Lazy Susan (restaurant)

Lazy Susan was a New American restaurant in Portland, Oregon's Montavilla neighborhood, in the United States. The business opened in early 2020, just prior to the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, and closed in July 2023.[1]

Lazy Susan
The restaurant's exterior in 2022
Restaurant information
Food typeNew American
Street address7937 Southeast Stark Street
CityPortland
CountyMultnomah
StateOregon
Postal/ZIP Code97215
CountryUnited States
Coordinates45.5193°N 122.5817°W / 45.5193; -122.5817
Websitelazysusanpdx.com

Description

The restaurant Lazy Susan operated at the intersection of 80th Avenue and Stark Street,[2] in the southeast Portland part of the Montavilla neighborhood. The restaurant's seating capacity was approximately 64.[3]

The Oregonian has described Lazy Susan's menu as New American, with jerk quail, crudité platters, izakaya-style mackerel, pies,[4] oysters, morels, prawns,[5] short ribs,[6] and whitefish dip and tender pork secreto.[7] The brunch menu included bacon, cinnamon rolls, hash browns, potato doughnuts, and a Dutch baby pancake with maple-sage sausage and apple slices.[4] Lazy Susan also served a bialy plate with house-cured lox.[8] Pie varieties included beef brisket and porcini mushroom, butterscotch pumpkin with candied pepitas and whipped cream infused with pumpkin seed oil.[9] The drink menu included the Passive Regression, which had whiskey, coffee crystals, Frangelico liqueur, condensed milk, cream soda, cinnamon, and salt.[10] Lazy Susan also served slushies, described by Alex Frane and Michelle Lopez of Eater Portland as "generally goofy, fun, and incredibly well-balanced, using unusual twists to temper sweetness".[11]

For Thanksgiving in 2021 and 2022, the restaurant's special dinner menu included turkey pot pie, mashed potatoes with wild mushroom gravy, squash, chicory salad, and crackers with whitefish spread, butterscotch pumpkin pie, and select wines by the bottle.[12][13] The Hanukkah menu included wild mushroom matzah ball soup, sufganiyah, beef-tallow-fried hash browns, bialys, whitefish spread, and king salmon gravlax.[14]

History
Interior of a restaurant
The restaurant's interior, 2022

Lazy Susan was co-owned by Akkapong "Earl" Ninsom, as well as Andrew (who was also the culinary director)[15] and Nora Mace. The restaurant opened in early 2020,[16] weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic's arrival, in the space which previously housed The Country Cat.[17][18] The interior was designed by Osmose Design.[19]

According to Brooke Jackson-Glidden and Frane of Eater Portland, "when COVID-19 hit, the team pivoted into something closer to a backyard cookout, with grilled meats, potato salad, and seasonal vegetable sides".[20] The restaurant initially resisted indoor dining.[21] For a community-supported deli box with three other local businesses, Lazy Susan contributed sausage links with Calabrian chile.[22] In 2021, the restaurant participated in the Nikkei Bake Sale, which raised funds for the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO) and the Asian Mental Health Collective.[23]

Outdoor seating capacity was temporarily reduced in 2023 due to road construction.[24] The business later confirmed plans to close on July 23. An announcement read, "We are eternally grateful for all that have shown us love since March of 2020. It has been a wild ride. Pandemic, inflation, wildfires, record-breaking heatwaves, and you all still showed up. So now it's time to come show love one last time."[25] The Asian restaurnat Yaowarat opened in the space in October 2023.[26]

Reception
Lazy Susan's interior in 2022

In 2021, Jordan Michelman of the Los Angeles Times highlighted how Lazy Susan and five other Portland restaurants overcame challenges associated with the pandemic to become "statement-making food destinations".[27] He wrote, "In summer of 2021, Lazy Susan has emerged as one of the city's most notable new restaurants, synthesizing a diverse and global set of influences into a menu and bar program that defies easy categorization."[15] Eater Portland's Brooke Jackson-Glidden included Lazy Susan in a 2021 guide to weekend brunch in Portland and a 2022 list of 18 "date-worthy" restaurants in the city open on Mondays.[28][29] She and Frane included the restaurant in a 2022 list of 19 "jaw-dropping" happy hours in Portland.[30] Frane and Nathan Williams included Lazy Susan in a 2022 overview of recommended eateries in Montavilla.[31] Michael Russell included the restaurant in The Oregonian's 2023 list of Portland's ten best new brunches.[32]

