Besaw's: More Hype Than Substance

There are some places in this fair city of ours we have never been, places that when people talk about them and we say we haven't been there our statements are met with shock, as if we have somehow upset the speaker's delicate balance in their understanding of us as people.

"But you love food!" they say. "How could you have not been there yet?!"

Um, I don't know. Because there are tons of yummy places to go, with more popping up all the time, that it's almost impossible to keep track? And that it's hard enough for us to make it back to the places we know we like, let alone to try new ones on a consistent basis (and keep our foodie cred)?

Besaw's, located in northwest Portland at 23rd and Savier, is one of those restaurants. Open since 1903 (as they proudly note on the sandwichboard below and on their website), Besaw's is somewhat of a Portland institution, something along the lines of the Portland City Grill or Jake's Famous Crawfish. 

It's busy pretty much all the time and on weekend mornings the lines can stretch alongside the length of the restaurant and take hours to get a seat. We hadn't been there before mostly because of the line; this is a place you have to really plan to visit if, like us, you hate waiting for something you don't know will be worth the time. In fact, we tried to eat here once before but the line was already too long, so we went somewhere else.

A few weeks back we made a point of getting here early on a Saturday morning and were seated right away. Besaw's began as a bar and the bar is still a very prominent feature, though the atmosphere is assuredly family friendly. Families, couples and friends form small groups of varying sizes, with tables stuffed into whatever alcove the restaurant can manages.

Because of a craving we started off with a cinnamon roll, a 'how-convenient' special of the day. As you can see in the picture, it was pretty good sized.

However, it really wasn't very good. The dough was nicely baked, but the layers of the roll were too thick and didn't have enough cinnamon filling. It was as if the dough needed to be rolled flatter and layered with more cinnamon/sugar mixture. As a result the cinnamon flavor was almost nonexistent. The frosting had very little flavor. We ended up getting one at Fleur de Lis later in the day because this just didn't cut it and the craving still lingered.

Now the main dishes. Wifey ordered the breakfast burger - here is the description from the menu:

THE. BREAKFAST. BURGER. - sunny-side up egg, 100% grass-fed local ground beef patty, white cheddar, bacon, arugula, oven-roasted tomato, sausage gravy, on texas toast; rosemary-garlic potatoes

Which translates into this on the plate:

Now when someone says "rosemary-garlic potatoes" to me, French fries with whole cloves of garlic is not what comes to mind. Check out these monsters:

And there was a ton! I love garlic, but damn, that was  A LOT of garlic. And maybe it's just us, but we thought they were a tad underroasted. The burger was served on one piece of toast - it had no top. Maybe this is just our assumption, but unless otherwise stated we expected a top. The gravy was severely lacking in flavor on its own, but altogether this wasn't a bad dish. Nor was it special.

I ordered the farmer's hash:

FARMER’S HASH - three eggs scrambled with rosemary potatoes, bacon, roasted garlic cloves, cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, arugula, cheddar cheese

It was...fine. Nothing special. This also had a ton of garlic and lots of cheese (so much the menu lists it twice!).

Nothing in this meal stood out; in fact, some of it was borderline no good. Many, many people seem to have a special place in their heart for Besaw's and I think that's because it has been around for so long. Quite a few Portlanders grew up with this place and made special memories there long before the city's food revolution, so it's placed in a higher echelon of restaurant than the food it produces. We won't be back.

Dog-friendly? There are a few outdoor tables along 23rd Avenue and I believe we have seen dogs there with their owners during the summer. We didn't ask specifically.

Paulee: Wine Country Jewel

Located in Dundee, Oregon - the heart of Oregon's wine country - Paulee opened late last spring to quite a buzz. The idea was to become a gateway of sorts to eating in wine country (not that there aren't other excellent restaurants in the area, but this one brought in some big names and big ideas). They were going to grow much of their own vegetables in a farm on the other side of the parking lot and source everything else locally, but the farm hasn't taken off (reportedly because of a late start, so maybe 2013 will be different). Paulee was also going to build on the talents of chef Daniel Mondok (Sel Gris, Genoa) and become a true destination spot. 

