Former Ducks Quarterback to Open a Restaurant in the Pearl

After a celebrated football career in which he was a starting quarterback for both the Oregon Ducks and the Detroit Lions, Portland-born Joey Harrington is entering the hospitality industry, The O reports. Teaming up with Kurt Huffman of ChefStable, the local restaurant group behind such blockbuster successes as Ox, Lardo, and St. Jack, Harrington is opening Pearl Tavern, in the venue formerly home to The Parish in the Pearl District.

Pearl Tavern will offer a family-friendly environment where the focus will be on the food, and the bar program will have cocktails designed by bar-star Ryan Magarian (Hamlet) and a wine program run by former St. Jack sommelier Joel Gunderson. Chef Roscoe Roberson (Racion, Cooper's Hall) will head the kitchen, and while few specifics have been released, Pearl Tavern told The O it will serve salads, fish dishes, and a steak able to compete with those served at RingSide.

Will there be sports on? You better believe it. Along with the food, Pearl Tavern will have games on the TVs and walls decorated with sports memorabilia, including some from Harrington’s career. If all goes as planned, the restaurant could furnish a new spot to watch sports with quality food. Pearl Tavern intends to open mid-November.

• Former Oregon Ducks star Joey Harrington opening Portland restaurant [Oregonian]