Hall of Flame

BY JACOB PALMER

Oswego Grill
7 Centerpointe Dr.
Lake Oswego, OR 97035
(503) 352-4750

Owners: David and Christie Burnett; Bud and Kathy Gabriel

Atmosphere: Upscale restaurant serving traditional fare at reasonable prices; complimentary valet service

Clientele: Executives and employees from insurance, mortgage and law offices along Kruse Way; business travelers staying at nearby hotels

Most popular: Salmon dishes, old-fashioned pot pie and steakhouse favorites, like the prime rib sandwich

Best seat in the house: Plush upholstery booths offer privacy — and a line of sight for security crews accompanying VIP guests like Paul Allen. The Trail Blazers owner was spotted dining with LaMarcus Aldridge and general manager Neil Olshey in late February. Burnett suspects Allen and Olshey were trying to convince the all-star to re-sign with the team.

Brag factor: Staff include “celebrity waiter” Paul Paz, co-author of The Professional Server: A Training Manual and a past president of the National Waiters Association. “Since we’re not a huge company, I brought Paul on and told him: ‘You’re hired. You tell me what you want to do,’” Burnett says. Paz is in charge of training for the restaurant, which recently opened up another venue, Copper River in Hillsboro. “With his talent, Paul is a tremendous asset and teammate,” Burnett says.

Overheard: Two retirees mull the differences between football season ticket packages; a young entrepreneur discusses a “car syndication” business that sounds suspiciously like a rental-car company; a manager discourses on the logistics of shipping medical supplies to San Diego.

Critic’s corner: With a seating capacity of 256 people, the room gets noisy during peak hours.

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