world-class aspirations and price tags bound to make value-loving Portlanders flinch".[24]

Pascal Chureau was a co-owner and executive chef.[18][25] Top Chef: Boston contestants Doug Adams and Jeremy Niehuss were chefs at Lucier.[26][27][28] Kristen D. Murray, who later opened a restaurant named Maurice, was a pastry chef.[29][30] Prior to opening Ox, Gregory and Gabrielle Quinonez were cooks at Lucier.[31][32]

The Oregonian's Christina Melander said Lucier was Portland's most-expensive restaurant, as of September–October 2008.[33][34]

Closure

Lucier closed in December 2008 after operating for seven months.[8][35] Chris Dussin attributed the closure to the Great Recession.[36]

Willamette Week called the restaurant's short lifespan "the most colossal faceplant in Portland dining history"[2] and Portland Business Journal called the venture a "failure".[37] Michael Russell of The Oregonian said Lucier was "Portland's greatest restaurant boondoggle",[3] the city's "most spectacular restaurant failure" and "most notorious flop",[7][38] and a "doomed extravagance".[39] Ted Sickinger called the restaurant an "extravaganza that became the most spectacular flameout in the pantheon of Portland eateries",[40] and David Sarasohn called Lucier a "super-expensive flop" and "a monument to odd thinking and worse timing".[41] Gregory Denton said the closure was "a low point in [his] career" and "a considerable blow to the ego and a huge disappointment after all the work that we had put into" Lucier.[32]

The interior chandeliers in Dough Zone (pictured in 2022) are remnants of Lucier's $4 million design

In early 2010, news outlets reported on a possible reopening of Lucier.[42][43] Eater Portland's Eva Hagberg wrote; "Word is Dussin (perhaps having learned from his mistakes?) will, instead, be making the place 'little less high-end and a little more approachable' ".[44] The Oregonian said "Changes in decor consistent with Lucier's downscaling will also be made".[45] Eater Portland reported on Lucier's possible acquisition by San Francisco-based Lark Creek Restaurant Group.[46] The Dussin Group put its lease on the venue on the market in October 2011.[47] Keeler Hospitality Group signed a sublease in 2012 and the Dussin Group continued to pay "part of the original lease's five-figure monthly rent".[7]

The space that had housed Lucier remained unoccupied until 2013.[48] The restaurant was replaced by Quartet[10] and later by Dough Zone.[49][50]

Reception

Lucier was the only restaurant in Oregon the American Automobile Association awarded four diamonds.[36][51] Writing for the San Francisco Examiner, Lisa Zimmerman described it as Portland's "most notable restaurant new comer", and praised the architecture and service while questioning the food-and-wine pairings.[52] Wendy Culverwell of Portland Business Journal wrote: "Lucier Restaurant opened and closed so quickly in 2008 that many people never had a chance to see its stunning setting".[53] Fred Armstrong of Oregon Wine Press said Lucier "seemed better suited to Manhattan than Portland".[23] Chef Pascal Chureau said criticism of the restaurant was "unfair".[54]

The Oregonian

In June 2008, Michael C. Zusman of The Oregonian wrote: "Lucier at RiverPlace is the most elegantly appointed restaurant to open in Portland in decades, if not ever." He disliked the foie gras, which he said "[showed] an early tendency toward creativity for creativity's sake, rather than putting clean and clear flavors first". Zusman said the halibut was "inexplicably dry", and complimented The Egg, the striped bass carpaccio, and the butter-poached lamb. His review ended: "Clearly, Lucier is a place to watch".[17]

In August 2008, the newspaper's Gerry Frank wrote:

In what is arguably one of the most dramatic and attractive restaurant settings in inland Oregon, visitors to Lucier will have quite an experience. Co-owners Tyanne and Chris Dussin and executive chef and co-owner Pascal Chureau have created a magnificent room filled with gorgeous glass art pieces crowned with a striking Willamette River view. Sophisticated diners will find the menu appealing and the food delicious; meat-and-potato types may not be so enthralled. With soaring prices (the tasting menu peaks at $100) and over-the-top pretentious service, it's yet to be determined whether this venue will be more than a one-time destination.[55]

In November 2008, the newspaper's Sara Perry called Lucier a "stunning and sophisticated ... restaurant that's capturing the attention of people who want to celebrate and dine in style".[56] Karen Brooks gave the restaurant a rating of C−.[57][58] She wrote: "after four visits and a deep exploration of the menu, I'm sorry to say that the concept is about as viable as the auto industry: a money guzzler, out of touch and running on empty ideas". She called the cooking "gimmicky" and said "Lucier feels forced and artificial, like an American Express vision of privilege".[24] She also wrote: "instead of a through-line of restrained elegance, we get Dining in Dubai, or 1980s Vegas, with fun-house mirror columns, display case after display case of gaudy blown glass and Sinatra belting out 'My Kind of Town' ".[24] Her review ended: "Lucier neither improves on Portland nor feels of Portland. It doesn't even seem for Portland. It's like a spec house on the Street of Dreams, with all the upgrades but no one to answer the door."[24]

