Rimsky-Korsakoffee House

Rimsky-Korsakoffee House, located in the Buckman neighborhood of southeast Portland, Oregon, in the United States, is one of the city's oldest coffeehouses. Named after Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, the classical music-themed coffeehouse serves coffee and desserts, operating from the former living room of a reportedly haunted 1902 Craftsman-style house. Goody Cable started the business in 1980, having hosted classical music events in her home for years prior.

Rimsky-Korsakoffee House
The coffeehouse's exterior in 2013
Restaurant information
Established1980 (1980)
Owner(s)Goody Cable[1]
Food type
  • Coffee
  • desserts
Dress codeCasual
Street address707 Southeast 12th Avenue
CityPortland, Oregon
CountyMultnomah
StateOregon
Postal/ZIP Code97214
CountryUnited States
Coordinates45.51784°N 122.654°W / 45.51784; -122.654
ReservationsNo

Rimsky-Korsakoffee has a casual, communal atmosphere and sometimes features live classical music. The house is decorated with knickknacks, art and hanging objects. Tables are named for various composers; some of them are "haunted" (animated), at times elevating, rotating or vibrating. The coffeehouse has received a generally positive reception and is known mostly for its desserts and for offering a unique experience to guests. Rimsky-Korsakoffee has been called "eclectic", "quirky" and "spooky", and has been recognized by several publications for its coffee and desserts.

Description

Named after Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov,[2] Rimsky-Korsakoffee was one of Portland's first coffeehouses.[3] The classical music-themed business, located in Portland's Buckman neighborhood,[4] serves coffee and desserts.[5] It operates from the former living room of a reportedly haunted Craftsman-style house,[6] built in 1902 and "nearly hidden from view" by the surrounding foliage.[5][7]

Rimsky-Korsakoffee has a casual, communal atmosphere and has been described by The Oregonian as a "cozy little place with an easygoing feel".[8][9] The Jewish Week's travel writer called the house a "mecca for grungy young artist-types seeking caffeine, chocolate and liberal-minded conversation".[2] Yahoo! Travel described the environment as dimly lit, with sounds of stringed instruments.[6] The house's interior has "bizarre 70's style" wallpaper and features knickknacks, "oddball" art[10] and "odd things" hanging from the ceiling.[4][5] Weekends feature live classical music.[4] Guests are encouraged to write in blank journals placed throughout the house.[11][12] Rimsky-Korsakoffee is unusual in that it accepts payments in cash only.[4][13]

Menu, 2016

According to the owner, each table is named after a different composer and has a "pseudo elegant" decor.[1][14] Some of the tables are "haunted" (animated), at times rotating or vibrating; one rises 18 inches (46 cm) every 45 minutes, returning to its original position after moving through a succession of different heights.[4][8][14] The table named for Sergei Rachmaninoff shakes when a button in the kitchen is pressed, and the Stephen Sondheim table disappears completely through a slit in the wall.[14] Couches are also available for lounging.[6] The upstairs unisex bathroom has an "under-the-sea" theme and reportedly "regularly induces screams".[8][14]

History

The coffeehouse is owned by Goody Cable,[1] who opened it for business in 1980.[15][11] According to Cable, she opened Rimsky-Korsakoffee "to stop cleaning [her] house for music parties," having hosted classical music events in her home for years prior.[15] Her vision was an unconventional and "homelike" restaurant, attractive to conversationalists who enjoy beer, desserts and music. Cable has established business hours that work for her and prioritizes "conversation, creation, education, game playing and enjoying nature".[15] She insists on recycling whenever possible and is adamant that the coffeehouse will "never" have a sign to advertise the business.[15] In 2008, Cable said she thought that locating in Portland was what made the business successful: "I don't think Rimsky's would have worked anyplace else... Certainly not for 28 years."[11]

In 2006, The Oregonian's Vivian McInerny suggested that writer Louise Bryant once lived in the house.[1] Bryant and her second husband, John Reed, documented parts of the Russian Revolution in works such as her Six Months in Red Russia.[16] However, evidence analyzed by Michael Munk for publication in Oregon Historical Quarterly and elsewhere lends no support to the idea that Bryant ever lived at 707 Southeast 12th Avenue (Rimsky-Korsakoffee House's street address) and casts strong doubt on the idea that she met Reed there.[17][18]

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, staff and customers hosted a GoFundMe campaign to raise $20,000.[19][20]

Reception
The restroom has an "under-the-sea" theme.

