Pied Cow Coffeehouse
Pied Cow Coffeehouse | |
---|---|
Restaurant information | |
Closed | September 2023 |
Owner(s) | Jimmy Chen |
Street address | 3244 SE Belmont Street |
City | Portland |
County | Multnomah |
State | Oregon |
Postal/ZIP Code | 97214 |
Country | United States |
Coordinates | 45°30′59″N 122°37′53″W / 45.51636°N 122.63138°W |
The Pied Cow Coffeehouse, or simply the Pied Cow, was a
Description
The Pied Cow was a
According to
History
Before the Pied Cow, the house was occupied by a "lively" restaurant called Buttertoes.[5] The restaurant was opened by three sisters in 1979 and continued operating into the early 1990s. The walls had murals of fairies and mermaids.[7] In 1996, Jennifer "Jenny" Joyce painted Keep on the Sunnyside, a ten-panel mural celebrating the "history and character" of the neighborhood, along SE 30th Avenue at Belmont. One of the panels depicts the house and the Thaddeus Fisher House. Faded over time by multiple cleanings and neglect, the mural was repainted by the Portland Street Art Alliance, which supports muralists and other street artists, with Joyce's permission in 2018.[8]
In September 2023, the business announced plans to close.[11] The house was listed for $1.5 million,[12] and interior decorations were put up for sale.[13] Chen attributed the closure to the COVID-19 pandemic.[14]
Reported haunting
The building, which has housed Buttertoes and the Pied Cow, is reportedly haunted by a "kind and gentle" woman named Lydia,[5] who "made items fall off shelves in the kitchen on a regular basis".[7] In 2017, The Oregonian's Grant Butler said the house "looks like the perfect setting for a ghost story" and wrote, "What gained [Buttertoes] notoriety was its reputation for being haunted by a ghost named Aunt Lydia."[7] Jefferies and White described the apparition in more detail:
The Ghost of Aunt Lydia, as she is known, is reportedly a friendly and gracious ghost. She is known to be seen with her hair pinned up, wearing black boots and a high-collared dress... Aunt Lydia would often rearrange table settings and move things in the kitchen.[5]
The owners of Buttertoes hired a psychic who determined there was "a spirit was present in the home". A waitress reportedly resigned from the restaurant "after feeling so uncomfortable while closing by herself", according to Jefferies and White.[5] In 2009, a server who had worked for Pied Cow for three years described a sink where she had felt "creeped out", saying, "I've semi-frequently had the feeling of seeing someone come down the stairs and go into the office."[15] In 2013, employee Zachary Schauer recalled seeing Lydia after a long shift and said, "I just didn't give a shit and went upstairs. Several different people have seen her, and nothing really crazy has happened. It's a pretty typical young Catholic girl in a white dress kind of deal."[16]
In a 2009 overview of Portland's reportedly haunted sites, Chen "declined to comment on the restaurant's alleged haunting. But in the kitchen, the wait staff buzzes with talk of the creepy basement."[15] Jefferies and White said the Pied Cow "certainly plays up the haunted vibe" and wrote in 2019, "Many believe that the Ghost of Aunt Lydia still haunts the quirky Victorian house, and patrons of the Pied Cow still keep an eye out for her while sipping mint tea and smoking ornate hookahs."[5]
Reception
In 2009, the
A writer for The Columbian found the wait staff friendly and opined in 2014, "On a warm summer evening, the ample outdoor seating of Pied Cow under light-strung trees is just chill."[3] Thrillist called the Pied Cow "a Portland classic" and said the exterior landscaping will make you "feel like you're dining in your own private garden".[6] Zagat gave the Pied Cow ratings of 4.6 for food, 4.5 for decor, and 4.0 for service, each on a scale of 5. The guide said, "Beautiful meets bohemian at this Sunnyside coffeehouse set in a grand Victorian, where regulars fall in love with the exquisite desserts and other sweet and savory nosh plates; the romantic patio doubles as a hookah garden, and while it can get crowded, it's still a date-worthy choice, especially on summer nights."[21]
See also
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the restaurant industry in the United States
- List of defunct restaurants of the United States
- List of reportedly haunted locations in the United States
References
- ^ a b c d "Sober Sips". Willamette Week. August 20, 2019. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
- ^ a b c Locanthi, John (July 3, 2012). "Hookahs and Blow". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on April 8, 2018. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
- ^ a b c Viki (September 17, 2014). "From elegant to eclectic with an institutional night cap to top it off". The Columbian. Vancouver, Washington. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Gormley, Shannon (November 8, 2017). "The Best Secret Nooks and Hidey-Holes in Portland Cafes". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
- ^ Daily Vanguard. Portland State University . Archivedfrom the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
- ^ a b "The Pied Cow". Thrillist. 5 October 2017. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
- ^ from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
- ^ "Murals proliferate in Portland due to community advocacy, interest in street art". The Oregonian. April 2, 2018. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
- ^ Peifer, Kathryn (March 25, 2014). "Interview with a Vampire". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
- ^ Prado, Ryan J. (January 26, 2018). "Kyle Craft Learned to Love His Dog". Vortex Music Magazine. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
- ^ Giegerich, Andy (September 12, 2023). "Five Things to know for Tuesday: Pied Cow is closing". Portland Business Journal. Archived from the original on September 15, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
- ^ Russell, Michael (2023-09-12). "This 'haunted' Portland coffee shop is closing; historic Victorian listed for $1.5 million". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2023-09-14. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
- ^ Wong, Janey (2021-01-20). "Portland's Restaurant, Bar, and Food Cart Closures". Eater Portland. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
- ^ "Declining clientele seals the fates of Southeast Portland mainstays Pied Cow and JaCiva's". KGW. September 14, 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-09-15. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
- ^ a b c "Ghostly Gourmands: Haunted Eats in the City of Roses". Portland Mercury. October 29, 2009. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
- ^ Korfhage, Matthew (July 2, 2013). "Capture or Asylum". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
- ^ "Pied Cow Coffeehouse". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on April 28, 2017. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
- ISBN 9780897329392. Archivedfrom the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
- ^ Gilroy, Jennifer (June 16, 2015). "Drinkin', Smokin' and Off-Leash Doggin'". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on July 24, 2018. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
- ^ Yoshiko, Lauren (April 16, 2018). "Serra: 'The Anthropologie of pot.'". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on April 19, 2018. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
- ^ "Pied Cow Coffeehouse". Zagat. Archived from the original on August 15, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
External links
- J. C. Havely House, 1893, at the Portland Street Art Alliance
- Dixon, K. B. (May 6, 2019). "Photo First: Coffeehouse Culture". Oregon ArtsWatch.
- The Pied Cow Coffeehouse at Zomato