Eclecticism, is it enough? Close to unavoidable urban gentrification, Shuga’s is facing that question | On the Table
Eclectic. That’s the word. This place is more eclectic than your Jewish grandmother’s Astoria brownstone. Mismatched chandeliers hang precariously overhead … outside. A full-scale traffic light has been mounted to the exterior cladding, just to the right of the back door. Mailboxes stand sentinel alongside a wooden backed bench, while sheltering two barstools is a small and spindly lean-to structure, sparsely decorated with rusting license plates. Both enclaves seem to invite cocktail drinkers to perch and linger, albeit somewhat uncomfortably.
Supposing the darkening clouds made good on their crescendoing threats, we could all run for cover under the massive and authentic looking teepee. I think I hear music from within its veiled entrance, and maybe someone pecking on a typewriter?
This is Shuga’s back patio and garden. It’s an eclecticism of flea market meets traveling circus, and it’s entertaining as anything. Then dinner arrives.
After Round 2, one can perhaps overlook the sandwiches’ quality being on par with most every other upscale-leaning café in the downtown area. Various meats with various toppings on various breads. Yeah, you’ve seen it all before. Good thing Shuga’s price strata is relatively reasonable, particularly compared to specialty coffeeshop offerings. The fact that the menu extends no deeper than sandwiches/salads/soups, and that nothing particular struck anyone as unique or memorable is intensionally overshadowed by that overriding element: eclecticism.
This stalwart of eateries is nearly 20 years deep into business. Peering back through time (via Shuga’s blog archives) reveals a fiercely independent business that’s only grown funkier with age. It’s the patina that’s developed over the years. The barstools worn and then recovered. The mismatched chairs and the buddah highballs. The untold number of highlighted and promoted artists — of all genres. The welcome all comer ethos. It’s a deep and rich history. But is it in danger?
This is the question we ponder over ramen and charcuterie. Two offerings enjoyed but whose qualities are eclipsed elsewhere downtown. The Springs is growing, unquestionably. The influx of those fleeing from the high price coasts is creating a demand upon the local economy that is sending our prices soaring while new building projects are popping up around downtown like dandelions after a rainstorm.
Thousands of new residents are looking for new favorite places to dine. So, here’s the question: can established long-timers such as Shuga’s meet both the demand and ever increasing sophistication of an unavoidable urban gentrification?
A quirky, funky, eclectic vibe is well and good. But when you find yourself surrounded by luxury highrise-ish apartments filled with a growing proportion of urban elites fleeing the likes of the Bay Area and Northeast Corridor, honest introspection — and a frank assessment of a menu that has not evolved in years — must result in considering change.
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SHUGA’S
702 S. Cascade Ave.
328-1412
Hours: 11 a.m.-midnight everyday
Prices: $10-$14
What you need to know: A Springs long-timer grows ever funkier with age, but can it survive a quickly changing landscape of gentrification?
Oh, yes, the food. While somewhat diminutive, the charcuterie board was noted for its unusually green (sage) cheese and biting radishes with salt. The term has been over-employed in this story, but this is nothing short of eclectic.
While ramen might appear an aberration from the menu’s norm (and, yes, dedicated ramen houses now exist in the Springs), it was a diverting enjoyment.
Who hasn’t wished to sip a Sidecar aside a row of mailboxes? Now, if only cocktails were available via mail-order.
Eclectic inventiveness extends to the glassware. Here one can’t help but admire the complementary colors.
Three sandwiches were sampled. Each being perfectly acceptable. Yet missing was that sought after je ne sais quoi compelling a next bite.
In what may be the most disheveled of Shuga’s outdoor seating, here you can perch upon a stool, order a drink and read a license plate or two.
Micah Redfield