A review published by The Oregonian in December 2008 said: "Portland's most expensive restaurant goes for the glitz on the waterfront but overreaches in style and substance, delivering only with first-rate desserts. ... Look for the simplest preparations—seasonal salads, roast duck, an aged rib-eye. All desserts are good, but don't miss the changing souffle, vacherin or mille-feuille offerings."[59] The Oregonian said Lucier "never caught on. Reviews in Willamette Week, Portland Monthly and ... The Oregonian criticized the food and the prices the restaurant demanded".[22]

In 2010, The Oregonian's Roger Porter called Chureau's tenure as Lucier's first executive chef "disastrous".[60] He also called Lucier "the most overpriced and underwhelming restaurant in Portland's history, which closed to few regrets".[61] In his 2016 overview of "97 long-gone Portland restaurants we wish were still around", Grant Butler wrote:

OK, this ridiculously extravagant waterfront restaurant may have been the biggest dining belly-flop in recent years, opening and closing in a matter of months in 2008. But those views of the Willamette! And those over-the-top Dale Chihuly sculptures, which were pretty magnificent when seen up close. The expensive food may have been a mess, but the desserts put pastry chef Kristen Murray on the map, and for that we are forever grateful.[62]

References

  1. ^ "Lucier defies economy, sets posh table". Portland Tribune. June 11, 2008. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "Quartet Finally Closes". Willamette Week. March 26, 2014. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Russell, Michael (February 1, 2013). "Quartet to open in former Lucier space, once home to Portland's greatest restaurant boondoggle". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on April 16, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  4. ^ Culverwell, Wendy (May 25, 2008). "Upscale dining comes to South Waterfront's Strand". Portland Business Journal. Archived from the original on May 21, 2013. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  5. ^ Cizmar, Martin (November 4, 2014). "Dec. 13, 2008: The fanciest restaurant in Portland's history crashes in only seven months…". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on October 21, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  6. ^ Santen Jr., J. David (June 12, 2008). "Storefronts". The Oregonian. p. 14.
  7. ^ a b c d Russell, Michael (February 3, 2013). "Quartet: a restaurant's revival". The Oregonian.
  8. ^ a b c Russell, Michael (October 20, 2011). "Lucier space in South Waterfront up for sale or lease". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  9. ^ Melander, Christina (April 20, 2008). "Casual, thrifty dining on Portland's menu". The Oregonian. pp. E01.
  10. ^ a b c DeJesus, Erin (February 13, 2013). "Behold the Delightfully Opulent Dining Room of Quartet". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  11. ^ a b c d Melander, Christina (May 23, 2008). "Platter". The Oregonian. pp. AE18.
  12. ^ Yorkshire, Heidi (July 29, 2008). "The Trophy Wife". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on May 13, 2018. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  13. ^ Brooks, Karen (February 16, 2007). "Platter: Can Portland think big?". The Oregonian. p. 23. We just learned that Lucier, a 7,600-square-foot, 100-seat waterfront restaurant, plans to open in November just south of RiverPlace in a stand-alone glass-and-steel building set among a new trio of condo towers called The Stand.
  14. ^ Davis, Camas (May 19, 2009). "Smooth Operator". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on August 15, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  15. ^ Davis, Camas (May 19, 2009). "Lucier". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on May 16, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  16. ^ "Dussin clan forms new concept development co". Nation's Restaurant News. June 2, 2008. Archived from the original on September 12, 2014. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  17. ^ a b c Zusman, Michael C. (June 13, 2008). "Platter". The Oregonian. p. 22.
  18. ^ a b Brinckman, Jonathan (June 6, 2008). "Eatery serves opposites --fast, upscale". The Oregonian. pp. B01.
  19. ^ "Lucier shuts down". Portland Business Journal. December 11, 2008. Archived from the original on May 6, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  20. ^ Coleman, Patrick Alan (December 11, 2008). "Lucier to Close: Temporarily (?)". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  21. ^ "Hydro Hogs". Willamette Week. July 29, 2015. Archived from the original on November 29, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  22. ^ a b "Lucier shuts its doors". The Oregonian. December 12, 2008. Archived from the original on May 21, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  23. ^ a b "High-Class Problem". Oregon Wine Press. January 31, 2011. Archived from the original on April 21, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  24. ^ a b c d Brooks, Karen (December 5, 2008). "Lucier doesn't fit Portland". The Oregonian. pp. R19.