Rimsky-Korsakoffee has received a generally positive reception and is known mostly for its desserts and for offering a unique experience to guests. After noting its status as one of the oldest coffeehouses in Portland, Fodor's said in a Pacific Northwest guide that it remains "one of the best", specifically complimenting the desserts.[3] In her travelogues of Portland, Rachel Dresbeck noted the coffeehouse's uniqueness and recommended the mocha fudge cake and the ice cream desserts known as "Rasputin's Vice" and "Tsar Sulton Suite".[21][22] Similarly, Portland Examiner contributor Dominique Dobson called the coffeehouse "whimsical" and wrote, "this is a great evening stopoff for caffeine and dessert. It can sometimes be a bit crowded, but the mocha fudge cake is phenomenal with coffee, and the quirky clientele and (sometimes live) music can keep you lingering over that amazing cheesecake!"[23] In his 2010 Frommer's guide titled Portable Portland, Karl Samson noted the coffeehouse's loyal patrons, calling it "Portland's favorite dessert hangout for more than 25 years."[24] Julian Smith wrote in a 2012 Frommer's guide, Portland Day by Day, that Rimsky-Korsakoffee is the "most atmospheric" of the city's coffee establishments, with "fun and sassy" waiters, desserts "to die for" and bathrooms "you have to see to believe".[10] Ari Shapiro, a journalist and White House correspondent for NPR who has performed with the band Pink Martini, was raised in Portland and worked at Rimsky-Korsakoffee.[25][26]

Interior staircase and wall art, 2016

The Portland Mercury described the coffeehouse as an "eclectic spot". According to the paper, the reported haunting and surrounding trees and shrubs "make you feel like you've slipped into a dimension similar but not quite the same as our own".[5] In her book, Oregon Oddities, Harriet Baskas wrote that the tables and decorations are "surprising, alarming, and quite curious".[14] One contributor to the Daily Vanguard, Portland State University's (PSU) student newspaper, included the house in her overview of Portland's "odd and peculiar eateries". She described it as a "novelty", suitable for late-night adventures.[13] A student blogger for the PSU Chronicles recommended Rimsky-Korsakoffee as a destination for people under the age of 21.[27]

Willamette Week called the coffeehouse a unique, "nights-only" establishment that "screams 'only in Portland' ".[8] The publication found the service staff to be friendly, and sometimes slow.[8] In 2005, Willamette Week readers ranked Rimsky-Korsakoffee third in the categories "Best Coffee Shop" and "Best Dessert".[28] The coffeehouse ranked first in a similar poll conducted in 2007.[29] Yahoo! Travel called the coffee "rich" and the ice cream desserts "attractive".[6] The guide considered the "eclectic haunt" a "spooky alternative" to an evening at a bar, club or movie.[6] Zagat described the coffeehouse as "quirky" and "unlike any other place in Portland".[4] The restaurant guide also called the decor of the upstairs bathroom "famous".[4] David Stabler, music critic for The Oregonian, recommended the coffeehouse for post-concert visits and awarded it the title "Best concert-in-a-coffeehouse".[7]

Rimsky-Korsakoffee was a finalist in the "Best Dessert" category of The Village Voice's "Best of Portland" list for 2011 but lost to Pix Patisserie.[30][31] In 2013, the San Jose Mercury News named Rimsky-Korsakofee the "Coffee Shop That Should Get You Amped" in a piece about the more peculiar aspects of Portland ("Keep Portland Weird"); the publication called the house's bathroom the "funkiest" in town.[32] In 2020, Eater Portland's Brooke Jackson-Glidden wrote, "There are very few places left in Portland with the same energy as Rimsky's. Earnestly and delightfully bizarre, the craftsman-turned-cafe with the moving tables and servers delivering deadpan puns somehow avoids coming across as gimmicky, a favorite hangout for local high schoolers and lifelong Portlanders who come for coffee and desserts."[19]

