Unfortunately, I didn’t find it in the state I was hoping for. I went to this bistro with my sister when we were exploring on our first trip to Portland. We both wished we had the place in Seattle, the food was spectacular. Even though we knew the vicinity of the location, we weren’t able to find it again after several trips looking for it; until this weekend, when a bartender at a bar around the corner told us what she thought best fit our description. According to her, the Portland restaurant industry is over-saturated and sees a lot of comings and goings. Sadly, The Park Bistro was one of the goings. It goes to show that a great menu, good vibe, nice staff, decent location, and delicious execution aren’t the only things that can save a restaurant. I have no idea what the other thing would be, but it turns out the Park Bistro didn’t quite have it.
I’m not alone. When I was snapping the picture above another woman passed by with a couple of her friends and said, “Oh no, it’s closed. Okay, well, this was the best place.” Her friend said, “It couldn’t have been that great.” I shed a little tear inside.
I disagree with the friend. A restaurant patron is a fickle entity. I’m certain that the customers who failed to return did not expect to facilitate the failure of The Park Bistro. Rather they chose another location based on an appeasement that satisfied their yearning of the moment. Best is relative and like all things “best” is in the eye of the beholder!
Well put! I guess sometimes it isn’t even about popularity, it could be anything, we really don’t know.