When longtime owner Dennis King announced the Veritable Quandary would close this summer to make way for a new Multnomah County courthouse, Portland let out a collective stomach growl for the 45-year-old downtown restaurant. But now the O reports the VQ might live on in the form of Q Restaurant, writing:
Not long after the Veritable Quandary closes, Q Restaurant will open four blocks away. The new venture, bankrolled by a pair of regulars, will feature many familiar faces, including general manager Erin Hokland and longtime chef Annie Cuggino.
Those regulars are Mazen and Katherine Hariri, and in their interview with the O, they say they "couldn't imagine the Portland dining scene" without the Veritable Quandary team. Combining this with the fact that Cuggino and Hokland are involved, the O hypothesizes the VQ might be 'reborn' in the form of Q Restaurant.
In fact, chef Annie will bring many of her signature dishes, developed during her 22-year tenure at the VQ, with her. The main changes will be a brighter decor centered on an open kitchen, and, sadly, there won't be a patio (not that the verdant VQ patio even could be duplicated).
Q Restaurant is expected to open October on the corner of SW 2nd and Taylor.