I learned late last Friday over on their Instagram page that Fallow’s Rest Wild has closed. Saturday, February 22 was their final day of service. While I was sorry to see them close, I understand their reasons, and can relate in a lot of ways.
I reported on their opening back in April 2024 and felt it was apt to say farewell here on the website as opposed to a quick social media share. I loved their approach to eating and creating the food they made and served—not just that they used organic, local, whole foods, but that it was important for them to use ingredients produced with an emphasis on regenerative farming and soil health.
In a world where soil health continues to degrade over time, efforts to improve things in this respect get my respect. This is a basic idea—if the soil is devoid of nutrients, the stuff grown in it will be affected, too. That includes both the plants we eat and the plants the animals eat that we, in turn, eat in order to nourish our bodies.
Why Fallow’s Closed
The folks behind Fallow’s Rest Wild, Paul Arnold and Marne Minard, expressed that the Fallow’s project revealed to them that at the very heart of their work, they are “small restaurant people.” They missed a closer connection with their customers that they get while offering counter service to customers— “sharing [their] joys, [their] struggles, [their] food cravings.” (I often think of how good their grain-free bread is.)
It sounds like they want a closer connection to their community, which I completely understand, especially right now when it’s so easy to feel disconnected. So, returning their full focus to Bastion sounds like just the ticket.
Mixed Emotions
They wrote that this decision has had both grief and excitement swirling around in it. At the end of a big project, feeling a bit at sea is normal. I think back to my days playing harpsichord recitals—there’s a bit emotional drop afterwards, and a bit of missing the push toward the big event (remind me to tell you sometime about that kind of experience after spending months learning Györgi Ligeti’s “Continuum“—it’s about four minutes but the work I put behind it was during intense long hours).
But then you move forward, and with Fallow’s, there’s excitement about what’s next: “…. our emotions of excitement for the next chapter are outweighing our sadness.”
They did what they called “a celebration of life” at Fallow’s over the weekend. It was a limited menu, a chance to use up their stock of ingredients, and a chance to say goodbye to their customers and friends. I hope it was a good experience for everyone involved.
Important: Bastion Will Take Your Fallow’s Gift Certificate
If you have a gift certificate for Fallow’s, you can use it at Bastion, where it will be honored. And it sounds like they have plans in mind for some changes at Bastion, which I look forward to hearing more about.
All the best to Paul and Marne for their beautiful work at Fallow’s Rest Wild. I wish them only the best as they turn the page to whatever is next. And I look forward to my next meal at Bastion, which I hope will be sooner than later.
Fallow’s Rest Wild [closed February 22, 2025]
6637 SE Milwaukie Avenue, Portland
Fallow’s Rest Wild website | Instagram | Facebook
Meg Cotner
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Thank you for the lovely and thoughtful report. I had not heard of their closure. I’m am pleased that Marne’ and Paul will remain focused on their exemplary food, bread and commitment to the health of their community and our environment. We’re looking forward to many more meals at Bastion.
Thank you! I am really sorry that things didn’t work out, but I’m looking forward to my next meal at Bastion. I appreciate their overall approaches. They do good work.