Yeah, every time the weatherman predicts snow, I walk around work saying "forget it, we're not getting snow." I have a 95% success rate.

I have a bunion that predicts, with 100% accuracy, whether shoes are too tight.

(It's on my penis.)

Come on then, put your money where your mouth is. Name three restaurants that will close by the end of the year.

New thai restaurant on 26th and Belmont. Three months.

See, it's really fun to name names but it seems mean in a setting like this. That's what I'm trying to figure out.

Anything on the corner spot at MLK and Fremont seems doomed. DOOMED!

Yeah, MLK at Fremont doesn't seem to be the hot corner for fine dining all the restauranteurs seem to think it is. Stuff might have a better shot there if/when they develop the empty lot across the street.

Attempted threadjackin': it's crazy how fast N Williams is coming up since New Seasons broke ground. Those blocks between Williams and MLK north of Russell and south of Alberta are going to be gentrified right quick. It probably won't be 5-7 years before another pricey restaurant may actually be viable at MLK/Fremont.

MLK and Fremont is cursed, as is the spot next to Noble Rot on E Burnside. And also the one connected to the Wonder Ballroom where Trigger actually seems to be doing well...for now.

I feel like running a restaurant that's on a chef burial ground can't quite be blamed on the restaurateurs. But here's the big question: how long do we give that SoWa joint Beau Breedlove opened? I say gone by October.

One problem is that there seems to be about one restaurant for every two people in Portland, a city where half the people don't earn enough money to really eat in restaurants. So that's one earning household per restaurant. You better be a damn good restaurant.

The ultimate tell: the "Grand Opening" sign up weeks (sometimes months) after opening. At some point, the sign drives people away. At that point, restaurants need to have some faith in themselves.

I agree it's sort of mean-spirited to name names. Perhaps, Falcone, you could try some of these places, and if they're actually good, write them up. Talking with business owners, you can't underestimate how much even a blog post (forget a published article) can boost some of these places.

Ha! Came here to mention that noodle / pasta / whatever place on MLK and Fremont. It's just a shitty spot: little / no direct parking, low visibility despite being right on the corner of a major intersection, and plenty of cracktivity left across the street at the Mobil.

I don't know-that spot on Sandy where Killer Burger resides hosted at least 4 failed restaurants before they showed up and made a success of the place. That other spot on Sandy where Church is now also seemed doomed. Is it a right place/right time thing or maybe there is a trick to tailoring food to location?