It worked, for the most part. The Oregonian gave the restaurant an A- review in August and it was suddenly the place everyone was talking about despite a 45-60 minute drive from Portland. Being west-siders, of course we had to check it out. We went twice, both times for brunch rather than dinner, and found the menu is still quite enticing but cheaper and perhaps a little more accessible. 

Paulee resides underneath the Inn at Red Hills, just down the street from Red Hills Market (another solid destination for food and drink and shopping) and a short drive from many of the big name wineries (Sokol Blosser, for instance, is less than five minutes away by car).

The decor is casual and supposed to be comfortable, though the chairs are a little hard if you plan on staying longer than the typical time it takes to eat a meal. Since this is wine country and Paulee has an extensive wine list, grab an extra pillow, especially if you dine with friends.

We made  reservations for brunch - 10:30am on a Saturday - because we thought it was going to be busy. It was not. Only two other couples were seated the first time we went and about the same on our second visit, when we decided the reservations weren't necessary. For dinner I would recommend them, especially on the weekend.

Also, keep in mind there is really only one way to get to Dundee from the Portland area - Highway 99W. Just outside of Newberg this four-lane highway narrows down to two as it enters Dundee and after about 11am or noon on Saturday or Sunday that usually means snarled traffic for people heading out for wine tasting. Get into Dundee early or just plan on spending some time sitting in traffic. Your call.

Coffee comes from Portland's Heart Roasters. It's okay, not great, though with Heart's continuous rotation of bean sources it very likely could change from visit to visit. The fireplace is a nice touch in the dining room and on the opposite side is outdoor seating. We asked our server if the patio was dog-friendly and didn't really get a straight answer. He talked some about how people don't like sitting out there because it can be loud (Paulee is right on 99W) and then said people can tie up their dog and come and eat with no problems. That, sir, was not what I asked, but considering how long it took to come up with that answer I didn't press further. 

For our first visit we ordered non-breakfast type of food. My choice was the cacio e pepe (fettuccine, pepper and parm served with prosciutto and bread). I hadn't seen it on the menu of any Italian restaurants I'd been to in Portland and heard good things, so I had to get it.

Verdict? Damn good. Really, really good. I'd definitely recommend it.

Wifey ordered the Paulee burger with smoked bacon, egg, spicy tomato jam, lettuce, aioli, cacio di roma and onions on a potato bun, which came with fries.

Quite the spread. And check out how perfectly the egg was cooked.

Love the way the yolk exploded out of that. The fries were okay, but the burger...wow. Just wow. I mean, look at this thing!

Both of those dishes were a huge hit. In fact, the meal was so good we went back two weeks later, this time opting for breakfast fare. Remembering how good the smoked bacon was on the burger, I ordered a side of it for us to share.

It was bacon. I mean, it was good bacon, we enjoyed it, but it wasn't super special or anything. 

Wifey started us off with the Benedict, served with pancetta, egg, avocado and Hollandaise on toasted brioche with potatoes on the side. 

The Hollandaise and everything was good, but we didn't think the brioche was the best fit for a bread base. Also, the potatoes could use more time in the pan - they didn't see as if they were quite cooked through enough. Nice color, but still a tad undercooked inside.

I ordered the "Skillet" which is basically a hash. This one came with chorizo, potatoes, eggs and a very light spicy cream sauce.

It had potential, it really did, but it didn't measure up to the dishes we ordered for our previous lunch visit. We did decide to follow this meal with a dessert, the special bread pudding. That day's version was a chocolate peanut butter bread pudding with vanilla bean ice cream and came with drizzles of chocolate and caramel sauce.

It sounded amazing and looks very pretty, but the flavors really didn't do it for us. 

Overall we recommend Paulee. The lunch items seem better executed than the breakfast ones and much of the dinner menu looks outstanding. It is definitely not the place to go for a cheap meal - both brunches ended up being around $40 for the two of us, which no alcohol - though we did bring home leftovers each time. The service was pretty good, but maybe too chatty for my tastes. This is probably directly related to the fact the restaurant was so empty both times.

