Lucier was a restaurant in Portland, Oregon, that specialized in

European cuisine European cuisine comprises the cuisines of Europe "European Cuisine." and the city's "greatest restaurant boondoggle". Lucier was the only restaurant in Oregon that the

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awarded with four diamonds.

Description

Lucier was a restaurant located at RiverPlace in

South Portland South Portland is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, and is the fourth-largest city in the state, incorporated in 1898. At the 2020 census, the city population was 26,498. Known for its working waterfront, South Portland is si ...

's South Waterfront district. Martin Cizmar of '' Willamette Week'' described Lucier as "the most opulent restaurant space in Portland history". '' The Oregonian'' said the "ultra-contemporary showpiece" restaurant was named after French-Canadian fur trader Étienne Lucier. ''The Oregonian'' Michael Russell said Lucier was housed in a "prow-like building" with cantilevered windows and views of the Willamette River. The interior had "one-of-a-kind features", including "a marble wall milled with abstract swimming designs", a "shimmering" canal that was also described as a

lazy river A lazy river is a water ride found in water parks, hotels, resorts, and recreation centers, which usually consists of a shallow () pool that flows similarly to a river. There is generally a slow current, usually just enough to allow guests to g ...

and water channel lined with iridescent gold tiles, and "oversized chandeliers made from bronze tubes of varying heights". According to Christina Melander of ''The Oregonian'', Lucier had African hardwoods, custom-leather furniture made in Italy, and a "brigade-style" kitchen. The restaurant had silver front doors, twenty glass sculptures by

Dale Chihuly Dale Chihuly () (born September 20, 1941) is an American glass artist and entrepreneur. He is best known in the field of blown glass, "moving it into the realm of large-scale sculpture". Early life Dale Patrick Chihuly was born on September 20 ...

, leather-padded bathroom walls, and a bar "capped by a gold dome designed to resemble the sun". The dining room accommodated approximately 100 people. Lucier offered free valet parking.

Menus comprise a la carte, bar and a seven-course chef's tasting menu that emphasizes a few ingredients—tomatoes and the red mullet fish rouget, for example—throughout the entire meal. To encourage diners to try luxury items like Kobe beef and live scallops in the shell, the kitchen will prepare them in tiny portions, coupling, say, an ounce of Wagyu beef with a New York steak to demonstrate the difference.

Lucier's executive chef said the food " ulledflavors from Morocco, Italy and Portugal as well as from France, and orrowedtechniques from Japan". The foie gras had coconut foam, macadamia nut "glass" similar to brittle, and a piece of pineapple. The halibut was prepared sous vide. The striped bass carpaccio had yuzu, olives, and currants. A dish called The Egg was a "lightly scrambled duck egg served in its shell topped with sevruga caviar and accompanied by teardrop-shaped brioche toasts". The butter-poached lamb was served with sweetbreads, pea shoots and fingerling potatoes. The wine list had 1,600 labels. Two-hundred Champagnes were available by the glass.

History

Lucier opened in May 2008 in a building that was owned by Onder Development. Alvarez + Brock oversaw a $4 million design. Spouses Chris and Tyanne Dussin of the Dussin Group were co-owners of Lucier. Food writer

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of ''The Oregonian'' said the duo "banked on a dramatic river view, a theatrical menu, a wine list with world-class aspirations and price tags bound to make value-loving Portlanders flinch". Pascal Chureau was a co-owner and executive chef. '' Top Chef: Boston'' contestants Doug Adams and Jeremy Niehuss were chefs at Lucier. Kristen D. Murray, who later opened a restaurant named Maurice, was a pastry chef. Prior to opening Ox, Gregory and Gabrielle Quinonez were cooks at Lucier. ''The Oregonian'' Christina Melander said Lucier was Portland's most-expensive restaurant, as of September–October 2008.

Closure

Lucier closed in December 2008 after operating for seven months. Chris Dussin attributed the closure to the Great Recession. ''Willamette Week'' called the restaurant's short lifespan "the most colossal faceplant in Portland dining history" and ''Portland Business Journal'' called the venture a "failure". Michael Russell of ''The Oregonian'' said Lucier was "Portland's greatest restaurant boondoggle", the city's "most spectacular restaurant failure" and "most notorious flop", and a "doomed extravagance". Ted Sickinger called the restaurant an "extravaganza that became the most spectacular flameout in the pantheon of Portland eateries", and David Sarasohn called Lucier a "super-expensive flop" and "a monument to odd thinking and worse timing". Gregory Denton said the closure was "a low point in iscareer" and "a considerable blow to the ego and a huge disappointment after all the work that we had put into" Lucier. In early 2010, news outlets reported on a possible reopening of Lucier. ''Eater Portland'' Eva Hagberg wrote; "Word is Dussin (perhaps having learned from his mistakes?) will, instead, be making the place 'little less high-end and a little more approachable'". ''The Oregonian'' said "Changes in decor consistent with Lucier's downscaling will also be made". ''Eater Portland'' reported on Lucier's possible acquisition by San Francisco-based Lark Creek Restaurant Group. The Dussin Group put its lease on the venue on the market in October 2011. Keeler Hospitality Group signed a sublease in 2012 and the Dussin Group continued to pay "part of the original lease's five-figure monthly rent". The space that had housed Lucier remained unoccupied until 2013. The restaurant was replaced by Quartet and later by Dough Zone.

