Crush

Crush
1400 SE Morrison St

Date: 3/11/07
Arrival: 9:53AM








I first discovered Crush way back on my 26th birthday. We were supposed to head to Holocene for happy hour drinks. Holocene was closed, but the owner begged us to head up the street to visit his friends at Crush. Ever since then I have fallen in love with their happy hour menu, which is full of tasty cocktails and delicious snacks. Now Crush has added one more meal to their arsenal – brunch on Sundays!

We arrived just before 10am. Since today was the first day of Daylight Savings Time, it felt more like 9am and there was only one other group eating breakfast in the back. Although the staff was tired because of the time change, it didn’t stop them from being excited to see us. My favorite Crush bartender was actually our server that morning, which made me really happy. She quickly seated us and pointed out the coffee and corn bread on the table. The corn bread was amazing. I could’ve sat there all morning munching on that, but I didn’t want to waste an opportunity to test out their breakfast menu, so I stopped myself after two pieces.

The Crush menu consisted of a couple of breakfast cocktails, a few scrambles, and several omelet options. It was a difficult decision, but I decided to order the Rehab omelet (zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms, and smoked gouda). This was one of the best omelets I’ve had in my entire life, and I’m not even exaggerating in the least. It was delicious. Their potatoes were also some of the best I’ve ever had, with a few sweet potatoes thrown for good measure. I like that they added a few apple slices on my plate just to make me feel slightly healthier.

Mandy also ordered the Rehab and she agreed that it was pretty amazing. She had them throw in some mushrooms so that she could be slightly different than me.

Kara went with the It’s All About The Baby scramble, featuring roasted red pepper, onion, and Gorgonzola. This dish usually contains chicken apple sausage, but Kara substituted that with mushrooms. She said it was pretty much the bomb.

The lovely Katie and Sean also joined us for breakfast this morning. I was happy because they have not been featured in my breakfast blog yet, which is such a shame since Katie is a true breakfast aficionado. Sean is more of a lunch kind of guy, but he was a real trooper that morning and ordered yogurt with granola, fruit, and . . . 2 slices of bacon!

Katie ordered the Chilaquiles scramble (tortilla chips, Tillamook vintage white cheddar, roasted jalapenos, and enchilada sauce). One of Katie’s favorite Crush happy hour menu items is the mac’n cheese. She was hoping that this scramble would use the same sauce as their mac, and she was correct!

We were all pleased with our experience at Crush. It was nice to have the place to ourselves, with fast service, quiet music, and delicious food. This will easily go down as one of my new favorite breakfast spots in Portland.

Wait Time Inside: 0 minutes
Wait Time For Food: 15 minutes
Service: Fast and incredibly nice server. She's the sweetest.
Food: Amazing omelets and scrambles.
Options: Not a whole lot of options, but everything on the menu is great.
Price: $7.50 - $9
Atmosphere: Fun art on the walls, cute, friendly, a quiet breakfast experience.

Caffe Minnie's

Caffe Minnie’s
101 Denny Way
Seattle!


Date: 2/25/07
Arrival: 11:45am




I’m going to do something so totally against my blog’s rules - I’m posting a breakfast review for Seatthole. Please forgive me, fellow Portlanders. I will not let you down next time, I promise.

It was 11am when we checked out of our hotel in downtown Seattle. I had heard that a restaurant called The Dish (located in Fremont) was quite good, so we decided to drive there and check it out. Unfortunately The Dish was about the size of my closet and there were 10 groups ahead of us on the waiting list with parties of 5, 7, etc. No thanks! We drove back to downtown and headed to a famous Seattle landmark, Minnie’s.

Awww, Minnie’s. I have such fond memories of eating breakfast here in college late at night. Minnie’s is open 24 hours a day, which means if you go after midnight, you will probably be seated next to drunks and crack whores. It’s got a certain charm, though. Every time I go there, it’s like visiting an old friend. Kara and I had fun retelling old stories of going to Minnie’s during Bumbershoot.

Kara had the eggs benedict. She said it was delicious but very rich. I stole a bite and I would definitely agree with her.

I had the brioche French toast. It was made from croissants and each bite was like a big taste of awesome. I was incredibly impressed with this meal, considering that Minnie’s is not known for being the best breakfast in Seattle. People go to Minnie’s because it’s fast and in a convenient location when the bars close.

If you find yourself under the Space Needle and you are craving breakfast, Minnie’s is an old friend that you can rely on. It may not be the best breakfast in town, but at least you won’t have to wait 5 hours to eat.

Wait Time Inside: 0 minutes
Wait Time For Food: 20 minutes
Service: Fast and Friendly. They refilled our coffee and water every 5 seconds.
Food: More delicious than you would expect
Options: Lots of options, each named after a famous movie star.
Price: $7-8
Atmosphere: Purple ‘n black walls, fun

Detour Cafe

Detour Café
3035 SE Division

Date: 2/17/07
Arrival: 9:30am










It was a sunny Saturday morning. Kara, Katie and I had plans to eat breakfast and ride on the new Portland Aerial Tram. We decided to check out Detour Café on Division. Neither of us had been there before, but we were all game for a new breakfast location.