It will be interesting to see how things move forward with Paulee. It was recently announced Mondok has left the restaurant and the idealistic plans of building a farm still hasn't been proven. And there also remains a question in my mind about the viability of such a high-end restaurant in the area. Yes, there is Portland money that comes in, but only on the weekends - people aren't driving out there after work during the week. Is it sustainable for weekday breakfast and lunch? 

I hope that it is. It's an excellent weekend brunch option and someday we'd like to make it out for dinner.

Dog-Friendly? Well, again, still not sure. I wouldn't bet on it, but if they seem fine with leaving your dog outside while you it inside I find it hard to believe they wouldn't let your dog sit under your table while you dine al fresco.

On the Fringe of Feast Portland

A month and a half ago Portland hosted a food and drink festival that could be described with no word other than "epic." Feast Portland, in its initial year, brought in thousands of tourists and plenty of all-star chefs from all over the world to contribute in all sorts of tasting events and special dinners.

Check out the schedule of the four-day event - simply amazing, and every single event droolworthy. Just Google Feast Portland (or better yet, Google Image Feast Portland) and you can get a sense of how truly amazing this event was.

Wifey and I, sadly, did not attend any of the events for a few reasons. The first is they were very expensive, as you can tell by the prices. Attendees got plenty of food for the price, though, but one problem is we cannot physically eat enough food to justify it simply for the sake of food. Considering we are still both trying to reach our weight loss goals (oh so close!), we decided to pass for 2012 and hope the event comes back in 2013 (good news - it will!). Next year it's on.

I should say we didn't attend any of the official events. There were plenty of events at restaurants around the city of the unofficial kind and we did manage to hit a few of those.

Boke Bowl and Aaron Franklin

No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain is one of our favorite shows on TV. We love his snark and we love seeing all the amazing places he goes, people he meets, and food he samples. Not long before Feast Bourdain visited Austin, Texas, and there he met up with Aaron Franklin. Franklin owns, fitting enough, Franklin's BBQ, which has lines for hours every day just to get some brisket. His meat is smoked for hours and hours with no sauce and even Bourdain called it some of the best he's ever had.

Boke Bowl is a small shop, newer, down on Water Avenue in the central east side industrial area, near Water Avenue Coffee, clarklewis, Bunk Bar and Hair of the Dog Brewing. They got their start in popup events around the city (one of which we attended at Yakuza, then had their food at a fundraiser last summer) and they do ramen. Not traditional ramen, but a northwest version of it, with smoked meats, good noodles, and fantastic broths.

Somehow Franklin and Boke Bowl hooked up and one lone email from Boke said they would have brisket from Franklin for just one lunch run. If you get there after noon, they said, you'll probably be out of luck.

Well.

Since there isn't much of a chance I get to Austin anytime soon, I took a coworker and headed over there for lunch. Boke Bowl used the brisket for two dishes: as an add-on to their ramen and as a filling in a steam bun. So I got some of each, and after my order the woman at the register told me my order was the last one. I felt special, even before I ate it.

First to come out was the order of steam buns, which come three to an order.

The meat was melt in your mouth good and extremely flavorful, especially when you consider there is nothing added to it other than a little salt and pepper. No special spices, no sauces, just a good crust on fantastic meat.

Next up came the ramen. I wasn't thinking and ordered the regular pork ramen, which comes with a chunk of meat already, but whatever. I added an egg, too. (I do believe, that yes, I blew past my protein goal on the day.)

Here's a closer look, the food porn shot if you will.

The verdict? Completely damn awesome brisket. I don't know if I'd be willing to stand in line two hours for it, but it was very good. A couple people who also had it noted that Portland's own Podnah's Pit is on the same level, something Franklin noted himself during his visit, so I think that just means we need to go back there.

Also, Boke Bowl is very good. The Korean pot roast and fried chicken steam buns are also very good and while it may sound odd, order Twinkie for dessert - it's tasty!

