The Original Dinerant, or simply The Original, was a

diner A diner is a type of restaurant found across the United States and Canada, as well as parts of Western Europe and Australia. Diners offer a wide range of cuisine, mostly American cuisine, a casual atmosphere, and, characteristically, a comb ...

serving

American cuisine American cuisine consists of the cooking style and traditional dishes prepared in the United States. It has been significantly influenced by Europeans, Indigenous Americans, Africans, Latin Americans, Asians, Pacific Islanders, and many other ...

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, United States. Owned by Sage Hospitality Resources,

Guy Fieri Guy Ramsay Fieri (, ; Ferry; born January 22, 1968) is an American restaurateur, author, and an Emmy Award winning television presenter. He co-owned three now-defunct restaurants in California. He licenses his name to restaurants in cities a ...

visited the "modern" and "upscale" diner to film a 2016 episode of the

Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery, who manages and operates it as a division of the Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks Group. The channel airs both televi ...

's ''

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives ''Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives'' (often nicknamed ''Triple D'' and stylized as ''Diners, Drive-Ins, Dives'') is an American food reality television series that has aired on the Food Network since April 23, 2007. It is hosted by Guy Fieri, and in ...

''. The diner hosted

competitive eating Competitive eating, or speed eating, is a sport in which participants compete against each other to eat large quantities of food, usually in a short time period. Contests are typically eight to ten minutes long, although some competitions can l ...

contests and other special events. The Original received a generally positive reception and was most known for its glazed

doughnut A doughnut or donut () is a type of pastry made from leavened fried dough. It is popular in many countries and is prepared in various forms as a sweet snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, supermarkets, food stalls, and fran ...

sliders Slider or Sliders may refer to: Arts * K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise * '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex * ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series * ...

and

alcoholic Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World Hea ...

milkshakes A milkshake (sometimes simply called a shake) is a sweet beverage made by blending milk, ice cream, and flavorings or sweeteners such as butterscotch, caramel sauce, chocolate syrup, or fruit syrup into a thick, sweet, cold mixture. It may a ...

. The restaurant's

mezzanine A mezzanine (; or in Italian, a ''mezzanino'') is an intermediate floor in a building which is partly open to the double-height ceilinged floor below, or which does not extend over the whole floorspace of the building, a loft with non-sloped ...

level had an

amusement arcade An amusement arcade, also known as a video arcade, amusements, arcade, or penny arcade (an older term), is a venue where people play arcade games, including arcade video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, mercha ...

and bar called The Dinercade added in early 2019. The Original Dinerant closed permanently.

Description

The Original Dinerant, billed as "the downtown destination for all-day Portland dining", was a

at the intersection of Southwest Sixth Avenue and Oak Street in

downtown Portland Downtown Portland is the central business district of Portland, Oregon, United States. It is on the west bank of the Willamette River in the northeastern corner of the southwest section of the city and where most of the city's high-rise buildi ...

with a "

retro Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from the past, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. It has been argued that there is a nostalgia cycle in popular culture. Definition The term ...

mom-and-pop Small businesses are types of corporations, partnerships, or sole proprietorships which have a small number of employees and/or less annual revenue than a regular-sized business or corporation. Businesses are defined as "small" in terms of being ...

vibe", according to ''

Eater Portland ''Eater'' is a food website by Vox Media. It was co-founded by Lockhart Steele and Ben Leventhal in 2005, and originally focused on dining and nightlife in New York City. Eater launched a national site in 2009, and covered nearly 20 cities by 2 ...

'' Alex Frane. The website's

Byron Beck Byron Beck (born January 25, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player. A 6 foot 9 inch forward/ center from the University of Denver, Beck was one of six players (along with Louie Dampier, Gerald Govan, Bob Netolicky, St ...

described the restaurant as "upscale", and Matthew Korfhage of ''

Willamette Week ''Willamette Week'' (''WW'') is an alternative weekly newspaper and a website published in Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1974. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture. History Early history '' ...

'' called it a "modern all-day diner". The diner's upstairs

and bar was called The Dinercade which had the video arcade games ''Area 51 and'' '' House of the Dead'', and the pinball machines ''Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast'', ''

Jurassic Park ''Jurassic Park'', later referred to as ''Jurassic World'', is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton, centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of De-extinction#Cloning, cloned dinosaurs. It bega ...

'', and '' The Walking Dead'' in 2019. When the Dinercade opened in 2019, it and the Original closed at 10:00 pm on weekdays and at midnight on weekends.