Detour is located in a cute little place right next door to Mabel’s Café & Knittery on Division. The menu is quite different from most restaurants in Portland. They have a build-your-own Italian frittata and potato scramble section on their menu. They are also well known for their breakfast sandwiches. I did not see a traditional scramble or hash browns on the menu, so if you are craving that, don’t ever go here.

I went with the make-your-own frittata option and chose avocado, cheese, and veggie sausage. Detour bakes their meals, therefore the waiting time is a bit long. The friitata was bland and I was not impressed. The bread was crunchy, and the potatoes were just okay.

Kara also built her own Italian frittata. She added mushrooms, veggie sausage, and cheese. She also thought her frittata was boring to the max!

Katie ordered a breakfast sandwich. She said the bread was good, but the breakfast was bland overall. Uh oh, this is turning into a bad brekkie review.

Conclusion? Cute restaurant, boring meals. Maybe add a few extra toppings and our meals would've been delicious. Anywho, unlike the frittatas, the new Portland Aerial Tram was fun and well worth the wait.

Wait Time Inside: 0 minutes
Wait Time For Food: 40 minutes
Service: Friendly, but you have to get up and get your own coffee
Food: Bland
Options: not a lot of options for traditional breakfasts. I appreciated their creativity, though.
Price: $7-8
Atmosphere: Very cute

Tin Shed

Tin Shed Café
1438 NE Alberta

Date: 2/4/07
Time: 11:30am








Ah, the Tin Shed. I’m extremely surprised that this restaurant has not been written up in my blog already. It is an old favorite of mine. At the beginning of February, Portland received a surprise visit from 2 of our favorite Aussies, Jacobus and Caroline. They were in town for a few days during their West Coast tour. The last time I saw them was when Kara and I were in Amsterdam (AKA a million years ago). We decided to treat them to a good old fashioned ‘merican breakfast. It was entertaining to hear them ask such questions as, “What are grits?” and “What is a buttermilk biscuit?”

We were seated in the outdoor covered area, featuring heaters (yes!), a fireplace, and serve-yo-self coffee. After explaining our strange food to the foreigners, Jacobus and Caroline decided to go with the Alberta scramble, a side of grits, and potato cakes. They were happy with everything, except they refused to eat their grits. (I’ll share a little secret, I’m not a fan of grits, either. I KNOW! Shhh, don’t tell anyone! I really try to like them each and every time I’m at a new restaurant, but I just don’t. Sorry.)

Tiah ordered the biscuits and gravy. Look at how tiny those biscuits are! She was not too happy with that. Who could blame her?

Kara and I both ended up ordering the How Latin with veggie sausage. I usually order the Goat Boy, but I decided to give this one a try and it’s delicious! Look at that avocado! Tin Shed’s potato cakes are the best in town. I crave them dailyy.

Tin Shed still rocks my socks. We were happy to share our meal with the lovely Jacobus and Caroline.

Wait Time Inside: 25 minutes
Wait Time For Food: 15 minutes
Service: Very friendly
Food: Delicious. Potato cakes = awesome. Biscuits & Gravy = tiny.
Options: lots of scrambles, veggie friendly (although they have been known to accidentally put meat into veggie dishes.)
Price: $7-8
Atmosphere: Laid back, very Alberta

Cup & Saucer Café

Cup & Saucer Café
8237 N Denver Kenton!


Date: 1/21/07
Arrival: 10:30am





Okay, I am so far behind in breakfast bloggin’ that my memories of this particular breakfast in January are a bit hazy. Luckily I have the pictures to refresh my memory! Before I begin, please note that Blogger kind of screwed up the formatting of my blog when they revamped their website. Maybe you didn’t notice, but I’m super anal about formatting for some reason. At least there is now the added bonus of ENLARGED PICTURES! That’s right, now you can click on each breakfast picture, which will lead you to a giant plate of awesomeness.

Where was I? Oh yes, breakfast. Way back in January the lovely Sara was in town representin’ NYC. I was excited to eat breakfast with her because Sara used to own Wax, a restaurant that was located on Interstate. This girl KNOWS breakfast, okay? The breakfasts at Wax were some of the best I’ve ever had.

Moving on, we decided to head up North to Kenton in order to try out the brand new Cup & Saucer up there. Don’t let the boring exterior fool you, the interior is quite cute and the menu is just like the other Cup & Saucer’s. The restaurant was packed and we waited for about 20 minutes to get a table.

I decided to order the Brioche French Toast. It was delicious. Check out how big the slices are! Yum.

Kara had a scramble, and I don’t remember what it was called. Again, I am having a hard time remembering this breakfast experience because it happened almost 2 months ago! I don’t even recall what Kara thought of this meal. Sorry, Kara!

Sara pretty much ordered the entire menu. Just kidding (sort of). She decided to go with the corn cakes, scrambled eggs, and veggie sausage. She was extremely happy with her cakes! All in all, we had a good breakfast in Kenton.

Wait Time Inside: 30 minutes
Wait Time For Food: 15-20 minutes
Service: Friendly
Food: Delicious
Options: lots of scrambles, very vegan/veggie friendly.
Price: $7-8
Atmosphere: Busy, friendly, cute on the inside