Bistro Agnes

Bistro Agnes was a French restaurant in Portland, Oregon, United States.[1][2][3] It was owned by chefs Greg Denton and Gabrielle Quiñónez Denton, opened in January 2018 and garnered a positive reception. The Oregonian and Portland Mercury included Bistro Agnes in lists of the city's best news restaurants, and Condé Nast Traveler included it in a list of Portland's 21 best. After temporarily closing during the COVID-19 pandemic, in January 2022, the owners confirmed the closure would be permanent.[4]

Bistro Agnes
The restaurant's exterior, 2021
Restaurant information
EstablishedJanuary 2018 (2018-01)
ClosedJanuary 2022 (2022-01)
Owner(s)
  • Greg Denton
  • Gabrielle Quiñónez Denton
Chef
  • Greg Denton
  • Gabrielle Quiñónez Denton
Food typeFrench
Street address527 Southwest 12th Avenue
CityPortland
CountyMultnomah
StateOregon
Postal/ZIP Code97205
CountryUnited States
Coordinates45.5214°N 122.6840°W / 45.5214; -122.6840
Websitebistroagnes.com

Description

Bistro Agnes operated at the intersection of Southwest 12th Avenue and Alder Street in downtown Portland's West End,[5] and was described as a "classic Paris bistro"[6] and a "French comfort food spot".[7] The interior had blue walls, brass railings, mirrors, and vintage French posters.[8] Eater Portland's Tim Forster called the restaurant a "French-style brasserie with classics like cassoulet and chicken liver mousse, and some American crossovers such as a cheeseburger with Bordelais sauce".[9]

The menu included French cuisine such as mussels marinière,[10] ratatouille,[6] a cassoulet with slow-cooked duck, roasted pork belly, toulouse sausage, coq au vin with wild mushrooms,[11] foie gras, and steak frites.[5] The restaurant has also served foie gras French toast,[12] onion soup with melted gruyère cheese, short-rib bourguignon,[13] smoked salmon carpaccio, steak tartare,[14] and a butter lettuce salad with dijon vinaigrette.[15] The drink menu included absinthe cocktails and Old World wine.[16]

History

Greg and Gabrielle Quiñónez Denton, who were previously chefs at Portland steakhouse Ox, opened Bistro Agnes on January 18, 2018, following a few soft-opening dinners.[17][18] Bistro Agnes operates in the space that was previously occupied by the restaurant Grüner.[5] Bistro Agnes, which was named after Greg's grandmother,[19] has been described as a "spin-off" of Ox,[20] and replaced the couple's short-lived small-plates restaurant SuperBite.[21][22]

According to Daniel P. Smith of FSR magazine, "To reinvent SuperBite as Bistro Agnes, the Dentons toned down the restaurant's existing blue walls, removed a five-seat chef counter, expanded the kitchen to accommodate a walk-in fridge, added track lighting in the dining room, and lowered the height of booths to provide better viewpoints into the restaurant."[23]

In April 2019, Bistro Agnes began serving brunch and lunch.[24][25] The restaurant was affiliated with ChefStable as of 2019.[26] Chase Dopson was a chef at Bistro Agnes.[27][28]

COVID-19 pandemic and closure
2023 photograph of Dolly Olive, which operates in the building which previously housed Bistro Agnes

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Dentons decided to close the restaurant for an extended period rather than invest tens of thousands of dollars to meet safety regulations. The business continued to owe $6,000 per month in rent during this time,[5] and the owners had hoped to reopen in 2021.[29]

In January 2022, the Dentons announced Bistro Agnes would not reopen,[30][31] saying: "The last two years have been challenging for many restaurants and small businesses, and in this case, we just don't see a path forward without drastically changing the concept to something that is not the restaurant that we built and love. We have turned over the keys to a new set of owners, and as much as it saddens us to no longer be in that space, we are very excited for it to thrive again."[5]

The cocktail bar Kask, which had operated alongside Grüner, was also sold.[5] Dolly Olive moved into the space Bistro Agnes had occupied.[32][33]

Reception
The restaurant's exterior, 2021

In 2018, Michael Russell included Bistro Agnes in The Oregonian's lists of Portland's 10 best new restaurants and downtown Portland's 40 best restaurants.[15][16] He also ranked the restaurant number 31 in the newspaper's 2019 list of the city's 40 best restaurants.[34] Writing for The Globe and Mail, Alyssa Schwartz said, "Bistro Agnes is so classically Parisian it almost comes full circle back to edgy."[35] Layla Schlack of Wine Enthusiast recommended Bistro Agnes "for beautifully prepared renditions of French cuisine".[36] Andrea Damewood included the bistro's French onion soup in the Portland Mercury's list of "2018's best bites from Portland's best new restaurants".[37]

Hannah Wallace included Bistro Agnes in Condé Nast Traveler's 2018 list of the 21 best restaurants in Portland.[38] She said the restaurant had "classic French comfort food executed with precision" and a "friendly, stylish French bistro" vibe. Wallace said Bistro Agnes offered "Parisian sophistication in PDX" with "affable and attentive" service and "awesome" wines.[39] In 2019, Pete Cottell of Willamette Week recommend the restaurant for "family-style French fare with a modern-American twist".[40] Bistro Agnes ranked fourth in Portland Business Journal's 2020 survey of readers' favorite restaurants.[41]

