To be considered for listings, send information at least two weeks in advance to: Dish, WW, 822 SW 10th Ave., Portland, OR 97205. Fax: 243-1115. BY CARYN B. BROOKS cbrooks@wweek.com

Gentle Readers, Pink isn't usually a color associated with this time of year, but the employees of Bima, that maverick Pearl District restaurant known for yummy fish tacos, got pink slips instead of candy canes this week. It seems that come Jan. 8, 2000, Bima as we know it will no longer exist. So why is this restaurant, which has had a loyal following for the past 4 1/2 years, calling it quits? Chris Hollern, one of the co-owners, told Miss Dish he wants to get out of the restaurant biz for good, while co-owner and chef Margot Leonard wants to get back to cooking. The duo will keep Holden's, the cafe they opened at Northwest 14th Avenue and Hoyt Street, and turn it into more of a bistro featuring some of Bima's most popular dishes (hello fish tacos!). Eventually Hollern wants to leave the food world and get back to his orginal line of work: He was a high-school English teacher before opening the first hot restaurant in the Pearl. Meanwhile, this prime bit of real estate has already been gobbled up by a Japanese restaurant called Tera that will open shortly after Bima exits. Tera has imported a sushi chef from Tokyo and will seek to bring a high-end Asian influence into Pearl World. Hollern has seen the streets around Bima change in the last half-decade and says he has some concerns about what he calls the "businessification" of the area. Bima's owners were the first food adventurers to open up shop in this part of town; ¡Oba!, Paragon and a whole host of others followed Bima's lead. "It was more fun when we were the only ones," Hollern says. As more restaurants filled in the area, parking problems have increased and the competition between the restaurants has gotten stiff. "It's still the coolest neighborhood in town," Hollern says. "But I miss the grit." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Willamette Week | originally published January 5, 1999