  25. ^ Pulaski, Alex (October 7, 2010). "Q&A with Allium chef/owner Pascal Chureau: A taste for suburbia". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  26. ^ Russell, Michael (September 16, 2016). "Doug Adams shares vision for restaurant". The Oregonian. p. 06. He moved to Portland in 2008 and took a job at Lucier, the doomed South Waterfront restaurant, where he first met Greg Denton (Ox, SuperBite), whom he credits with inspiring his love of cooking. From Lucier, Adams went to Metrovino, then joined Paley at his Northwest Portland restaurant, Paley's Place.
  27. ^ Russell, Michael (January 18, 2015). "Bouncing back from bad day on 'Top Chef'". The Oregonian. p. 02. Adams, a Texas native, amateur fly fisherman and bluegrass aficionado, attended school in Montana, then moved to Portland for culinary school, landing his first fine-dining gig at Lucier just in time to watch the famed South Waterfront restaurant implode.
  28. ^ "On our desk - 'University of Oregon Ducks". The Oregonian. January 8, 2013. Plans include dinners with executive chef Jeremy Niehuss, formerly of In Good Taste, Fenouil and Lucier; canning classes; and urban gardening programs.
  29. ^ Russell, Michael (July 25, 2014). "desserts, but not just Whatever you call Maurice—a cafe, a bakery, a dessert bar—call it delicious". The Oregonian. p. 19. Yet, for the past seven years or so, as she has stood at the top of Portland's pastry heap during successive posts at Lucier, Fenouil, Paley's Place and more, Kristen D. Murray has found occasions to sprinkle crumbs in interviews, clues that her future might hold something more personal, something less formal, something that embraces passion over perfection.
  30. ^ Roger, Porter; Gelber, Teri; Sarasohn, David; Melander, Christina; Melander, Christina (July 12, 2009). "Diner 2009: Still got money? Blow it here Drama, food art, special nights STANDOUT OF THE YEAR". The Oregonian.
  31. ^ Sarasohn, David (June 21, 2013). "Ox tale: The story of The Oregonian's 2013 Restaurant of the Year starts with age-old fire and charts the evolution of two chefs". The Oregonian. But when they relocated here, they faced the ordeal of cooking at Lucier, the most spectacular failure in recent Portland restaurant history, reminding them that a restaurant has to be about what diners want.
  32. ^ a b Zusman, Michael C. (June 24, 2010). "2010 Comeback". The Oregonian. A short while later he took a job as executive sous-chef at Lucier. The story of that ill-fated restaurant has been recited often enough. For Denton, Lucier's brief, disappointing run ended with unemployment just before the holidays in 2008. He says the closure was 'a considerable blow to the ego and a huge disappointment after all the work that we had put into it. It was definitely a low point in my career.'
  33. ^ Melander, Christina (September 26, 2008). "Fall's menu specialty: optimism". The Oregonian. pp. R18.
  34. ^ Melander, Christina (October 3, 2008). "platter: food finds, restaurant news and dining trends". The Oregonian. pp. R20.
  35. ^ Coleman, Patrick Alan. "Food News". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on April 21, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  36. ^ a b Foyston, John (December 24, 2008). "Portland's restaurant scene in trouble The recession closes the doors of many eateries, from high-end to down-home Dining doldrums The recession, and frigid weather, takes a big bite out of Portland's once-booming restaurant scene Restaurants: Business". The Oregonian. Chris Dussin, president of the Dussin Group, which operates Old Spaghetti Factory restaurants, Fenouil, Lucier and others, said earlier that poor financial performance because of the recession prompted the closure of Lucier. Dussin says he hopes to reopen Lucier --the only Oregon restaurant accorded four diamonds by the American Automobile Association --when the economy improves, perhaps next spring. Whether it reopens, Lucier's shooting-star arc is a symptom of the constellation of troubles facing Portland's vaunted restaurant scene.
  37. ^ Spencer, Malia (July 5, 2017). "From Lucier to Ox: Reliving Portland's food evolution with the city's newest James Beard winners". Portland Business Journal. Archived from the original on April 21, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  38. ^ Russell, Michael (September 11, 2012). "Pascal Chureau out at Brasserie Montmartre". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on April 21, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  39. ^ Russell, Michael (April 2, 2011). "Fenouil restaurant in Pearl District to close Sunday, the Dussin Group announces". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  40. ^ Sickinger, Ted (July 4, 2009). "Big and small restaurants in trouble". The Oregonian.
  41. ^ Sarasohn, David (July 5, 2013). "Environs at times outdo the food". The Oregonian.
