Breaking news: Sad tidings from the local restaurant front this morning. Leather Storr’s sky high East Burnside restaurant, Rocket, will close Nov. 8 and become a “private venue” for parties and events.
Storrs sent out a press release detailing the closure Monday morning, which he attributes to “economic pressure and critical dissatisfaction.” The former Noble Rot chef, who has become as well known for his charming, boisterous personality as Rocket’s edgy hit-or-miss take on American cuisine, will host a farewell Tequila Dinner at Rocket on Wednesday, Nov. 5.
Here’s Leather in his own words:
Rocket will close Saturday, November 8th . Economic pressure and critical dissatisfaction combine to make continuing on our current course impossible. We are, however, resolved to keep our beautiful space and our magical garden for as long as we can. To that end, we intend to become a private venue. We hope that you will consider Rocket for your functions: holiday parties, birthdays, receptions, hip-hop throw downs, pinochle tournaments and any other events you can imagine. We will also sponsor several events of our own: wine dinners, thematic menus and roof produce driven dinners. Despite the current national vogue of finger pointing, I’m afraid the responsibility for our failure lies squarely with me. In an attempt to wow and titillate I forgot the fundamentals of a pleasant dining experience: thoughtful, delicious food served expertly. In a fever for molecular gastronomy and cute, clever combinations, I alienated customers and critics. Bring on the humble pie.
This is not a tragedy. Employees will be paid, debts will be honored and there will be no absconding with cash. There are no investors left holding an empty bag. The ripples of our closure are contained.
We would like to extend an invitation to you to join us one last time in the coming weeks. We will host a tequila dinner on November 5th . That will be fun. Other than that we will continue our dinner service, Tuesday through Saturday, from five until whenever. There is still plenty of produce to pick and liquor to drink. We’d love to see you in Rocket and we hope you’ll keep us in mind in the future. Please forward this message to anyone who might find it helpful and remember to subscribe to our newsletter.
Sincerely,
Leather Storrs
Here’s WW’s full review of Rocket from July 2007 and our Restaurant Guide 2007 review of the restaurant. Rocket was not included as one of WW’s 100 favorite restaurants for our Restaurant Guide 2008.
WW will update this post as soon as we are able to speak with Chef Leather Storrs.
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