Feast Specials at The Country Cat

The Country Cat is one of our favorite places in the city despite being just about as far from home as you can get for us without hitting Gresham. We already had a dinner planned (see below) for the Sunday of Feast weekend, but when the Cat posted these Feast-inspired brunch specials we had to go.

Guess which two we ordered? Yep, not the oysters. Wifey ordered the Cowboy Breakfast and I got the Steak & Eggs, which we, of course, shared. (Also, I have no idea why this is true but I love coffee there with a passion. It's just French pressed Stumptown, but it's really good. And if you have the stomach space the basket of cinnamon rolls are amazing.)

First up the steak and eggs. The steak was good, but it wasn't amazing. I actually thought the star of the dish was the bacon-wrapped potato cake. 

The brisket was excellent. Maybe not quite Podnah's or Franklin's, but well worth the order. Plus, I don't think anyone in the city makes better cornbread than the Cat. With a light sweetness it's moist but not cakey and complements meals very well. Both veggie elements were also good, though meager. (There was a time in my life not too long ago when that's how I preferred it, but not anymore. Give me some green stuff!)

As usual a visit to the Cat was well worth it. Even though the rib eye wasn't the best, it's still one of the better steaks around, especially at practically a steal of a price.

Baohaus at Ping

Both of the previous events we went to on a whim, but this one we knew about a little in advance and made sure to get reservations: Eddie Huang presenting Baohaus at Ping. Baohaus is a steamed bun shop in NYC started by Huang after deciding the life of a lawyer wasn't what he wanted. He also can be seen on various food television shows and has written a book about his life, coming out next year. Huang has also been outspoken about chefs doing cuisines not from their native lands - notably Western chefs doing Asian food - but even he admits Ping (and PokPok - our visit thoughts here) owner Andy Ricker knows what he's doing. Since Huang likes PokPokNY in Brooklyn, I imagine that's how he ended up taking over Ricker's Ping for the evening. (For reference, here's notes on our visit to Ping earlier in the year.)

Our reservation was the first of the night, but seating was very slow. In fact, I think we were seated about 20 minutes late because the kitchen was behind and food didn't come for at least 20 minutes after that. here's the card placed on each  plate, Eddie on the front.

And the menu on the back (click the pic to enlarge). Each person received one each of the baos, a choice from two entrees, and the dessert. Three courses, $35. Since it was Wifey and I we naturally each ordered a different entree, so we could try everything.

Lest you believe Huang is too big to work his own line, here is a pic of him trying to get everything going. This came after we were seated but before food started to come out. Needless to say, he didn't seem all that pleased at the delay, but then again it's hard to put blame on anyone when it's his food and his quality control being applied to a kitchen space that is not his and a staff working on dishes they don't usually make.

Here are the two baos, the Chairman with pork belly on the right and Uncle Jesse with fried tofu on the left. Both were very, very good. I really liked the crushed peanut aspect added to each of them. With the sauce and sugar I thought the Uncle Jesse even had a peanut butter and jelly kind of flavor, which will win me over every time.

Here's my entree, the beef noodle soup. Loved the broth and the meat was almost melt in your mouth. It also had some nice heat to it.

After mixing it up a bit you see the noodles. Again, very nice.

The Hainan lobster rice. I'm not normally someone who gets super excited about lobsters, but this was so well done I could have eaten two bowls of it. Really enjoyed it.

And the dessert, a fried bao with red bean, shiso (a minty leaf) and vanilla ice cream. It was...fine. A nice palate cleanser I suppose, but the shiso seemed out of place in the dish. I wouldn't order it.

All in all, this was a fantastic meal despite the bumpy start to the service. Then again it was our only our second pop-up experience and the first where we got the first reservation of the night - maybe that's normal in these kinds of things?

I will admit, $35 for the meal was a little steep, but at the same time we got to eat food from an acclaimed NYC chef without having to buy a plane ticket. And we enjoyed it. If we ever make it to NYC to eat - someday we hope to - Baohaus will definitely be on the list, so in that respect the meal was a success for us and for Huang.

