A new Vietnamese restaurant will open in what was the McCormick & Schmick’s Harborside restaurant space for many years. It’s called Cay Bar & Grill, and they’ll offer “authentic Vietnamese cuisine with a modern bar experience.” I reached out to owner Khoa Tran the other day and here is what I learned.
First, McCormick & Schmick’s
The original McCormick & Schmick’s opened in downtown Portland in 1979 but some notable things happened before that. Bill McCormick bought Jake’s Famous Crawfish in the early 1970s and hired Doug Schmick, a management trainee. Together, they founded Traditional Concepts in 1974, a restaurant management organization.
They found they worked well together, and opened the first McCormick & Schmick’s restaurant in downtown Portland in 1979; it closed 30 years later in 2009. Fun fact: the restaurant at the Heathman Hotel was operated by McCormick & Schmick’s at one point. At its height, McCormick & Schmick’s expanded as many as 100 restaurants around the U.S.
Mccormick & Schmick’s Harborside opened in the early 1990s. It closed on April 1, 2024.
The Connection to Cay Bar & Grill
Khoa’s grandfather, Tri Nguyen, became a chef at Jake’s Famous Crawfish in Portland. “Coincidentally enough, a sister chain to McCormick & Schmick’s Harborside where our restaurant is located at,” wrote Khoa, “There he spent years cooking American food for Jake’s and perfecting his Vietnamese recipes, sharing his passion for great food.”
Cay Bar & Grill: Some Origins
Their aforementioned grandfather, Tri Nguyen, first worked as a chef in Vietnam. “His love for cooking wasn’t just a profession, it was his way of bringing people together” he said. “Every dish was made with care and love, using recipes and techniques that had been passed down through generations…