Restaurants Unlimited Buys Portland Group

IN THE NEWS: Pacific Coast Restaurants Inc., which operates some of Portland's best-known eateries, is being sold to Seattle-based Restaurants Unlimited Inc, the Portland Business Journal portland.bizjournals.com reports. The 2,000 employees of Pacific Coast were notified of the sale agreement recently. A company official who asked not to be identified confirmed the two restaurant operators have entered a purchase agreement and are in a quiet period until the deal formally closes in 30 to 45 days. Portland-based Pacific Coast operates 27 restaurants in Oregon, Washington and California, along with a Newport Bay franchise in Seattle. Its holdings include the Portland City Grill in U.S. Bancorp Tower, Henry's 12th Street Tavern, Manzana Rotisseri Grill, Newport Seafood Grill, the Portland Steak & Chophouse, the Stanford's Restaurant and Bar chain and the Newport Bay Restaurant chain. Restaurants Unlimited Inc. formed in 1969 in Seattle with the opening of The Red Baron, described as a steak and lobster house. Today, it is a nationwide operation with a handful of concepts. Its restaurants operate under the names Simon & Seafort's, Palomino, Kincaid's, Clinkerdagger, Stanley & Seafort's, and Maggie Bluff's. ...

The P.I.'s Leslie Kelly gives three stars in her review of The Pink Door (1919 Post Alley; thepinkdoor.net) and notes Pike Place Market tours as well as the June 20 opening of the much-anticipated bistro Cafe Press (1117 12th Ave. on Capitol Hill, from Le Pichet's dynamic duo, Joanne Herron and Jim Drohman, as well as Via Tribunali on Queen Anne. ... She also notes a new location of Mad Pizza on South Lake Union (1263 Thomas St.). ... Claudia Rowe reviews Alki Crab & Fish Co. (1660 Harbor Ave. S.W.; alkicrabandfish.com). ... Seattle Weekly's Jonathan Kauffman reviews the Spanish restaurant Gaudi (3410 N.E. 55th St), while the new 13 Dollars column visits Commuter Comforts Cafe & Wine Bar (Colman Dock, Ferry Terminal, 801 Alaskan Way, Pier 52) and the Bottom Feeder column stops by Dome Burger (111 Occidental Ave. in Pioneer Square), one of only two businesses to refer to their seven-years-gone neighbor the Kingdome, since the recent forced shuttering of Dome Stadium Tavern on Fourth Avenue. ... Seattle Times' seattletimes.com Nancy Leson gives three stars to Opal (2 Boston St., Seattle; www.opalseattle.com), while Leigh Haddix considers Gorgeous George's Mediterranean Kitchen (7719 Greenwood Ave. N., Seattle). ... Karen Gaudette reports on the scheduled June 30 closing of five-year-old West Seattle eatery Ovio Bistro (oviobistro.com). ... The Stranger's thestranger.com Angela Garbas reviews Entre Nous (216 Stewart St, Seattle) and also visits La Medusa (4857 Rainier Ave S.), while Bethany Jean Clement reports on the closing and relocation of Cha Cha (1013 E Pike St.).

Compiled by Pat Embry, WhereTheLocalsEat.com