We didn't get to attend any of the Feast events directly, but these three made us feel like we were involved. That, to me, is a key point. While the Feast events were ridiculously expensive and ridiculously gluttonous - which may not stop us from attending one next year - these were much more moderately priced and gave us a chance to experience food we otherwise wouldn't get.

Looking forward to Feast Portland 2013.

Brunch at Brasserie Montmartre

When we came across the Brasserie Montmartre in downtown Portland, the menu alone was enough to convince us this was a place we needed to try when the timing worked out. We wanted to try brunch first, which they only serve on Sundays, and we typically stay home on Sundays. With all sorts of French-American classics and the promise of high quality results, today was the day we checked it out.

Located on SW Park Avenue next door to the Westin hotel, the restaurant is open and welcoming, with tables on the sidewalk should you so choose. A very large bar runs the depth of the long and narrow space, which opens up in the back around a staircase down to more tables, the open space well-lit with an enormous chandelier.

Despite the fact it was late morning on a Sunday the restaurant was less than a quarter full (hmm...) and we were seated promptly. After taking our orders the waitress brought us a croissant, our choice between plain or chocolate. This was not a difficult decisions; of course we both chose chocolate. The flavors of it were good, but the pastry itself wasn't flaky at all and was instead moist. We both liked it, but it's not a good example of a croissant.

I ordered the eggs Benedict, which came on a biscuit with pork belly, some avocado, and a side of roasted potatoes. (The pictures today are all taken with the iPhone 4S, using a flashlight app. I think we need to practice with that a bit more to avoid the shadows.)

This dish was pretty good. The pork belly was nicely cooked with a bit of a crunch, a welcome and unexpected element to the dish. The Hollandaise was tasty and the eggs cooked perfectly - not too runny, but still soft. They could have used a tiny bit more seasoning, tasting a little too much of, well, water (I realize they are poached in water, but it stills seems like something was missing). The potatoes were seasoned and crisped nicely.

Wifey ordered a special, a buttermilk fried chicken sandwich on a biscuit with tomato bacon jam and butter lettuce. With that came an order of pomme frites (thin French fries) and a side of garlic aioli.

The fries were excellent, cooked to a good crunch without being overdone, as was the aioli (garlicky, but we like that). The sandwich was, well, just okay. The biscuit seemed a little dry and also the wrong choice to use as bread and the lettuce was soggy. The tomato bacon jam added some flavor, but none of that flavor was bacon. The chicken seemed to be nicely done, but they claim to use only breast meat for their sandwiches and this was definitely brown meat. Uh oh...

Mini Rant: Why is restaurants don't say on the menu if they use a specific cut of chicken? And even if they do, why is it sometimes that's not what we get? This happened at Irving Street Kitchen the last time we went to, where we were told something was going to be breast meat and it was not. Is whether or not a piece of chicken is breast meat subject to interpretation? I thought it was pretty clear. I mean, if they menu says one thing or if the wait staff is told to tell customers a dish is made with breast meat, how can it possibly be made a different way? Is the chef in the kitchen making changes on the fly and hoping no one will notice or complain? And no, we don't complain...usually. Sometimes we do. Mostly we just use it as a checkmark against returning to a particular restaurant.

Overall the meal was just okay. Parts of it were oustanding, such as the fries, and some of it just makes me shrug. The staff was very friendly, which is always a plus if the food isn't great. Despite not being blown away with goodness I think we will give Brasserie Montmartre another chance, perhaps for a regular lunch or a dinner.

At least we know we won't have to worry about getting a table...

Well Crafted Brunch at Ned Ludd

Ned Ludd, a restaurant in northeast Portland calling itself an "American Craft Kitchen," has been on our list of restaurants to try for quite a while. Each time we came close to choosing it, though, something else looked just a little bit more interesting. Part of that is because it's really difficult to nail down just what kind of restaurant it is. They are big on local and sustainable ingredients and there are influences of many different cuisines in their menus.

