Cornet Custard isn’t the only food business opening on Southeast Division Street this year.
According to several sources, James Beard Award-winning chef Naomi Pomeroy plans to open a bistro in the former Woodsman Tavern, 4537 S.E. Division St. That’s the corner space in the same brick building as the upcoming Cornet Custard, Pomeroy’s scoop shop with longtime associate Mika Paredes.
So far, Pomeroy has kept a tight lid on the project, but that could be changing soon. Here’s what we know about the upcoming Southeast Division Street restaurant so far.
It’s a (French) bistro
A half dozen sources close to Pomeroy have described the project as alternately a “bistro,” a “French place,” or “Naomi’s French thing.” That tracks with the tenor of the chef’s best-known project, Beast, which operated from 2007 until the start of the pandemic in 2020.
What’s in a name?
If the bistro has a name, Pomeroy isn’t sharing it yet. But the Taste & Technique cookbook author has confirmed that Division St. Bistro LLC, a company associated with the old Woodsman Tavern address, is just a placeholder, not the restaurant’s actual name. Interestingly enough, that LLC does reveal a person several sources say is a major partner in the project...
Welcome back, Luke!
As in Luke Dirks, the former Submarine Hospitality co-owner who left that restaurant group in July 2020, more than a year before it bought and reopened — drumroll — The Woodsman Tavern.
Dirks, who recently left his director of wholesale position at Coava Coffee, is a serious restaurant industry pro who came to Portland from New York City, where he was the director of operations for the New York City restaurant group Happy Cooking Hospitality.
Mark your calendars
Speaking of, last month Dirks posted to his LinkedIn that he had just become the “co-founder at new hospitality project coming Fall ‘24!”
Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the bistro will open this fall.
But it does mean that ...
Cornet will come first
As first reported by The Oregonian, Cornet Custard is aiming for a June 14 opening, which puts it well ahead of the bistro.
Stay tuned. We will share updates as we hear them.
— Michael Russell; mrussell@oregonian.com
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