IN THE NEWS: Willamette Week’s Kelly Clarke reports, “What a difference a day makes. Last night, Greg Schillinger was the owner of Gracie’s Restaurant and the beloved Driftwood Room, the lobby dining room and bar of the Hollywood-themed Hotel deLuxe. But in the wee hours of Wednesday morning (May 23), papers terminating his lease for the restaurant space showed up on the doorstep of his home in Forest Heights. Provenance Hotels/Aspen Group, which owns Portland’s Hotel Lucia in addition to deLuxe, tossed the restaurant owner out on his keister, keeping the hotel restaurant and bar for themselves. Schillinger says that he was “behind on rent,” for the space, which he would only term as “really expensive” for Portland. He was in the process of renegotiating the lease for the restaurant and bar operation with Provenance Hotels/Aspen Group, during the past month. “I don’t wanna be a sour lemons guy,” says Schillinger, who also owns Portland’s Paddy’s Bar and Grill. “I had a meeting set with [Provenance Group president] Gordon Sondland for Friday at 2:30 pm. I guess that’s not happening.” Aspen/Provenance publicist Dina Nishioka confirmed that Schillinger no longer owns Gracie’s and the Driftwood Room but declined to provide any details regarding the shake up. One question she would answer was whether the Driftwood would be open for drinks and its newly famed $22 burger tonight: “Yes, both of those business will stay open ,” says Nishioka. “The executive chef (Scott Shampine) is still remaining as well as the entire staff. The only person out is Greg.” … Ben Waterhouse reviews L’Astra (22 NE 7th Ave.). wweek.com … The Oregonian’s David Sarasohn gives a B+ to Wildwood (1221 N.W. 21st Ave.), while The Platter column previews Pinocchio Bar and Restaurant, the 4,000-square-foot eatery Michael Bazzani opened in the renovated Roosevelt condo tower recently. … John Foyston previews the upcoming North American Organic Ale Fest, the largest organic ale festival in the world, say the organizers. The event will feature 25 breweries and 40 organic beers from around the nation and beyond. 3-9 p.m. Friday, June 8, noon-9 p.m. Saturday, June 9, Overlook Park, North Fremont Street and Interstate Avenue; free admission, sampling mugs $5, beer tickets $1 each; www.naobf.org. oregonlive.com … Blogger PortlandFoodAndDrink.com reviews Rocket Restaurant. … If you can’t stand Paul McCartney music, you don’t want to go into any Portland-area Starbucks on June 5. That’s the day the Seattle coffee giant will launch McCartney’s first album recorded on Starbucks’ Hear Music label, called “Memory Almost Full,” the Pugent Sound Business Journal reports. The album will be played in all Starbucks stores, all day, all over the world, Starbucks officials said. “Customers from Taipei to Topeka have the opportunity to experience this extraordinary album all within a span of 24 hours,” said Ken Lombard, who is president of Starbucks Entertainment and runs Hear Music, in a statement. In March, Starbucks Corp. announced that former Beatle McCartney would be the first musician signed for Los Angeles-based Hear Music.

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