1. Non-fat Vanilla Latte from Barista in the Pearl District: 539 NW 13th Ave, Portland, OR
2. Asparagus Soup with Homemade Focaccia Bread from Besaw’s in the Alphabet District: 2301 NW Savier St, Portland, OR
3. I loved Besaw’s so much that I went again for breakfast! Eggs Benedict with Roasted Tomatoes and Spinach.
4. Beer Tasting at Deschutes Brewery in the Pearl District: 210 NW 11th Ave, Portland, OR. I highly recommend the Champagne of the North Berliner Weiss – a yummy champagne-like beer!
Tasty n Sons, Portland, Oregon
Recently, I had the pleasure of visiting one of my favorite US cities, Portland, Ore., to attend the International Food Bloggers Conference (IFBC) on behalf of one of our clients, the United States Potato Board. Tough job, right?
It gets better. Not only did I get to dine with award-winning cookbook author Diane Morgan, (her car license place says it all), as a Portland local she knew exactly where to take us: Tasty n Sons. And now I know why. As we made our brunch plans, Diane stressed that we needed to arrive earlier than their 9am Saturday morning opening time – and she was right. When we arrived at 8:45am there was already a line out the door…and it only grew longer as we waited in anticipation.
Sitting down at our table, I knew I was in for a treat when I was immediately impressed by the presentation of my iced coffee (Stumptown, of course). We started our meal with two “appetizers” (is it typical to order appetizers at brunch?) – Griddled Bacon-Wrapped Dates and Chocolate Potato Doughnuts (you did catch that I was in Portland on behalf of the US Potato Board, right?). If the bacon-wrapped dates weren’t delectable enough, the chocolate potato doughnut with crème anglaise was to-die-for. I only wished I could save room to get another order after the meal, for dessert.
Next up were the entrees, all of which are designed for sharing. Between the four of us, we tried:
• Potatoes Bravas with over easy eggs (the most amazing flavors!)
• BBQ Chicken Hash with potatoes topped with over easy egg (another winner)
• Polenta & Sausage Ragu with mozzarella & fried egg (glad we shared because this dish is rich)
• Summer Muffin with heirloom tomato, Beecher’s cheddar, summer greens, pickled beets & fried egg (cutting the sandwich into fourths left a perfect bite for everyone)
If I had to choose favorites, I would pick the Chocolate Potato Doughnuts and the Potatoes Bravas, but would easily order any of these menu items again next time I visit. Which reminds me, I’ve got to figure out a reason to get back to Portland and Tasty n Sons – it’s that good!
Tasty n Sons
3808 N. Williams Street
Portland, OR 97212
(503) 621-1400
A SacFoodie in Portland
A couple weeks ago, I found myself strolling the streets of Portland’s Pearl District with friends and admiring the range of food options, spanning from fancy fare to quirky holes in the wall.
Oregon is definitely known for its beer, so I wasn’t surprised to discover that the brewery that makes my favorite beer also has a restaurant (several, actually). Rogue Distillery & Public House is located in the heart of Portland’s Historic Brewing District. Besides a menu full of pub classics, they’ve got 38 beers on tap, including my favorite – Hazelnut Brown Nectar.
As luck would have it, the Portland area was experiencing a bit of a water safety issue at the time, so we weren’t able to order any water with our food. This allowed me to feel far less guilty when I ordered a few rounds of this not-on-the-menu gem – the Rogue Snickers (hey, I needed to wash down my dinner somehow, right?).
The Snickers was a mixture of my aforementioned favorite, Hazelnut Brown Nectar, and their Chocolate Stout. Wow. Simply wow! It really hit the spot with its rich, velvety flavor.
After dinner, we walked the beers off and headed to the popular Northwest staple – Voodoo Doughnut. As another SacFoodie mentioned on her trip to Voodoo, this must-see shop also serves as a wedding chapel. Yes, it’s one of those eccentric joints that make Portland so idiosyncratically wonderful. The doughnuts on display made us (and the estimated 50 people in line ahead of us) drool. Our wait was about 25 minutes, but it was so worth it.
I opted for the Old Dirty Bastard, which featured chocolate, Oreos and peanut butter. Apparently, the Bacon Maple Bar is one of their most popular, so I’m definitely going to try it the next time I visit.
If you’re ever in Portland, I seriously recommend stopping by Rogue Distillery (even if the city’s water is safe to drink) and Voodoo Doughnut. This SacFoodie was sad to leave!
Rogue Distillery and Public House
1339 NW Flanders Street
Portland, OR
Voodoo Doughnut Original Location
22 SW 3rd Street
Portland, OR