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Tanuki (restaurant)

Coordinates: 45°31′09″N 122°34′51″W / 45.5192°N 122.5808°W / 45.5192; -122.5808
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Tanuki
Map
Restaurant information
Established2008 (2008)
Closed2019 (2019)
Owner(s)Janis Martin
ChefJanis Martin
Food typeJapanese
Street address8029 Southeast Stark Street
CityPortland
StateOregon
Postal/ZIP Code97215
CountryUnited States
Coordinates45°31′09″N 122°34′51″W / 45.5192°N 122.5808°W / 45.5192; -122.5808

Tanuki was a Japanese restaurant and bar in Portland, Oregon.[1][2][3][4] The business operated from 2008 to 2019.

Description

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The Japanese restaurant Tanuki initially operated on 21st Avenue at Flanders Street in northwest Portland's Northwest District,[5][6] before relocating to the Montavilla neighborhood in 2011.[7] Erin DeJesus described the original space as a "hole-in-the-wall".[8] Signs at the Montavilla space said "No sushi, no kids" and "This is not a Japanese restaurant".[9]

The menu included gyoza, sashimi,[5] kimchi, and oshinko.[10] Tanuki also served fermented noodles,[11] trout in a seaweed butter sauce, kimchi macaroni and cheese, duck heart, various seafood dishes,[12] and buns with kimchi, blue cheese, and sake-cured bacon.[13] The bar stocked Asian beers,[9] sake, shōchū, and Japanese whisky. Among cocktails was the Dejima, which had Damrak gin, St. Germain, and rhubarb bitters.[14]

History

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The restaurant opened on 21st Avenue in 2008.[5][15] Janis Martin was the chef and owner.[5][16] In 2011, the restaurant relocated to Stark Street in the southeast Portland part of the Montavilla neighborhood.[7] Tanuki began restricting seating in 2013.[17] Suffering from a seafood allergy,[18] Martin closed Tanuki permanently in 2019 and began working at East Glisan Pizza Lounge.[19]

Reception

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In 2012, Karen Brooks and Rachel Ritchie included Tanuki in Portland Monthly's "Best of the Rest", a list of 35 local eateries "that should remain in any food lover's regular rotation".[20] Brooks later called the restaurant the city's "notorious cult izakaya".[21] In 2016, Time Out included Tanuki in a list of the eighteen best Japanese restaurants in the United States.[22]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Tanuki". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2023-05-31. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  2. ^ Sarasohn, David (2013-03-22). "Southeast Portland's Tanuki: When a restaurant is not a restaurant (review)". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2023-06-09. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  3. ^ "Montavilla Bar Tanuki Closes to Head off Oregonian Review". Willamette Week. 2013-03-22. Archived from the original on 2020-11-11. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  4. ^ Jacobson, Rebecca (2014-10-15). "Tanuki: Restaurant Guide 2014". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2023-02-06. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  5. ^ a b c d Davis, Camas (2009-05-19). "Introducing... Tanuki". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2023-04-01. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  6. ^ Davis, Camas (2009-05-19). "Japanese Rising". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2023-02-07. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  7. ^ a b DeJesus, Erin (2011-08-24). "Tanuki Moving Into Montavilla's Immortal Pie & Larder Spot". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2024-02-27. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  8. ^ DeJesus, Erin (2012-11-15). "Smokehouse 21's B.J. Smith on His Meaty First Year". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2023-12-07. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  9. ^ a b Brooks, Karen (2015-05-26). "The Rise of Portland's Iconoclastic Asian Cuisine". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2024-03-20. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  10. ^ "Pickled foods every Portlander needs to try". Eater Portland. 2015-06-22. Archived from the original on 2024-02-27. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  11. ^ Tepler, Benjamin (2012-02-23). "Introducing: Tanuki". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2023-06-10. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  12. ^ "Tanuki". Time Out Portland. 2016-06-13. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  13. ^ Thelin, Mike (2012-10-16). "Five Things You Must Eat in 2012". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2023-05-30. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  14. ^ Thrillist (2011-11-28). "Obscene things will be done to your mouth". Thrillist. Archived from the original on 2021-12-28. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  15. ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2018-11-13). "Edgy Sake Bar Tanuki Is Going Through Some Serious Changes". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2023-05-28. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  16. ^ Cohen, Jason (2010-04-28). "Calling Bullshit 2: Tanuki's Janis Martin on Michael Ruhlman". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2023-12-07. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  17. ^ DeJesus, Erin (2013-03-26). "Tanuki to Restrict Seating After Recent Flurry of Reviews". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2024-02-26. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  18. ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2018-11-13). "Edgy Sake Bar Tanuki Is Going Through Some Serious Changes". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2023-05-28. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  19. ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2019-01-24). "Quintessential Portland Sake Bar Tanuki Has Closed". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2023-06-06. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  20. ^ Ritchie, Rachel; Brooks, Karen (2012-10-16). "Best of the Rest". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2023-03-26. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  21. ^ Brooks, Karen (2022-11-10). "Portland's Best Cubano Sandwich Is at a Hidden Gem on Northeast Fremont". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2023-06-06. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  22. ^ "The 18 best Japanese restaurants in America". Time Out. 2016-06-15. Archived from the original on 2024-02-28. Retrieved 2024-05-30 – via New York Post.