(PORTLAND, Ore. – Feb. 26, 2020) – On the heels of 25 years in business, Higgins Restaurant, Portland’s original farm-to-table bistro on the corner of SW Broadway and Jefferson St., has completed a comprehensive overhaul of its interior decor. The restaurant will debut the renovations in time for its 26th anniversary on March 4, 2020.
“This refresh began with our guest chef, Frédéric Marchant of La Savie Restaurant in France, telling me and my wife, Barb, that he didn’t think the restaurant decor did our food justice,” explained Chef Greg Higgins, owner, head chef, and James Beard Award recipient. “Barb started scheming with Jerry Lamb, James Beard’s best friend, to create a decor that would be more appropriate for our level of cooking.”
Higgins Restaurant closed for the first 10 days of January to begin the project, with professional cleaners scouring the restaurant of two decades of wear. New LEED certified natural wood flooring replaced worn-out hardwoods in the bar and restaurant; new carpeting was installed in the middle and lower rooms, and 130 original chairs were sanded and refinished by the Higgins’ team.
The color scheme was changed from dark wood to warm cream, with a fresh coat of paint on the walls. Wallpaper resembling brick was hung on an accent wall in the main restaurant, and the tin ceiling was painted a pale sky blue. Heavy draperies were removed, new artwork was hung, and an LED energy-efficient lighting system was installed. The overall effect of the renovation is a space that’s brighter, lighter, cleaner, and more contemporary.
A whimsical new addition, and one that will likely prove to be the most popular, is a wooden pig mounted on a wall that appears to burst through the brick wallpaper. Nicknamed “Pig Floyd,” the pig was created by James Mellick, a famous woodcarver and a master craftsman from Ohio. Chef Higgins purchased the pig a decade ago at the Gallery of American Craft in Times Square. He worked with Schmeer Sheet Metal Works of Portland to design a patinated armature that would hold the pig in place.
“Pig Floyd” honors the charcuterie that has played a foundational role for Higgins––both the chef and the restaurant. Chef Higgins’ long-held obsession with sausage making began in the 1970s in upstate New York, and his skills were honed while traveling through France, Spain and Italy. He truly mastered his craft in Portland, where house-cured and smoked pork became a mainstay of his menus. Chef Higgins designed and released a 2020 calendar in late 2019 celebrating 25 years of Higgins’ charcuterie.
Higgins Restaurant was cited in February 2020 by Saveur Magazine in a piece titled The Class of 1994, with the magazine stating, “Saveur has never worshipped restaurants. Forget the hottest young chef in town: we’ve always been more interested in what his or her grandmother cooks at home. The exceptions: those places that carry substantial cultural weight, in that they speak to how we were eating in a certain place at a certain time.” Higgins was among 14 restaurants included in the article, which also named French Laundry (Napa, Calif.), Gramercy Tavern (New York City), Astrid & Gastón (Lima), Nobu (New York City), La Pergola (Rome) and others.
Make reservations and learn more at HigginsPortland.com and engage on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @HigginsRestaurant.
About Higgins Restaurant
Higgins Restaurant opened in 1994 with chef and co-owner Greg Higgins using his close ties to Pacific Northwest farmers to spearhead his pioneering menus, which eventually landed him a 2002 James Beard award as Best Chef Northwest. Co-owned by Higgins and Paul Mallory, the landmark restaurant prides itself on service, dedicated wine and spirits offerings, a world-class beer program, and a showcase of the bounty of the Pacific Northwest.
Higgins Restaurant opened in 1994 with chef and co-owner Greg Higgins using his close ties to Pacific Northwest farmers to spearhead his pioneering menus, which eventually landed him a 2002 James Beard award as Best Chef Northwest. Co-owned by Higgins and Paul Mallory, the landmark restaurant prides itself on service, dedicated wine and spirits offerings, a world-class beer program, and a showcase of the bounty of the Pacific Northwest.