The venerated Italian eatery on SE Belmont will be closing its doors on Nov. 22nd. Karen Brooks of the Oregonian reports that owner, Kerry DuBuse, has decided that they cannot survive the economic downturn:
“I’ve seen serious recessions over the decades at Genoa,” DuBuse told The Oregonian, “but nothing to compare to the economic meltdown in which we now find ourselves. We cannot continue as an economically viable business.”
The 38 year old restaurant was a heavy hitter when Portland was wallowing in a dismal food scene, but Brooks suggests Genoa was just not nimble enough to compete with smaller, energetic neighborhood eateries.
The old, formal granddaddy of Italian dining in Portland will be missed. If only because it was a bit of Portland’s culinary history.
Didn’t have staying power; it’s obvious which side of the wheat/chaff divide this falls under.
Wait, what? They didn’t have staying power? Yeah, sure, 38 years is nothing. Ugh.
It was a response to one of Patrick’s other posts, Bubba. One in which he declared that restaurants closing was simply a matter of the wheat being separated from the chaff.
I believe “and the chaff is chaff for any number of reasons, only a part of which is the taste of the food–lousy service and management play their part too.”
Anyway, Genoa obviously didn’t have what it took to play the game. Good riddance to bad trash, right Patrick?
Jeez, if you have to log back on and explain a comment at that much length, maybe your irony is too darn fine for us non-Ivy-Leaguers.
Anywhoo, clearly, they are chaff, by virtue of deciding to be chaff. They closed. It might have been the best possible decision, but they are no longer managing a restaurant. So any merits of the place before are kind of irrelevant now, aren’t they? I vastly prefer eating at restaurants that EXIST.
My point exactly. Stating that a business going out of business is separating the wheat from the chaff is redundant to the point of inanity.
I banish you from thy kingdom. Ye are no cat.