History

The diner was owned by Sage Hospitality Resources. BJ Smith left the executive chef role in April 2011. Beck had credited Smith for "toning down" the diner's "original twisted takes on the traditional diner menu". Ryan Bleibtrey was a chef by June. David Anderson was the head chef from Fall 2013 to September 2014. AJ Voytko, who wanted to bring a more "seasonal approach" to the menu, replaced him in December.

visited the restaurant for the Food Network's ''

'' in 2016, during Voytko's tenure. According to ''

'' Mattie John Bamman, Fieri's visit was prompted by the chef who had "earned a reputation for over-the-top diner classics, like a grilled cheese involving shoestring fries". Voytko's departure was announced in December 2017. Roscoe Roberson was a chef, as of November 2017. Meaghan Goedde was the general manager in 2011, and Jeremy Intille was the pastry chef in 2015. The "secret" food menu was launched in June 2016. Specific entrees were advertised on the business'

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

account, which patrons could then order by showing the entree to wait staff. In February 2019, the diner added a retro style arcade and bar to the upper

level with old and new

arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily game of skill, games of skill and in ...

s and

pinball Pinball games are a family of games in which a ball is propelled into a specially designed table where it bounces off various obstacles, scoring points either en route or when it comes to rest. Historically the board was studded with nails call ...

machines, called The Dinercade. The restaurant closed permanently.

Events

The restaurant hosted

contests. The annual

hot dog A hot dog is a grilled, steamed, or boiled sausage served in the slit of a partially sliced bun. The term ''hot dog'' can also refer to the sausage itself. The sausage used is a wiener ( Vienna sausage) or a frankfurter ( Frankfurter Würs ...

competition challenged participants to consume as many wieners as possible within ten minutes. The event also served as a fundraiser; the third contest in 2011 benefited the Children's Hospital Travel Fund. The 2010 contest resulted in a draw, and during 2009–2010, two out of three winners were women. This prompted the name for the 2011 event to be changed to "(Wo)man vs. Dog". The "Poutine Challenge" was created in early April 2011. Participants who successfully consume of

poutine Poutine () is a dish of french fries and cheese curds topped with a hot brown gravy. It emerged in Quebec in the late 1950s in the Centre-du-Québec region, though its exact origins are uncertain, and there are several competing claims regar ...

(

French fries French fries, or simply fries, also known as chips, and finger chips (Indian English), are '' batonnet'' or '' julienne''-cut deep-fried potatoes of disputed origin. They are prepared by cutting potatoes into even strips, drying them, and f ...

cheese curds Cheese curds are moist pieces of curdled milk, eaten either alone as a snack, or used in prepared dishes. They are most often consumed throughout the northern United States and Canada. Notably, cheese curds are popular in Quebec, as part of th ...

, and brown

gravy Gravy is a sauce made from the juices of meats and vegetables that run naturally during cooking and often thickened with thickeners for added texture. The gravy may be further coloured and flavoured with gravy salt (a mix of salt and caramel food ...

) in 30 minutes or less earn the meal for free. Unsuccessful attempts cost participants $25; they are gifted a T-shirt for the attempt. The challenge was first completed in October 2011. The challenge was discontinued by April 2016. The restaurant offered special menus for other events. For the "Hot Dog & Beer Dinner" special event in July 2011 commemorating Oregon Craft Beer Month, the diner served a four-course, hot dog-centered meal with beers by Astoria-based

Fort George Brewery Fort George Brewery is a craft brewery in the northwest United States located in Astoria, Oregon. The brewery produces about 34,000 beer barrels annually and is distributed throughout Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Northern California. It is the 9 ...

. The Original hosted the after-party for the pig cook-off known as Cochon 555 in March 2012; the event's menu included bacon apple

fritters A fritter is a portion of meat, seafood, fruit, vegetables, or other ingredients which have been battered or breaded, or just a portion of dough without further ingredients, that is deep-fried. Fritters are prepared in both sweet and savory var ...

' deviled ham,

smoked Smoking is the process of flavoring, browning, cooking, or preserving food, particularly meat, fish and tea, by exposing it to smoke from burning or smoldering material, most often wood. In Europe, alder is the traditional smoking wood, but ...

trout Trout (: trout) is a generic common name for numerous species of carnivorous freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of which are members of the subfamily Salmoninae in the ...

and

Ritz Crackers Ritz Crackers is a brand of snack cracker introduced by Nabisco in 1934. The original style crackers are disc-shaped, lightly salted, and approximately in diameter. Each cracker has seven perforations and a finely scalloped edge. Today, the Ri ...

, pork

cotton candy Cotton candy, also known as candy floss (candyfloss) and fairy floss, is a spun sugar confection that resembles cotton. It is made by heating and liquefying sugar, and spinning it centrifugally through minute holes, causing it to rapidly cool ...

, bacon

fudge ''Fudge'' is a generic role-playing game system for use in freeform role-playing games. The name "''FUDGE''" was once an acronym for ''Freeform Universal Donated'' (later, ''Do-it-yourself'') ''Gaming Engine'' and, though the acronym has since b ...

