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Ch-ch-ch-changes

I discovered on a walk this morning that the Fireside Coffee Lodge is closed closing with a "new cafe coming soon!" message on the door. It'll reopen later this month under new owners as Southeast Grind. (I won't link to Fireside's old website, because it's been cybersquatted into the "Sex Away Your Thigh Fat!" sort of link dumpster.)

I've liked the place, and wondered how it was doing. The Fireside opened in late 2002, soon after I moved to this neighborhood, and started as a 24-hour-except-for-one-day-a-week place. It took some time to reach the original owners' ambition of being a 24-hour operation every day of the week, not just six of them.* It got coverage in unexpected places: a New York Times travel article mentioned it. Within the last couple of years, though, the shop curtailed hours to 6 a.m. to 2 a.m., then 8 a.m. to midnight. Southeast Grind will go back to 6 a.m.-2 a.m., but I wonder if it'll ever try going to 24 hours. I wish Portland were friendlier to 24-hour food shops, or at least late-night dining; we have just a smattering of those.

Waiting to see if this place will be worth supporting...

_____
* Now I wonder: Has any diner or coffee shop ever been named Eight Days A Week?

Comments

( 4 comments — Leave a comment )
greyduck
Apr. 9th, 2009 06:03 pm (UTC)
Well, crap. I spent a lot of NaNoWriMo time there, back when I was doing NaNo...
chris_walsh
Apr. 9th, 2009 09:03 pm (UTC)
Clarification, 'cause I know more now: the Fireside's last official day is next Wednesday, then the new owners take over. The guy who was supposed to open it this morning was late, and hadn't shown up when I walked past it 'round 9:30. I was up near it again after noon and saw it was open, and got a salad, a drink and some computer time.

So if you want to visit once more, you may have a chance.

The place helped me one of the times I was following my friends on Blogathon a couple of years ago. I treated myself to something hot and caffeinated from the Fireside 'round midnight, then walked home better ready to soldier through a few more hours. (Everyone I was following that day was on the East Coast. I stayed up with them until it was dawning on their side of the country.)
elionwyr
Apr. 9th, 2009 06:16 pm (UTC)
I totally read that as "Fireside Coffin Lounge" and was all WOO!!!!
chris_walsh
Apr. 9th, 2009 09:06 pm (UTC)
Portland should totally have a coffin lounge! Maybe with coffins tilted on their side and converted into tables...
( 4 comments — Leave a comment )

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