See also

References
  1. Perkins, Erin (January 17, 2018). "Bistro Agnes Shows Off French Classics and Le Cheeseburger Tomorrow". Eater Portland. Vox Media. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  2. Allchin, Catherine M. (November 1, 2018). "In Portland, Ore., a French Restaurant Serves the Classics". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  3. Waterbury, Margarett. "Bistro Agnes". Portrait Magazine. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  4. Guzior, Betsey (January 14, 2022). "Food: Omicron kills restaurant reopening momentum". Biz Women. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  5. Russell, Michael (January 13, 2022). "Downtown Portland's Bistro Agnes has served its last duck cassoulet". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  6. Jewell, Judy; McRae, W. C. (June 16, 2020). Moon Oregon. Avalon Publishing. ISBN 978-1-64049-873-0. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  7. Walsh, Chad. "Your Weekly Food and Drink Round-Up: Finally, Pretty Good Food News!". Portland Mercury. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  8. Tepler, Benjamin (January 17, 2018). "Inside Bistro Agnes, Downtown's New Old-School Frenchie Joint". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on January 1, 2023. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  9. Forster, Tim (February 7, 2018). "Philippe's Bread on N Williams is Now a Mexican-Leaning Bakery". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  10. Russell, Michael (February 28, 2018). "27 Portland Dining Month restaurants worth your money". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  11. "The Five Places We're Most Stoked to Eat This Week". Willamette Week. May 23, 2018. Archived from the original on December 27, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  12. "The 50 Best Foodie Towns in America". The Daily Meal. January 4, 2019. Archived from the original on January 1, 2023. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  13. "Bistro Agnes". Willamette Week. December 4, 2018. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  14. "At Bistro Agnes, the Wild Duo behind Ox Plays French Food Straight". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  15. Russell, Michael (July 26, 2018). "Downtown Portland's 40 best restaurants". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  16. Russell, Michael (July 11, 2018). "These are Portland's 10 best new restaurants of 2018". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  17. Russell, Michael (January 17, 2018). "Portland restaurant news: 10 things you need to know this month". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  18. Russell, Michael (January 16, 2021). "Portland restaurants are 'hibernating.' What does that mean, and will they ever return?". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  19. Damewood, Andrea. "Bistro Agnes: Turning French Cuisine Up to 11". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  20. Russell, Michael (December 29, 2019). "Meet Portland's restaurants of the decade". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on August 13, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  21. Forster, Tim (January 10, 2018). "SuperBite Replacement Bistro Agnes Now Has An Opening Date". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  22. Sawyer, Adam (October 1, 2018). Unique Eats and Eateries of Portland, Oregon. Reedy Press LLC. ISBN 978-1-68106-186-3. Archived from the original on December 27, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  23. Smith, Daniel P. (February 2018). "5 Tips for Remodeling Your Restaurant". FSR Magazine. Archived from the original on January 1, 2023. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  24. Brooks, Karen (March 28, 2018). "Downtown's Bistro Agnes Launches Lunch Service". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on September 26, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  25. Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (April 10, 2019). "This Swanky Downtown Bistro Is Getting Into the Brunch Game". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  26. Wong, Peter (December 12, 2019). "Historic Beaverton bank building will house a restaurant and bar". Beaverton Valley Times. Pamplin Media Group. OCLC 36326468. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  27. "Handmade Pasta Comes to St. Johns with Pastificio D'oro". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  28. Wong, Janey (September 15, 2022). "Handmade Pasta Pop-Up Pastificio d'Oro Will Open Its Own St. Johns Restaurant". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on September 29, 2022. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  29. Brooks, Karen (December 29, 2020). "The Departed: Sorrowful for Portland's Restaurant Scene". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on January 27, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  30. Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (January 12, 2022). "Downtown French Spot Bistro Agnes Will Not Reopen". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  31. Bjorke, Christopher (December 16, 2022). "Here are the restaurants Portland lost in 2022". Portland Business Journal. Archived from the original on December 23, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  32. Hamilton, Katherine Chew (February 1, 2022). "Dolly Olive Will Take Over the Former Bistro Agnes Space This Spring". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on December 20, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  33. Russell, Michael (November 21, 2022). "Here are Portland's 25 best new restaurants for 2022". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  34. Russell, Michael (July 31, 2019). "Portland's 40 best restaurants, ranked". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on April 19, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  35. Schwartz, Alyssa (October 22, 2018). "Neighbourhood Stroll: How to take in Portland's pedestrian-friendly downtown". The Globe and Mail. The Woodbridge Company. ISSN 0319-0714. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  36. Schlack, Layla (December 10, 2018). "Local Meets Global in Portland, Oregon". Wine Enthusiast. ISSN 1078-3318. Archived from the original on January 26, 2019. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  37. Andrea Damewood. "2018's Best Bites from Portland's Best New Restaurants". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on January 1, 2023. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  38. "21 Best Restaurants in Portland, OR". Condé Nast Traveler. Condé Nast. December 24, 2018. Archived from the original on January 26, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  39. "Bistro Agnes, Downtown Portland, Portland, Oregon, United States - Restaurant Review". Condé Nast Traveler. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  40. "Meat Mansions". Willamette Week. November 5, 2019. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  41. Bjorke, Christopher (January 13, 2022). "James Beard Award-winners close downtown Portland French bistro". Portland Business Journal. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022. Bistro Agnes was ranked fourth in the Business Journals 2020 survey of readers' favorite restaurants.
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