Jacqueline opens tonight, August 24, at 5 p.m. on SE Clinton to serve globally inspired dishes rooted in classic flavors (see the menus). "We created a menu of things we want to eat everyday," says Derek Hanson, co-owner and co-chef with Brandi Lansill. "If a dish doesn't fulfill this requirement, it goes away."
Hanson and Lansill are both established chefs, and they're teaming up with former Muselet chef Joel Lui-Kwan, with help from other cooking friends along the way, to create a collaborative kitchen.
"We've been cooking for a long time, and now we want to showcase what we and our friends love to cook," says Lansill. "Lui-Kwan is a f%#&ing gangster in the kitchen."
Jacqueline will bring a creative service model to the table, too. "The new minimum wage is going to change the rules for how restaurants in Oregon are run," says Hanson. A meal at Jacqueline will begin business-as-usual, with a server to take food and drink orders. But then a cook will deliver the food and take care of additional aspects of service. "Chefs take so much more pride in their food with this type of model," says Hanson. Tipping will remain in the hands of the diner, but a larger share will be given to the cooks, with the goal of paying them a living wage.
Lansill says she's wanted to open at restaurant at 2039 SE Clinton St. since eating inside the venue when it was St. Jack. The intimate interior is brighter now than with the most recent tenant, Renard, thanks to lighter shades of paint. Custom artworks, mostly by friends, are located throughout, interspersed with air plants here and there. The one of Bill Murray behind the bar was done by Lansill's friend and accomplished artist, Zachary Baldus.
Jacqueline definitely has a sense of humor, with funny quotes written on the walls and quirky artworks throughout. See it for yourself, when it opens August 24 at 2039 SE Clinton St.
