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Nick’s Famous Coneys is reborn with a twist from Lake Oswego
Acting on a life-long plan,Tyler Rogoway now runs the restaurant

By Joelle Cheek

The Lake Oswego Review, Aug 14, 2008
(news photo)

SUBMITTED PHOTOS

Photos from Nick’s Famous Coney at 3746 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd., show the old-fashioned counter Tyler Rogoway, who grew up in Lake Oswego and graduated in 2000 from Lake Oswego High School, recently bought and upgraded the well-known Portland eatery.

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A restaurant that brings one of the all-time favorite foods of the East Coast to the West now has a Lake Oswego connection.

Nick’s Famous Coney Island in Southeast Portland, has a new owner in Tyler Rogoway. He has been a fan of the place since he was a little tyke and told previous owner Frank Nudo that if he was ever going to sell the restuarant, he would be willing to take it over.

“The best times with my family and dad were at Nick’s,” Rogoway said.

The place has a unique character about it and when thinking of remodeling the place Rogoway kept that in mind.

“There’s so much heart and soul, so when I remodeled, I kept some of the old and added some new,” Rogoway said. “The changes are subtle.”

Even though he is not getting any input on changes from Nudo, there is one thing that Rogoway never thought to have messed with: The Coney dog sauce.

“The proof is in the pudding,” Rogoway said. “The Coney sauce is exactly the same.”

Growing up in Lake Oswego and being a graduate of Lake Oswego High School in 2000, Rogoway has been involved in the retail business since birth. His involvement in the family’s business, LaRog Jewelers, got him hooked.

He graduated from University of Oregon and said he is drawn to the restaurant and bar business and the interaction with the people on the floor.

Rogoway’s goal for all patrons of Nick’s Coney Island is for them to have a total escape and a positive environment in the “legendary landmark.”

Rogoway is No. 3 in the line of owners of the restaurant since its opening in 1935.

With today’s economy, taking over a business is something that would scare an amateur businessman, but Rogoway said his projections for the business have been surpassed.

With the people of the metro area’s acceptance and support, Rogoway has seen nothing but good business and returning patrons, he said. He understands the passion his customers have for the place.

“The business is beating my projections and it’s a big challenge,” Rogoway said. “There is a heavy emotional tie to this place.”

Not only have the owners changed, but the cooks have changed as well.

Chris Martin is the new chef at the Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard restaurant. He has experience from fine dining to burgers and beer. Specializing in classic American dining, Martin uses all fresh meat, which means no frozen ham burger patties, Rogoway said.

Some hot menu items in-clude dinner burgers, such as the Herby Burger and big salads. They even have the classic macaroni and cheese.

“This is not normal mac and cheese,” Rogoway added.

Not to mention the one and only famous Coney Island dogs. Customers have the choice of a single or double.

“We have the best damn Coney Islands you can find!” Rogoway said.

The restaurant also offers ice-cold beer.

Even though Nick’s may be in new hands, it’s being taken care of by an all time fan of the place. The experiences of each visit to the restaurant will stay with the building. The kind of experiences that combine to create memories to last a lifetime or make a great business investment down the road, Rogoway said.

Nick’s Famous Coney Island is located at 3746 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd., Portland. Hours: Everyday 11 a.m. — 2 a.m. Phone: 503-235-3008.

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Whats going on here?

Oy vey!

Earlier this week, a "Recall Mayor Adams" event was being held at Nick's Coney Island Hot Dogs, and Victoria Taft was doing a remote from there on KPAM. I'm surprised that wasn't mentioned above.

Opening up a restaurant in this climate takes balls. Good thing his family's got his back should things not work out.

Anybody who has been reading and following pdx-radio would know who Tyler Rogoway is and that he bought Nicks when it was up for sale.

Why should having a 'Recall Mayor Adams' event be mentioned in the story? They could have held that anywhere that had room.....a Round Table Pizza room, any restaurant, building, etc.

The story was a review/story of Nicks new owner and his ties to Lake Oswego. The story had nothing to do with any meetings.The story was for the Lake Oswego Review. It has no ties or interest in the doings of Portland's Mayor other than what happens there affects all communities around Portland. However, LO has no dog in that fight and not mentioning it in that story was appropriate.

Now, if they ran a story about Portland's mayor and mentioned that a meeting was being held at Nicks, then it might be appropriate to mention that Nicks is owned by an LO resident.

Plus, look at the publish date....August 14, 2008. The recall effort wasn't even an idea at the time.

<Whats going on here?>

The article was cut and pasted by 62kgw. In addition to not knowing how to write in English, he obviously does not understand how to cut and paste just the story data, or just link to the story, as most here do. Would have been better if he had just put up the link to the story.

Plus, he's about 8 months behind in his reading/searching, apparently. No wonder he thinks that oldies on KISN and KGW is the hottest item around.

The reason the Victoria Taft event wasn't mentioned in the article is because it's dated Aug 14, 2008.

BTW, I was two blocks away from the event the other day, had tuned in to her show at 5 out of coincidence, and decided not to bother going. Although the case against Adams grows larger by the week, they're mainly trying to convict him of a crime that he hasn't even been legally charged of yet.

I apologize--I was in a hurry when I wrote my previous post on this thread. I should have explicitly asked, why did 62' just cut and paste a review of the restaurant, yet he didn't add any commentary about the protest, which would have been timely.

the Stoner for Mayor!!!!OK??

He'd lose.

He'd have better luck in these cities: San Diego, Dallas (TX), Bakersfield, Edmundton (Alberta), Phoenix . . .