Pascal Chureau on Lucier Criticism: "I Think That Was Unfair"

Pascal Chureau, the chef behind two of Portland's priciest restaurants (the Pearl's Fenouil and the spectacular flame-out known as Lucier) has been cooking in West Linn since his new spot, Allium Bistro, opened in May. (If Eater commenters are the harbingers arbiters of good taste, it sounds like he's doing a bang-up job).

The Oregonian's travel ed Alex Pulaski caught up with Chureau, who opens up about the $4-million Lucier's shutter and his departure from Fenouil: "It was becoming a pretty expensive restaurant to sustain," he says of the Dussin Group restaurant, which now features Jake Martin in the kitchen. "We kept having to bring up the prices, and I was more excited about working with a small restaurant than running a big restaurant as a chef-owner." Also: Criticism directed at Lucier was "unfair. It was meant to be a nice restaurant."
· Pascal Chureau: A Taste for Suburbia [OregonLive]
· All Previous Pascal Chureau Coverage [Eater PDX]