Chez Machin

Chez Machin, later known as Frog & Snail, was a crêperie in southeast Portland's Sunnyside neighborhood. In 2004, Katie Shimer of the Portland Mercury described Chez Machin as a "small, welcoming restaurant" with a "wide open front door, red and white checked tablecloths, and calming French bistro atmosphere".{{Cite web |last=Shimer |first=Katie |date=2004-05-20 |title=Chez Machin |url=https://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/chez-machin/Content?oid=31325 |access-date=2022-05-19 |website=Portland Mercury |language=en |archive-date=2015-09-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906004711/http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/chez-machin/Content?oid=31325 |url-status=live }} She also said the tables "offer a comfortable distance, so you can feel free to propose marriage or break up with someone, without everyone eavesdropping".

In 2011, Allison Jones of Portland Monthly wrote, "The space is tiny, cozy, and very French, with a great back patio that is a welcome respite from busy Hawthorne."{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Allison |date=2011-05-11 |title=Planet of the Crepes |url=https://www.pdxmonthly.com/eat-and-drink/2011/05/portland-crepes-best-crepes-may-2011 |access-date=2022-05-19 |website=Portland Monthly |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-05-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519225254/https://www.pdxmonthly.com/eat-and-drink/2011/05/portland-crepes-best-crepes-may-2011 |url-status=live }} The restaurant's exterior featured a small red replica of the Eiffel Tower and the interior had a mural by Gus Van Sant.{{Cite web |last=Russell |first=Michael |date=2013-08-20 |title=Finding director Gus Van Sant's 'lost' Macheezmo Mouse mural |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/dining/2013/08/finding_director_gus_van_sants.html |access-date=2022-05-19 |website=The Oregonian |language=en |archive-date=2021-01-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117145326/https://www.oregonlive.com/dining/2013/08/finding_director_gus_van_sants.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Anderson |first=Heather Arndt |date=2016-04-27 |title=The Way We Were |url=https://www.portlandmercury.com/eat-and-drink-spring-2016/2016/04/27/17974400/the-way-we-were |access-date=2022-05-19 |website=Portland Mercury |language=en |archive-date=2020-12-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201217200818/https://www.portlandmercury.com/eat-and-drink-spring-2016/2016/04/27/17974400/the-way-we-were |url-status=live }}

The French menu included savory and sweet varieties of buckwheat crêpes, including a gluten-free option. The La Bèchamel had black forest ham, Swiss cheese, mushrooms, scallions, and béchamel sauce, and the L'Allemande had bacon, potatoes, caramelized onions, and roasted red pepper coulis. The Classic had Nutella, banana, and crumbled graham crackers. Savory varieties included the BBQ, the Grilled Cheese, and the German, which had potatoes au gratin, caramelized onion jam, bacon, scallions, and homemade crème fraîche.{{Cite web |date=2020-06-11 |title=The Top Five Places to Order Takeout or Delivery From This Week |url=https://www.wweek.com/restaurants/2020/06/11/the-top-five-places-to-order-takeout-or-delivery-from-this-week/ |access-date=2022-05-19 |website=Willamette Week |language=en |archive-date=2022-05-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519044024/https://www.wweek.com/restaurants/2020/06/11/the-top-five-places-to-order-takeout-or-delivery-from-this-week/ |url-status=live }} The menu also included quiches{{Cite web |last=Brobst |first=Scout |date=2020-05-27 |title=A Pandemic Is an Odd Time for a Restaurant to Reinvent Itself. Frog & Snail's Crepes Might Justify the Risk. |url=https://www.wweek.com/restaurants/2020/05/27/a-pandemic-is-an-odd-time-for-a-restaurant-to-reinvent-itself-frog-and-snails-crepes-might-justify-the-risk/ |access-date=2022-05-19 |website=Willamette Week |language=en |archive-date=2021-04-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412164033/https://www.wweek.com/restaurants/2020/05/27/a-pandemic-is-an-odd-time-for-a-restaurant-to-reinvent-itself-frog-and-snails-crepes-might-justify-the-risk/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Frane |first=Alex |date=2020-06-18 |title=A List of Portland Restaurants Reopening for Patio or Dine-In Service |url=https://pdx.eater.com/2020/6/18/21295061/bars-restaurants-reopening-friday-covid-multnomah-county |access-date=2022-05-19 |website=Eater Portland |publisher=Vox Media |language=en |archive-date=2020-12-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201230182724/https://pdx.eater.com/2020/6/18/21295061/bars-restaurants-reopening-friday-covid-multnomah-county |url-status=live }} and French onion soup.{{Cite web |last=Garcia |first=Krista |date=2021-12-06 |title=Where to Find Fantastic French Onion Soup in Portland |url=https://pdx.eater.com/maps/french-onion-soup-portland |access-date=2022-11-28 |website=Eater Portland |language=en |archive-date=2023-08-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230823204149/https://pdx.eater.com/maps/french-onion-soup-portland |url-status=live }} Salads included the Salade Regim (spring greens, green apple, toasted almonds, gorgonzola, and vinaigrette) and the Salade Bistro, which had bay shrimp, avocado, hard-boiled egg, and Dijon vinaigrette. Drink options included coffee and wine.

