Lovely Hula Hands
Defunct restaurant in Portland, Oregon, US
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lovely Hula Hands was a restaurant in Portland, Oregon, United Syayes. It operated from 2003 to 2009.
| Lovely Hula Hands | |
|---|---|
 Interactive map of Lovely Hula Hands | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 2003 |
| Closed | December 31, 2009 |
| Owner(s) | Sarah and Jane Minnick |
| Chef | Troy MacLarty |
| Food type | Pacific Northwest |
| Location | Portland, Oregon, United States |
| Coordinates | 45°32′46.6″N 122°40′33.7″W |
Description and history
The restaurant opened in 2003.[1] The Oregonian's Grant Butler said the original Lovely Hula Hands operated from a "painted-pink Old Portland saltbox house" (938 North Cook Street), serving Pacific Northwest cuisine[2] representative of the neighborhood's "funkiness". The menu included salt-and-pepper calamari, pan-roasted chicken with mashed potatoes, and a Thai flat iron steak with sticky rice.[3] The pork chop had chipotle barbecue sauce with succotash.[4]
The restaurant debuted a new location (4057 North Mississippi Avenue), chef (Troy MacLarty), and menu in November 2006.[5] According to The Oregonian's Michael Russell, the menu "[shifted] from comforting Asian fusion to riskier seasonal fare"[6] and MacLarty "was as known for his seasonal salads as he would later become known for his frequent change of kitchen".[7] MacLarty worked on a Sauvie Island farm one day per week, growing and harvesting ingredients to use at the restaurant.[8]
In December 2009, owners Sarah and Jane Minnick confirmed plans to close on New Year's Eve. Lovely Hula Hands has been called a "parent" to Lovely's Fifty Fifty.[9][10][11]
Reception
In 2007, David Hochman of The New York Times said MacLarty was receiving "decent" reviews.[12] In 2016, Grant Butler included Lovely Hula Hands in The Oregonian's list of "97 long-gone Portland restaurants we wish were still around".[3]