See also

References
  1. Cottell, Pete (2020-07-22). "Lazy Susan Planned to Become the New Dining Anchor of Montavilla. Then the Pandemic Happened". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2021-10-10. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  2. "Lazy Susan's Curbside Open". Montavilla News. 2020-06-19. Archived from the original on 2023-05-30. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
  3. Russell, Michael (2020-02-11). "The Country Cat in Montavilla has a new tenant (at last): Meet Lazy Susan". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2021-01-17. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  4. Russell, Michael (2023-05-05). "Friday is the new Sunday when it comes to Portland brunch". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2023-06-02. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
  5. "Shrimp Cocktail Is Trending—Where to Get It in Portland". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2023-03-30. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
  6. Garcia, Krista (2021-06-21). "Where to Find Oysters on the Half Shell in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-10-20. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  7. "In Montavilla, Secret Tunnels Connect Craft Beer and Sushi". Willamette Week. 2023-05-10. Archived from the original on 2023-05-18. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
  8. Russell, Michael (2023-05-12). "13 Portland restaurants that take reservations for Mother's Day brunch". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2023-06-02. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  9. "Best Thing We Ate This Week: Pie for Dinner and Dessert at Lazy Susan". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
  10. "7 Amazing To-Go Cocktails from Portland Bars". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2023-04-01. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
  11. Frane, Alex (2017-07-21). "15 Portland Bars and Restaurants Slinging Boozy Slushies This Summer". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2020-12-30. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  12. Frane, Alex (2016-11-15). "Where to Order Thanksgiving Dinner in Portland for 2021". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-09-29. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  13. "Portland Restaurants Offering Thanksgiving Dine-In and Takeout". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2022-07-07. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
  14. Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2021-11-22). "Where to Find Hanukkah Takeout Across Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-12-01. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  15. Michelman, Jordan (2021-08-13). "Amid chaos, these Portland restaurants found a way to look forward — and thrive". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2022-01-31. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
  16. Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2020-02-11). "Eem and Le Pigeon Alums Will Open a Casual Neighborhood Restaurant in Montavilla". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2023-07-15. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
  17. Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2020-06-26). "The Star-Studded and Highly Anticipated Lazy Susan Is Serving Cookout Lunches Four Days a Week". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2020-07-17. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  18. Brooks, Karen (2020-02-10). "Andrew and Nora Mace to Open Lazy Susan with Earl Ninsom in the Country Cat Space". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2022-03-07. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  19. "Osmose Design Has Transformed Montavilla's Lazy Susan Into a Retro, Cozy Diner". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2023-03-27. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
  20. Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2020-07-15). "12 New Portland Restaurants and Food Carts to Know". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-01-20. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  21. McMorris, Megan (July 30, 2020). "Rising from the Ashes: Montavilla's Main Drag Gets Creative". Southeast Examiner. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  22. "Food News: Learn to Make Real-Deal Soup Joumou". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  23. "The Nikkei Bake Sale This Friday Will Raise Funds for the AAPI Community". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2023-03-30. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  24. "Stark Street Road Work Impacts Businesses". Montavilla News. 2023-06-08. Archived from the original on 2023-07-15. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
  25. Wong, Janey (2021-01-20). "Portland's Restaurant, Bar, and Food Cart Closures". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-01-21. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  26. "Opening Oct 6, Four Culinary All-Stars Bring Bangkok's Chinatown Street Food to Yaowarat". Portland Monthly. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  27. "The LA Times Takes on Portland's Food Scene". Willamette Week. 2021-08-16. Archived from the original on 2023-07-15. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
  28. Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2016-08-09). "Where to Find Weekend Brunch in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-12-01. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  29. Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2021-11-01). "18 Date-Worthy Restaurants in Portland Actually Open on Mondays". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2022-01-04. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  30. Frane, Alex (2017-12-22). "19 Jaw-Dropping Happy Hours Spotted Across Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  31. Frane, Alex (2018-07-25). "Where to Drink and Dine in Historic Montavilla". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2022-03-06. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  32. Russell, Michael; Acker, Lizzy (2023-05-09). "Portland's 10 best new brunches of 2023". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2023-07-13. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
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