File:Portland, Oregon (July 26, 2022) - 095 (cropped).jpg replica, 2022]]Gus Van Sant painted the mural in 1986, when the building housed a Macheezmo Mouse restaurant.

In 2007, Eric John Kaiser celebrated the release of his debut album L'Odyssée by performing at Chez Machin.{{Cite web |last=Clarke |first=Cary |date=2007-06-07 |title=Our Town Could be Your Life |url=https://www.portlandmercury.com/music/our-town-could-be-your-life/Content?oid=339403 |access-date=2022-05-19 |website=Portland Mercury |language=en |archive-date=2022-05-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519225259/https://www.portlandmercury.com/music/our-town-could-be-your-life/Content?oid=339403 |url-status=live }} The restaurant was burglarized in 2017.{{Cite web |last=Hernandez |first=Tony |date=2017-02-11 |title=Burglars target four SE Hawthorne businesses, police say |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2017/02/burglars_target_four_se_hawtho.html |access-date=2022-05-19 |website=The Oregonian |language=en |archive-date=2022-05-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519044024/https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2017/02/burglars_target_four_se_hawtho.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Dymburt |first=Andrew |date=2017-02-10 |title=Half a dozen Portland businesses burglarized |url=https://www.koin.com/news/half-a-dozen-portland-businesses-burglarized/ |access-date=2022-05-19 |website= |publisher=KOIN |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-05-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519044024/https://www.koin.com/news/half-a-dozen-portland-businesses-burglarized/ |url-status=live }}

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Chad Bernard changed the restaurant's name to Frog & Snail and overhauled the menu. The restaurant closed in 2023, following Bernard's death.{{Cite web |last=Wong |first=Janey |date=2021-01-20 |title=Portland’s Restaurant, Bar, and Food Cart Closures |url=https://pdx.eater.com/22240842/portland-restaurant-bar-cafe-closings |access-date=2023-08-23 |website=Eater Portland |language=en |archive-date=2021-01-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121191206/https://pdx.eater.com/22240842/portland-restaurant-bar-cafe-closings |url-status=live }}

The Portland Mercury{{'s}} Katie Shimer wrote in 2004: {{Blockquote|Unlike a lot of restaurants, Chez Machin does an excellent job of pairing the rich sauces and cheese you crave, with the healthy, fresh foods you wish you were eating more of. They also do that thing good Portland restaurants do where they combine the romantic 'dining out' atmosphere with a price that won't make your eyes bug out like Roger Rabbit. 'Twixt the greasy pub grub and patchouli stank that is Hawthorne Boulevard, this little Parisian slice is a blessed sanctuary.}}

In 2011, Portland Monthly{{'s}} Allison Jones wrote, "Prices are higher here, but the sit-down cafe experience is top-notch." In 2017, Carrie Uffindell of Eater Portland included Chez Machin in a list of "the best creperies and crepe-centric cafés throughout the city" and said the restaurant is among Portland's "more traditional French-rooted options".{{Cite web |last=Uffindell |first=Carrie |date=2017-04-14 |title=Eat Piping-Hot Crepes at These 12 Portland Creperies |url=https://pdx.eater.com/maps/portlands-best-crepes-creperies-restaurants |access-date=2022-05-19 |website=Eater Portland |language=en |archive-date=2021-10-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029105516/https://pdx.eater.com/maps/portlands-best-crepes-creperies-restaurants |url-status=live }}

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Category:2023 disestablishments in Oregon

Category:Defunct French restaurants in Portland, Oregon

Category:Defunct restaurants in Sunnyside, Portland, Oregon

Category:Restaurants disestablished in 2023