Berlin Inn

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Berlin Inn Restaurant and Bakery
Southeast Portland, Oregon (January 23, 2021) - 062.jpg
Exterior of the building which housed the Berlin Inn from 1992 to 2013, in 2021
Berlin Inn
Restaurant information
Established1992 (1992)
ClosedJune 22, 2013 (2013-06-22)
Food type German
Street address3131 Southeast 12th Avenue
City Portland
County Multnomah
State Oregon
Postal/ZIP Code97202
CountryUnited States
Coordinates 45°30′01″N122°39′12″W / 45.5004°N 122.6534°W / 45.5004; -122.6534

The Berlin Inn Restaurant and Bakery (or simply the Berlin Inn) was a German restaurant in Portland, Oregon. [1]

Contents

Description

The restaurant operated in a "gasthaus" (converted house) at 12th Avenue and Powell in southeast Portland's Brooklyn neighborhood. Grant Butler of The Oregonian described the old house's interior as "cozy". [2] The menu featured German cuisine and included cheese blintzes, fondue, rouladen, sauerbraten, sausages, schnitzel, and a crispy baked kale salad, [3] as well as German beers and wines. [4] Scrambles with homemade veal sausage were available on the brunch menu. [2]

History

2021 photograph of the exterior of the building which housed the Berlin Inn, with a sign for Hamono Sushi Southeast Portland, Oregon (January 23, 2021) - 063.jpg
2021 photograph of the exterior of the building which housed the Berlin Inn, with a sign for Hamono Sushi

Karen Brauer was a co-owner of the Berlin Inn, which opened in 1992 and operated for 21 years. [5] [6] Todd Haynes frequented the restaurant. [7]

In June 2013, Brauer confirmed plans to close and reopen under a new name, The Brooklyn House Restaurant, but retaining the same staff and European-style dining. [6] The Berlin Inn closed on June 22. The restaurant's general manager Erica Litzner became a co-owner of Brooklyn House Restaurant [2] (or simply Brooklyn House), along with Lisa Samuels. [8] The duo had previously operated the business Eat Here Now Fresh Local Food together. [9] The restaurant's menu featured dairy-free, [10] gluten-free, and vegan "European-style" comfort food. [6] [11] [12] Some former Berlin Inn employees worked at the Brooklyn House, which opened in August 2013. [10] The aesthetic remained similar, according to Walker MacMurdo of Willamette Week . [13] By 2020, sushi chef Albert Chen had opened the restaurant Hamono Sushi in the house which was previously occupied by the Berlin Inn and Brooklyn House, following "a period of inactivity". [14]

Reception

In 2016, Grant Butler included the Berlin Inn in The Oregonian's list of "97 long-gone Portland restaurants we wish were still around", writing: "This Brooklyn neighborhood German restaurant was the place to go if you wanted sausages and schnitzel without a side order of singing waiters and Deutschland kitsch." [2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Dunegan, Lizann (2003). Canine Oregon: Where to Play and Stay with Your Dog. Fulcrum Publishing. ISBN   978-1-55591-328-1.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Butler, Grant (December 31, 2016). "Tasty memories: 97 long-gone Portland restaurants we wish were still around". The Oregonian . Archived from the original on December 28, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Menu Trend: Kale Salad". Portland Monthly . Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Cheap Eats 2005". Willamette Week. March 29, 2005. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  5. ↑ Coleman, Patrick Alan (January 28, 2010). "Danke Großmutter!". Portland Mercury . Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 DeJesus, Erin (June 20, 2013). "The Berlin Inn to Shutter, Transition into Brooklyn House". Eater Portland. Vox Media. Archived from the original on April 25, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  7. ↑ Sullivan, Robert (October 7, 2007). "This Is Not a Bob Dylan Movie". The New York Times Magazine . Archived from the original on March 29, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  8. ↑ Leonard, Rita A. (July 4, 2014). "Brooklyn House Restaurant prospers with its new name". The Bee. Archived from the original on April 25, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Future Drinking: Broder Expands to the North, Hong Phat Expands In General". Willamette Week . June 20, 2013. Archived from the original on April 25, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  10. 1 2 Russell, Michael (August 30, 2013). "The Brooklyn House opens in Southeast Portland's former Berlin Inn space". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on April 25, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  11. ↑ Judkis, Maura (March 19, 2018). "'Grandma's food': How changing tastes are killing German restaurants". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Bustin' the Glutes: Where to find the best wheat-free options in Portland". Willamette Week. October 14, 2014. Archived from the original on April 30, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  13. ↑ MacMurdo, Walker (August 25, 2016). "Midbudget Dining in Portland". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  14. ↑ Leonard, Rita A. (November 28, 2020). "Former German restaurant in Brooklyn reopens with sushi". The Bee. Pamplin Media Group. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.