Zefiro was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

and

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

restaurant in

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. The business operated from 1990 to 2000.

Description

The

and

restaurant Zefiro was located at the intersection of 21st and Glisan in

northwest Portland Northwest Portland is one of the sextants of Portland, Oregon, United States. Northwest Portland includes the Pearl District, most of Old Town Chinatown, the Northwest District, and various residential and industrial neighborhoods. A range of ...

's Northwest District. The interior had sponge-painted yellow walls and a copper-topped bar. The menu included

risotto Risotto ( , ; from , 'rice') is an Italian cuisine, Italian rice dish cooked with broth until it reaches a creamy consistency. The broth can be derived from meat, fish or vegetables. Many types of risotto contain butter, onion, white wine, a ...

and a

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 ...

. The dessert menu included

gelato Gelato (; ; ) refers to a specific type of ice cream of Italian origin. In Italian, ''Gelato'' is the common word for all types of ice cream. Artisanal gelato in Italy generally contains 6–9% butterfat, which is lower than other styles of ...

affogato Affogato (), or more fully (), is an Italian dessert comprising a scoop of gelato, either (plain milk-flavored) or vanilla, topped with espresso. Some variations add a shot of amaretto, , Kahlúa, or other liqueur. Varieties Cafés usual ...

and

sorbet Sorbet (, ) is a frozen dessert made using ice combined with fruit juice, fruit purée, or other ingredients, such as wine, liqueur, or honey. Sorbet does not contain dairy products. Sherbet is similar to sorbet, but contains dairy. Etymolog ...

History

Bruce Carey and Chris Israel opened the restaurant in 1990. Monique Siu and Sarah Wheaton have also been credited for helping the launch. The business closed in 2000.

Reception

In 1991, Zefiro was ''

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 ...

'' restaurant of the year. In 2007,

Eric Asimov Eric Asimov (born July 17, 1957) is an American wine and food critic for ''The New York Times''. Early life and education Asimov was born in Bethpage, New York, the son of Stanley Asimov, former vice-president for editorial administration at ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' said Zefiro "set a standard for Portland cooking". The restaurant has been described as "ground-breaking", a "Portland landmark", and "a key watershed moment in recent restaurant history in Portland". In 2017, Nick Zukin 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 '' ...

'' said "Bruce Carey changed Portland dining with Zefiro back in the '90s", and ''The Oregonian'''s Douglas Perry wrote, "Zefiro led the way to the enthusiastic, limited-frills foodie reputation that Portland now enjoys around the world."

References

{{Northwest District, Portland, Oregon 1990 establishments in Oregon 2000 disestablishments in Oregon Defunct Italian restaurants in Portland, Oregon Defunct Mediterranean restaurants Mediterranean restaurants in Portland, Oregon Defunct restaurants in Northwest District, Portland, Oregon Restaurants disestablished in 2000 Restaurants established in 1990

Description

History

Reception

See also

References