Reception

Lucier was the only restaurant in Oregon the

awarded four diamonds. Writing for the ''

San Francisco Examiner The ''San Francisco Examiner'' is a newspaper distributed in and around San Francisco, California, and published since 1863. Once self-dubbed the "Monarch of the Dailies" by then-owner William Randolph Hearst, and flagship of the Hearst Corporat ...

'', Lisa Zimmerman described it as Portland's "most notable restaurant new comer", and praised the architecture and service while questioning the food-and-wine pairings. Wendy Culverwell of ''Portland Business Journal'' wrote: "Lucier Restaurant opened and closed so quickly in 2008 that many people never had a chance to see its stunning setting". Fred Armstrong of ''Oregon Wine Press'' said Lucier "seemed better suited to Manhattan than Portland". Chef Pascal Chureau said criticism of the restaurant was "unfair".

''The Oregonian''

In June 2008, Michael C. Zusman of ''The Oregonian'' wrote: "Lucier at RiverPlace is the most elegantly appointed restaurant to open in Portland in decades, if not ever." He disliked the foie gras, which he said " howedan early tendency toward creativity for creativity's sake, rather than putting clean and clear flavors first". Zusman said the halibut was "inexplicably dry", and complimented The Egg, the striped bass carpaccio, and the butter-poached lamb. His review ended: "Clearly, Lucier is a place to watch". In August 2008, the newspaper's Gerry Frank wrote:

In what is arguably one of the most dramatic and attractive restaurant settings in inland Oregon, visitors to Lucier will have quite an experience. Co-owners Tyanne and Chris Dussin and executive chef and co-owner Pascal Chureau have created a magnificent room filled with gorgeous glass art pieces crowned with a striking Willamette River view. Sophisticated diners will find the menu appealing and the food delicious; meat-and-potato types may not be so enthralled. With soaring prices (the tasting menu peaks at $100) and over-the-top pretentious service, it's yet to be determined whether this venue will be more than a one-time destination.

In November 2008, the newspaper's Sara Perry called Lucier a "stunning and sophisticated ... restaurant that's capturing the attention of people who want to celebrate and dine in style". Karen Brooks gave the restaurant a rating of C−. She wrote: "after four visits and a deep exploration of the menu, I'm sorry to say that the concept is about as viable as the auto industry: a money guzzler, out of touch and running on empty ideas". She called the cooking "gimmicky" and said "Lucier feels forced and artificial, like an American Express vision of privilege". She also wrote: "instead of a through-line of restrained elegance, we get Dining in Dubai, or 1980s Vegas, with fun-house mirror columns, display case after display case of gaudy blown glass and Sinatra belting out 'My Kind of Town'". Her review ended: "Lucier neither improves on Portland nor feels of Portland. It doesn't even seem for Portland. It's like a spec house on the Street of Dreams, with all the upgrades but no one to answer the door." A review published by ''The Oregonian'' in December 2008 said: "Portland's most expensive restaurant goes for the glitz on the waterfront but overreaches in style and substance, delivering only with first-rate desserts. ... Look for the simplest preparations—seasonal salads, roast duck, an aged rib-eye. All desserts are good, but don't miss the changing souffle, vacherin or mille-feuille offerings." ''The Oregonian'' said Lucier "never caught on. Reviews in ''Willamette Week'', ''Portland Monthly'' and ... ''The Oregonian'' criticized the food and the prices the restaurant demanded". In 2010, ''The Oregonian'' Roger Porter called Chureau's tenure as Lucier's first executive chef "disastrous". He also called Lucier "the most overpriced and underwhelming restaurant in Portland's history, which closed to few regrets". In his 2016 overview of "97 long-gone Portland restaurants we wish were still around", Grant Butler wrote:

References

External links

Lucier Restaurant
at Interface Engineering {{Defunct restaurants in Portland, Oregon 2008 disestablishments in Oregon 2008 establishments in Oregon Defunct European restaurants in Portland, Oregon Restaurants disestablished in 2008 Restaurants established in 2008 South Portland, Oregon