Zefiro menus and ephemera

Collection

Identifier: Coll 922

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of seven menus, three business cards, and a poster from the Portland, Oregon, restaurant Zefiro. The menus include a dessert and dessert drinks menu, wine lists, and lunch and dinner menus. The poster, which has the words "Il Primo Anno" on it, was made for the restaurant's first anniversary.

Dates

Creation: 1990-1995

Creator

Zefiro (Restaurant : Portland, Or.) (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.

Administrative History

Zefiro was a Mediterranean restaurant located at N.W. 21st and Glisan in Portland, Oregon. Bruce Carey and chef Christopher Israel founded the restaurant in 1990, inspired by their dining experiences while traveling in Europe; Monique Siu was the restaurant's co-owner. Zefiro featured midnight performance sets by the band Pink Martini. Zefiro closed in 2000. Even after its closure, food critics argued that the restaurant had been influential in shaping Portland's food culture.

Sources: Articles in the Oregonian, 1990-2012; "Hail Caesar: How Zefiro Changed Everything for Portland's Food Scene," by Karen Brooks, Portland Monthly, September 2016, https://www.pdxmonthly.com/eat-and-drink/2016/08/how-zefiro-changed-everything-for-portland-s-food-scene.