Shizuku by Chef Naoko

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Shizuku by Chef Naoko
Shizuku logo.png
Shizuku by Chef Naoko, Portland, Oregon, U.S.jpg
Shizuku by Chef Naoko
Restaurant information
ClosedJune 23, 2023 (2023-06-23)
Owner(s)Naoko Tamura
ChefNaoko Tamura
Food type Japanese
Street address1235 Southwest Jefferson Street
City Portland
State Oregon
Postal/ZIP Code97201
CountryUnited States
Coordinates 45°31′00″N122°41′13″W / 45.5168°N 122.6869°W / 45.5168; -122.6869
Website shizukupdx.com

Shizuku by Chef Naoko was a Japanese restaurant in Portland, Oregon. Chef and owner Naoko Tamura opened Chef Naoko in 2007 and rebranded the business to Shizuku by Chef Naoko in 2017. The rebrand accompanied a redesign by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. The restaurant earned Tamura a James Beard Foundation Award nomination in the Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific category in 2020. Tamura announced the restaurant's permanent closure in 2023.

Contents

Description

Shizuku by Chef Naoko was a Japanese restaurant on Southwest Jefferson Street in Portland. [1] [2] Alex Frane of Eater Portland described the restaurant as a "beautiful space that hovers between traditional and contemporary Japanese design, and that honors the food served at Shizuku". [3] Willamette Week's Matthew Korfhage called the space "an ethereal world of sunlight and undulating bamboo screens". [4]

An umami lunch was launched in 2018; udon options included a tonkatsu pork loin hot sandwich. [5] The restaurant also served bentos, onigiri, and tamagoyaki. [6]

History

Chef and owner Naoko Tamura opened Chef Naoko in 2007. [7] The restaurant was rebranded to Shizuku by Chef Naoko and redesigned by Kengo Kuma in 2017. [8] [9] [10] [11] In February 2018, Shizuku closed temporarily to convert to a omakase format. [12]

Shizuku closed temporarily during the summer of 2022 to "reorganize ... operations around the many post-pandemic challenges" and set up a "new format". The restaurant re-opened for takeout service in January 2023. [6] In June 2023, Tamura announced plans to close Shizuku permanently on June 23. [13]

Reception

The restaurant won the Design of the Year category at Eater Portland's annual Eater Awards in 2017. [8] In 2020, the business earned Naoko a James Beard Foundation Award nomination in the Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific category. [14] [15]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Chef Naoko's Shizuku Is So Full of Japanese Families That Every Server Has to Speak the Language". Willamette Week . November 10, 2017. Archived from the original on September 23, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Chef Naoko Bento Cafe | Restaurant Listing". Portland Monthly . Archived from the original on June 29, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  3. ↑ Frane, Alex (February 27, 2018). "Shizuku's Architect Talks Tradition, Balance, and Bamboo Screens". Eater Portland . Vox Media. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Portland is the Playground of Japanese Architect Kengo Kuma". Willamette Week. February 14, 2018. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  5. ↑ Forster, Tim (March 2, 2018). "Bamboo Sushi SE Starts a Month of Brunches This Sunday". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  6. 1 2 Wong, Janey (January 27, 2023). "Celebrated Japanese Restaurant Shizuku by Chef Naoko Has Reopened for Takeout". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  7. ↑ Bamman, Mattie John (January 9, 2017). "See Inside Shizuku by Chef Naoko; 10 Things to Know". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  8. 1 2 Bamman, Mattie John (December 5, 2017). "Portland's Eater Awards Winners 2017". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on September 25, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  9. ↑ ""Shizuku by Chef Naoko" Restaurant by Kengo Kuma | 2017-07-01 | Architectural Record". Architectural Record . Archived from the original on May 22, 2023. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  10. ↑ "kengo kuma hangs sudare screens above japanese restaurant in portland". designboom | architecture & design magazine. April 30, 2017. Archived from the original on September 28, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  11. ↑ Cheah, Selina (May 2, 2017). "Kengo Kuma fills Portland restaurant with delicate bamboo screens". Curbed . Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  12. ↑ Perkins, Erin (February 13, 2018). "Shizuku Temporarily Shutters to Switch to Omakase Format". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  13. ↑ Lawrence, Demi (June 16, 2023). "Lauded downtown Japanese restaurant Shizuku announces closure". Portland Business Journal. American City Business Journals.
  14. ↑ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (February 26, 2020). "Here Are Portland's 2020 James Beard Awards Semifinalists". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  15. ↑ "The 2020 James Beard Award Semifinalists". James Beard Foundation. Archived from the original on June 12, 2023. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
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