This past Saturday we decided to try it out; many pictures of dishes from the restaurant looking fantastic convinced us it was time to go. Here are a couple pictures of the menu and it help to illustrate why Ned Ludd is so hard to categorize (click the pic for a larger version).

Located on NE Martin Luther King Boulevard in a tin shed of a building set back from the street, the restaurant doesn't exactly announce itself. The name over the door blends in with the restaurant's colors. There is a courtyard out front with picnic tables and various plantings, making it seem like a pleasant place for a summer dinner outside (which sounds like a reason in itself to go back). The inside of Ned Ludd is small, seating maybe 40 diners or so, with some tables and some bar seating. The kitchen is open and dominated by a brick oven which keeps the place toasty warm.

On a Saturday morning around 10:30 there was only one other couple there when we arrived, but it started to fill up the closer it got towards noon. The decor is eclectic, a mixture of rustic country with rich curtains giving it a very welcoming feel, as if the chef was inviting you into his home. Large windows let in copious amounts of light.

We decided to start off with two smaller plates from the "bits" section. The first was the deck crisped muffin with honey and butter for $6.

Served on a wooden cutting board, one well loved in a good way, what it looks like is a quartered muffin that has been burnt, but it didn't taste that way at all. It was crisp, as promised, but it was very, very moist inside with a variety of sweet and savory flavors, including some apple, cloves and cinnamon. The cup in the picture is filled with warm honey and the butter flecked with large flakes of salt. The muffin didn't even need he accompaniments, but they definitely didn't hurt. We've never eaten a six-dollar muffin before, but this was fantastic.

Next up was the pork rilletes with mustard and volkhorn brot (that's the bread) for $9. It also came with some slices of pickled apple.

The rillette was smooth, rich, flavorful, and easily spread on the bread. The jar is topped with a layer of fat, which our waitress explained is the traditional way to store a rillette. See the crosshatch design in the top? That's an example of the attention to detail you find at Ned Ludd. It has to be a challenge to top something with a quarter-inch layer of fat and have it look appetizing, but they did it. This was fantastic. The mustard wasn't too hot and worked well with the bread and the pork. The apple also was a nice palate cleanser, though I don't feel it was necessary.

Wifey's main course was the "bird in a nest" over meat ragu for $13. The nest is a polenta cake, with a circle carved out and replaced with an egg.

There's the egg.

Simply put, this was amazing. The polenta cake by itself had plenty of flavors, not just corn, and had a nice crunch. The egg was cooked perfectly. And that ragu? Oh my - melt-in-your-mouth goodness. I don't know how long that had been reducing in the brick oven, but it's totally worth the time.

I went with the "hangtown bake" of eggs, leeks, bacon, mushrooms and oysters served with toast for $14.

Again, all of the flavors perfectly complemented each other. I don't even like mushrooms, but these were tasty and added a level of umami to the dish that was just right. The oyster pieces melted in your mouth and the bacon chunks added a rich, salty profile. These eggs were also done just right.

That's quite a bit of well prepared food that added up to a spendy brunch. While the cost was more than I would typically prefer to spend for brunch, I can't say any of this was overpriced. Considering the attention to detail and exceedingly high quality of the meal, I can only compliment Ned Ludd on a job well done. The service was good also. I will absolutely recommend Ned Ludd to others and can't wait to go back for dinner. Maybe in the summer we can and eat outside, with Misaki curled up at our feet.

Another Visit to Bakery Bar

Wifey and I have a place we really like to hit up for brunch on a Saturday or Sunday morning. It's a small place out on NE Glisan called Bakery Bar, just a block up from Cuban restaurant Pambiche between 29th and 30th. They have a wide array of baked goods, an espresso bar, small and tasty breakfast and lunch plates, make cakes and things for special events, and also serve drinks.

Bakery Bar is in a bright, orange-red building set back from the road with picnic tables and plenty of outdoor seating where one can bring a well-behaved dog (Misaki hasn't been...yet). Service can be a little chaotic. Closer to noon on the weekend there may be a line out the door to sit and eat, though anything can be ordered to go. Inside they have seating for around 35-40 people. (Apparently I wrote about them two years ago...well, they are still yummy.)