, and pork soda. For

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...

in 2017, a prix-fixe menu included turkey, glazed

ham Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term '' ...

or confit portobello mushroom and squash, a green or

Caesar salad A Caesar salad (also spelled Cesar, César and Cesare), also known as Caesar's salad, is a green salad of romaine lettuce and croutons dressed with lemon juice (or lime juice), olive oil, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, anchovies, garlic, Dijon ...

, and

chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...

, bourbon-

pecan The pecan ( , , ; ''Carya illinoinensis'') is a species of hickory native to the Southern United States and northern Mexico in the region of the Mississippi River. The tree is cultivated for its seed primarily in the U.S. states of Georgia ( ...

pumpkin pie Pumpkin pie is a dessert pie with a spiced, pumpkin-based custard filling. The pumpkin and pumpkin pie are both a symbol of harvest time, and pumpkin pie is generally eaten during the fall and early winter. In the United States and Canada it is u ...

for dessert.

Reception

Fieri called the chicken and waffles "another standout". Shana Lynch of Delish.com included The Salty Jim on her 2016 list of the thirteen "most insane freakshakes" in the United States, calling the drink "one that you won't want to miss". In her 2017 overview of twenty-one "great Portland restaurants that take reservations for bruch", Samantha Bakall of ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the West Coast of the United States, U.S. West Coast, founded as a weekly by Tho ...

'' wrote, "Downtown Portland's modern diner, The Original is often more known for their boozy shakes and quick cocktails than slick brunch reservations. On weekend mornings, build your own burger, make your own chicken and waffles or stick to the classics with chicken fried steak." The newspaper's Olivia Dimmer wrote in her 2017 overview of Portland's ice cream options, "If Yelp reviews are an indication of a good boozy milkshake, The Original is the spot to be for a grown-up version of the summertime treat. With flavors like bourbon salted caramel and maple bacon, how can you go wrong?" Lizzy Acker of ''The Oregonian'' called the glazed doughnut sliders "out of control" in her 2018 overview of "food-type things that are really only for Instagram". In a 2019 overview of downtown Portland's

happy hours Happy hour is a marketing term for a time when a venue such as a restaurant or bar offers reduced prices on alcoholic drinks. Discounted menu items like appetizers are often served during happy hour. This is a way for bars and restaurants to d ...

, one ''

Portland Mercury ''Portland Mercury'' is an alternative bi-weekly newspaper and media company founded in 2000 in Portland, Oregon. It has a sibling publication in Seattle, Washington, called '' The Stranger''. History A prior version of ''The Mercury'' was ...

'' contributor wrote:

I'm a big fan of the Original for pancake-y brunching and big-burger lunching. As for their happy hour? Well, their comfort food steez doesn't always translate well to after-work drinks and bites. For example, donut burger sliders are just too whimsical for me. And while their poutine, ladled with gravy and cheese curds, doesn't exactly sing, their meatloaf sliders are a yummy cardiac arrest. Happy hour drinks are limited to a couple of wines, alcoholic milkshakes and floats, and a 'daily punch'—mine was a rum and pineapple, which was okay. Their happy hour seems like an afterthought, so maybe stick to lunching/brunching instead.

In his 2019 review of The Dinercade, ''Willamette Week'' Pete Cottell said the "half-cooked imitation of Ground Kontrol" offers "casual fun for small groups who just want something to do with their hands in between sips of one of the Original's trademark boozy milkshakes". He considered the pinball variety limited, writing, "you'll mostly find bad sequels to shooters ... in place of their popular originals, which made us wonder whether the cabinets were consciously hand-selected by someone who didn't know better or simply part of a package deal when a like-minded operation failed to sniff any success when offered their availability". Cottell complimented The Original for making "some of the best stoner food you can find in the neighborhood", but opined:

Unfortunately for the Original Dinerant, the upright inballcabinets tend to be too glitchy, slow-moving or just plain outdated, which means even the average player will seek out reliably working coin-operated entertainment elsewhere... The occasional ''Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives'' tourist may be too stoked about entering Flavortown to care that the gun on the bar's first-person shooter is buggy and won't kill any zombies or raptors. Beyond that, the Original should consider hitting the reset button."

Zagat The ''Zagat Survey'', commonly referred to as Zagat (stylized in all caps; , ) and established by Tim and Nina Zagat in 1979, is an organization which collects and correlates the ratings of restaurants by diners. For their first guide, coverin ...

gave the diner ratings of 4.6 for food, 4.5 for decor, and 4.4 for service, each on a scale of 5. The guide said:

A menu to suit any palate lures a Downtown crowd to this nouveau diner slinging affordable classics inspired by seasonal, local ingredients plus a few oddities that'll make you smile (e.g. Fruit Loops pancakes); the super-cool, modern bi-level space is outfitted with booths, counter seating and a bar dispensing housemade sodas plus cocktails, beer and wine."

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Original Dinerant Amusement arcades Defunct diners in Oregon Defunct restaurants in Southwest Portland, Oregon Diners in Portland, Oregon