See also

References
  1. McInerny, Vivian (November 15, 2006). "Oldie but Goody". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon: Advance Publications. ISSN 8750-1317. Archived from the original on November 4, 2013. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  2. Larson, Hilary (February 15, 2011). "Welcome To 'Portlandia'". The Jewish Week. New York City, New York. Archived from the original on October 17, 2013. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  3. Fodor's Pacific Northwest. New York City: Fodor's. 2006. p. 55. ISBN 9781400016525. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  4. "Rimsky-Korsakoffee House". Zagat. Archived from the original on October 17, 2013. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  5. "Rimsky-Korsakoffee House". The Portland Mercury. Portland, Oregon: Index Publishing. Archived from the original on October 17, 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
  6. "Rimsky-Korsakoffee House, Portland". Yahoo! Travel. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  7. Stabler, David (January 18, 2008). "Clef notes". The Oregonian (Sunrise ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregonian Publishing Co. p. 07.
  8. "Dish Review". Willamette Week. Portland, Oregon: City of Roses Newspapers. October 6, 2006. Archived from the original on October 17, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
  9. Bernert, Sara (January 10, 2008). "Escape Those ID Blues at Portland Nightspots". The Oregonian (Sunrise ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregonian Publishing Co.
  10. Smith, Julian (January 27, 2012). Frommer's Portland Day by Day. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. p. 35. ISBN 9781118222416. Archived from the original on December 31, 2013. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  11. Oppenheimer, Laura (August 12, 2008). "Words in Progress". The Oregonian (Sunrise ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregonian Publishing Co. p. D01.
  12. "During a Calm Spell". The Oregonian (Sunrise ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregonian Publishing Co. August 12, 2008.
  13. Lakehomer, Emily (November 8, 2012). "Try Something Uncanny: Portland's Odd and Peculiar Eateries". Daily Vanguard. Portland State University. Archived from the original on October 8, 2013. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  14. Baskas, Harriet (January 6, 2010). Oregon Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities, and Other Offbeat Stuff (2nd ed.). Guilford, Connecticut: Globe Pequot. pp. 63–65. ISBN 9780762762019. Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
  15. Dana, Gail (November 18, 2001). "Ideas, Conversation and Dreams Fuel the Creations of Portlander Goody Cable". Portland Business Journal. Portland, Oregon: American City Business Journals. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  16. Munk, Michael. "Louise Bryant (1885–1936)". The Oregon Encyclopedia. Portland State University. Archived from the original on May 19, 2014. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
  17. Munk, Michael (Fall 2008). "Oregon Voices: The Romance of John Reed and Louise Bryant: New Documents Clarify How They Met". Oregon Historical Quarterly. Oregon Historical Society. 109 (3).
  18. Munk, Michael. "Jack Reed and Louise Bryant". Marxists Internet Archive. Archived from the original on April 25, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
  19. Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (December 7, 2020). "Without To-Go Cocktail Legalization or an Open Indoor Dining, Cocktail Bar Palomar Goes on a Winter Hiatus". Eater Portland. Vox Media. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  20. Frane, Alex (December 14, 2020). "Indonesian Restaurant Gado Gado was Burglarized Over the Weekend". Eater Portland. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  21. Dresbeck, Rachel (January 13, 2009). Portland, Oregon: Including the Metro Area and Vancouver, Washington. Guilford, Connecticut: Globe Pequot. p. 94. ISBN 9780762755806. Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  22. Dresbeck, Rachel (March 1, 2011). Insiders' Guide to Portland, Oregon (7th ed.). Guilford, Connecticut: Globe Pequot. p. 97. ISBN 9780762774777. Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  23. Dobson, Dominique (May 13, 2009). "Delicious Desserts: Tasty Reasons to Skip Dinner". Portland Examiner. Portland, Oregon.
  24. Samson, Karl (March 19, 2010). Frommer's Portable Portland. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. p. 67. ISBN 9780470637357. Archived from the original on December 31, 2013. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  25. Bash, James (September 5, 2011). "NPR Correspondent Ari Shapiro to Team Up with Pink Martini + Storm Large + Pacific Youth Choir + Oregon Symphony". Oregon Music News. Archived from the original on December 28, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
  26. "New Additions to the Pink Martini Lineup! NPR's Ari Shapiro to Join Pink Martini and Guest Singer Storm Large for Three Concerts with Oregon Symphony September 11, 12, 13". Oregon Symphony. September 1, 2011. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
  27. Quick, Katie (November 16, 2012). "What's Fun About Under 21?". PSU Chronicles. Portland State University. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  28. Shinn, Laura (August 10, 2005). "Reader's Poll – You Voted. We Tallied". Willamette Week. Portland, Oregon: City of Roses Newspapers. Archived from the original on December 28, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
  29. Waterhouse, Ben (July 25, 2007). "Readers Poll". Willamette Week. Portland, Oregon: City of Roses Newspapers. Archived from the original on December 28, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
  30. "Best Dessert 2011 Finalist: Rimsky-Korsakoffee House". The Village Voice. Voice Media Group. Archived from the original on October 17, 2013. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  31. "Best Dessert 2011 Winner: Pix Patisserie". The Village Voice. Voice Media Group. Archived from the original on October 17, 2013. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  32. O'Rourke, Tim (January 17, 2013). "Is Portland Still Weird or Is It Refined?". San Jose Mercury News. San Jose, California: MediaNews Group. ISSN 0747-2099. OCLC 145122249. Archived from the original on November 4, 2013. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
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