We've been enough times now I think I can make some more comments on them. The service is, just about always, not in a hurry. It takes time to be seated, time for a waiter to take your order, time for your food to come, time for boxes and the bill to come, and time for payments to be processed. This is, of course, normal, but at Bakery Bar it's always twice as long as necessary - or more.

So if you are in a hurry and want a quick bite, Bakery Bar is not the place for you. However, if you want to sit back, relax, and enjoy some good conversation because you don't have much planned that day - or nothing planned at all - this is a great place. The atmosphere is lively, the service is friendly, and the food is pretty dang good.

On our last visit I ordered the D-Bear Bowl. I have no idea where the name comes from, but it's their tasty rosemary hash browns topped with sausage gravy, two eggs, and two strips of bacon (optional add-on - of course I said yes). I ordered my eggs over easy (why I'm not sure, since I prefer medium).

All of this together I enjoyed, but by itself some of the elements weren't great. The eggs, for example, didn't have much flavor. Maybe they aren't cage free and the chickens don't enjoy a well-rounded, healthy diet? I have no idea, but they just tasted a tad weak for me. The bacon, also, wasn't anything to write home about, and I would have liked a tad more rosemary in my hash browns (I think they have started using less than they used to). 

But when all of the elements are mixed with the sausage gravy, which is always super damn fantastic...let's just say it's a satisfying meal.

Wifey ordered a special, the eggs Benedict with ham with a side of the rosemary hashbrowns.

This was also a solid dish. The Hollondaise was well done, the eggs cooked well, and their English muffins are always pretty tasty. However, like with my plate it needed a little more...something. Seasoning? Salt and pepper? Not sure.

Also, if you ever go, always order a bourbon caramel latte (which you can add an actual shot of bourbon if you like) - you will never, ever regret that.

We'll go back despite the little things, but I think it's slipped just a bit on our list of places we love in Portland.

Another Brunch at ISK

A while back we had a fantastic brunch at Irving Street Kitchen in Northwest Portland, so last weekend we went back for another round.

I ordered the French toast bread pudding, which came with vanilla whip cream and warm plums.

Not only was it pretty, but it was damn tasty. With the whip cream it might have been a tad on the sweet side, but those plums melted in your mouth.

Wifey ordered the "Smothered Southern" with sunny side eggs, a biscuit, grits and chili creole. Fried chicken was optional and after the waitress assured us it was a breast and not brown meat, she added that as well.

It's a pretty plate, isn't it?

We finished with their butterscotch pudding, which we were told didn't come with cookies for brunch, only at dinner (never mind the visual evidence from our last visit in the link at the top of this post - but yes, it could have changed; on the bill it's listed as a "to go" pudding...hmmm). They did bring us out a molasses cookie, which smelled fantastic but ended up being dry and bland. The taste fell way short of the smell's promises.

The meal was very good, but we have a few beefs.

1) That was not breast meat. Instead, it was a drumstick and a thigh. And yes, this is typical for fried chicken, but that's why we asked the question. There are restaurants around town - Screen Door comes to mind - that use white meat for their fried chicken. If we had simply been told no, it wasn't breast, we wouldn't have ordered it. Considering it was a $7 addition that's noteworthy. We probably should have been wary after the waitress didn't really seem too sure of her confirmation. It would have been easy enough for the waitress to say she didn't know and go ask, and we would have appreciated that extra effort. But she didn't and she didn't know the product. That's not okay.

2) Service in general was fairly slow. I'm not talking about how long it took to get the food, but at the end of the meal when it came time to bring out bill. I don't understand why any restaurant would take so damn long to bring a bill after diners are clearly finished with dessert, and then why it would take so long to process and return the receipt to be signed. It was busier than our last brunch, but the restaurant was far from "busy." Also, I should note she brought the bill without even asking if we wanted dessert, which we did.