  42. ^ Brooks, Karen; Zusman, Michael C. (January 29, 2010). "High hopes on the high end". The Oregonian. The short-lived Lucier, a multimillion-dollar gamble on destination south waterfront dining, is set to reopen early this summer at 1910 S.W. River Drive. From the day it opened in May 2008, Lucier was one of the most talked about restaurants in Portland history, with its luxe interior and grand ambitions{{subst:mdash}}and then its high-profile closure seven months later. Chris Dussin, whose Dussin Group owns the handsome, contemporary, stand-alone building, said the new incarnation will be a "little less high-end and a little more approachable" than the original. Decor changes will be made consistent with Lucier's downscaling, Dussin said, and a new chef will be hired to run the reimagined restaurant.
  43. ^ Zusman, Michael C. (March 28, 2010). "Food carts, burgers lead restaurant revival". The Oregonian. Nothing could be more emblematic of the rising tide than the announced summer reopening of the former Lucier space on the RiverPlace waterfront by its owner, the Dussin Group. Lucier was a foray at the high end that flamed out in December 2008 after only seven months amidst recessionary pressure and poor reviews. Little is known about the new incarnation other than it will be less ambitious{{subst:mdash}}and presumably less expensive --than the original.
  44. ^ Hagberg, Eva (January 21, 2010). "New Chefs Hit Fenouil; Lucier to Rise From the Ashes". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  45. ^ "Two high-profile restaurants refire: Lucier and Fenouil on the rise". The Oregonian. January 21, 2010. Archived from the original on December 18, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  46. ^ Beck, Byron (December 14, 2010). "Calif.'s Lark Creek Restaurant Group to Acquire Luxe Lucier?". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  47. ^ Russell, Michael (October 21, 2011). "Can Lucier story have a happy ending?". The Oregonian.
  48. ^ Culverwell, Wendy (April 29, 2013). "John Stewart pays $2.75M for ex-Lucier space". Portland Business Journal. Archived from the original on August 12, 2013. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  49. ^ "Dough Zone Has Injected New Life Into the Former Lucier Space on the South Waterfront". Willamette Week. June 15, 2022. Archived from the original on September 10, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  50. ^ Hale, Jamie (November 18, 2021). "Dumpling house Dough Zone plans Portland riverfront opening in former Lucier space". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on April 14, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  51. ^ "Business". The Oregonian. December 5, 2008. Lucier restaurant on downtown Portland's waterfront has been named Oregon's only 2009 four-diamond restaurant by AAA.
  52. ^ Zimmerman, Lisa (June 17, 2008). "The rain in Spain is mostly in Oregon". San Francisco Examiner.
  53. ^ Culverwell, Wendy (April 30, 2013). "Gallery: Lucier space a gem hidden in plain sight". Portland Business Journal. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  54. ^ DeJesus, Erin (October 7, 2010). "Pascal Chureau on Lucier Criticism: "I Think That Was Unfair"". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  55. ^ Frank, Gerry (August 3, 2008). "Frankly Speaking: Oregon byways brim with dining, lodging and shopping options". The Oregonian. p. T02.
  56. ^ Perry, Sara (November 23, 2008). "Holiday surprise: Rogue Ale Ice Cream with Stumptown Spice Cake". The Oregonian.
  57. ^ Brooks, Karen (December 10, 2008). "Restaurant review: Lucier". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  58. ^ Hale, Jamie (December 3, 2021). "Dumpling house Dough Zone coming to Portland riverfront The Seattle franchise will open in the former Lucier space". The Oregonian. p. 012. Lucier, which attempted to emulate the kind of fine dining experience found in New York or Paris, received poor reviews in The Oregonian, Portland Monthly and Willamette Week, all of which blasted the restaurant's over-the-top aesthetic and underwhelming menu. Food critic Karen Brooks, then writing for The Oregonian, critiqued a dissonance between the upscale decor and the poor food in a C- review published just before the restaurant closed. 'The feeling of disconnect peaked one night while sitting in an oversized leather chair, hunched over an undersized—but glitzy!—table, trying to eat caviar from a hollowed-out egg served on a pedestal with a fancy silver spoon,' Brooks wrote. 'Maybe it worked for the shah of Iran.' Head chef Pascal Chureau called the criticism "unfair" in a 2010 interview with The Oregonian, though he acknowledged Lucier was a poor concept for Portland.
  59. ^ "Review: Lucier". The Oregonian. December 5, 2008.
  60. ^ Porter, Roger (May 7, 2010). "A feast for the eyes and the palate". The Oregonian.
  61. ^ Porter, Roger (October 2, 2009). "A top chef{{subst:mdash}}rebounds {{subst:mdash}}in top-flight". The Oregonian.
  62. ^ Butler, Grant (January 1, 2017). "Tasty memories: 97 long-gone Portland restaurants we wish were still around". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on December 28, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2022.