3) Packing up the leftovers was a complete failure. In general I prefer to package my own leftovers because then I can pick and choose what I want, but many restaurants do it for you. Normally that's fine, but not for this meal. I finished my food, but Wifey only ate about half of each piece of her meal, and less than half of the chicken. Our waitress took away the plate and brought out a box which seemed small but we didn't really think much of it. After we got home and opened it up, we saw all that was in there was the leftover biscuit and just the thigh piece of chicken (the drumstick was partially eaten). No egg, no grits, and none of the chili creole. Not only did we spend an extra $7 for the chicken that wasn't what we were promised, but half of the leftovers didn't make it in the box.

And yes, my tip was less than I would normally give, but probably higher than was deserved.

Maybe our waitress was new, I don't know, but it left a bad taste in our mouths. We will probably still return at some point because the food really is very good - and we want to check out dinner - but we might be a little less patient if the same issues crop up again.

In the meantime, ISK is doing a take-out menu for Thanksgiving we are thinking about ordering from. At least then we don't have to wonder about service.

Go To Sunshine Tavern

Sunshine Tavern is an American place over on Division Street in Southeast Portland. Just this past weekend they started a brunch service that also features many of their dinner items. Wifey and I can't stay away from brunch and we had been meaning to check out this place anyway, so we stopped in just after 11am on a Saturday.

Maybe because it was the first day and they just opened, maybe because it was still early, or maybe because it was a holiday weekend, the place was pretty dead when we walked in (it did fill up later). Our waiter was David, who is also the co-owner with his wife, Jenn (also the head chef). They also own Lincoln, a restaurant that has been on our list for awhile but we haven't made it to yet.

The space fronts on Division Street and the entire front of the restaurant opens up to allow in the fresh air. Early on a hot day, this was pretty nice. Pok Pok is just a short distance away and the smells from their outdoor grill wafted in to mix with Sunshine's own smells from their open kitchen. Yes, it was heaven.

David dropped these buttermilk biscuits by the table first. They were complementary for the first day of brunch, and they were excellent. Light and fluffy, but still with a soft crunch and fresh out of the oven, they came with butter and a marionberry (I think) jam, which worked great for dipping. 

We didn't order biscuits and gravy (theirs comes with egg, pork gravy, and fontina), but given how good these were I'm sure it is fantastic.

Wifey ordered the fried chicken sandwich with blue cheese dressing, celery, red onion, and chili mayo. This normally comes with a side of fries, but for $3 more you get those fries topped with the pork gravy and fontina. The fries by themselves were just fantastic - nice crunch, good flavor. Definitely one of the better fries we've had in Portland. (Better than Potato Champion? Need a side by side taste test...)

We felt a little bad because this pile of fries was monstrous and we barely touched the sandwich. The logic was the sandwich would be better reheated than the fries, so we focused on eating those. David asked us at the end of the meal if it was all okay, since we didn't eat it all. David, we promise, it was phenomenal, both fresh and reheated - but we had to save room for dessert.

My entree was the pizza with two eggs, oregano, tesa, and olive oil. David asked if I might want to make that a true bacon and egg breakfast...of course I would, so upgraded from tesa to bacon. Just look at this magnificent pizza (and ignore the fact these were cell phone pictures with too much direct sunlight) - great char on the crust, wonderful presentations. The eggs were just barely done so the yolk could be popped and spread all around. The bacon was thick and smoky, the perfect complement to everything else. In short, the pizza was fantastic.

Just for fun, another view, to illustrate the sunlight.

We only ate about a third of this too; those fries were very filling (and super damn tasty). And, as I mentioned above, we wanted to save room for dessert. And why is that?

Sunshine does soft serve ice cream, a honey and vanilla combination people have raved about all over the internet. You can order it with a magic shell chocolate topping or a hazelnut crunch, but we opted for plain. The conclusion? Excellent. The honey didn't overpower the vanilla, as it can sometimes, and the ice cream has a perfect creaminess. 

The entire meal cost us $32 plus tip, which for the amount of and quality of the food (hey, we had two more meals each out of it at home) we thought was a great deal. We will absolutely be returning to Sunshine and recommend it to friends.