Sweetness

Sweetness
3524 SE 52nd Ave.

Date: 5/27/07
Arrival: 10am






Yes, Sweetness rules so much it deserves a second write-up on the PDX Breakfast Blog. I arrived at 10am to find my friend Kay behind the counter with SO many lovely pastries to chose from. She also mentioned that there were 4 different waffle brunch options that morning. WOW. I really had a hard time deciding, so I ordered a sticky bun to munch on while I waited for my friend Natalie to arrive. It was delicious.

Natalie ordered the savory waffle with chicken. Now, before you think to yourself, "Uh, what? Chicken 'n Waffles? WTF?!" Let me tell you that this is a pretty popular meal in the South. It also seemed to be a popular meal in Oakland, CA when I was last there. I don't normally eat chicken, but I tried a bite and it was pretty amazing, I must say. I've never had a savory waffle before, so I wanted to at least try it. I would recommend it to any meat-eater friend out there.

I ordered the strawberry rhubarb waffle. Look at how amazing it is! Dang, it was pretty awesome. Again, I was loving all of the fresh fruit on the side.

If you haven't been to Sweetness yet, do yourself a favor and go there for brunch. Not only is the food AMAZING, you are also supporting Kay and Gretchen, two of FoPo's finest ladies. I also hear that their chocolate chip cookes are to die for. I'll have to try them next time!

Wait Time Inside: 0 minutes
Wait Time For Food: 5-10 minutes
Service: the best
Food: Amazing!
Options: Usually 3-4 brunch options, plus a whole plethora of pastries, muffins, etc. on the counter.
Price: $2.50 - $6ish
Atmosphere: friendly, laid back, great music

Screen Door

Screen Door
2337 E. Burnside

Date: 5/19/07
Arrival: 11:00am









The Screen Door has already been reviewed in my blog, but that doesn't mean it does not deserve a second write-up. Their specials menu is constantly changing, making it easy to try something new each and every time you visit. Mike McCusker was in town from England and we wanted to treat him to a good ol' fashioned American breakfast. The Screen Door is one of the best places to take a guest, so we quickly drove down Burnside and met up with some friends there.

Mike is a pretty adventurous eater. He wanted to try everything on the menu, but instead opted for the tofu & egg scramble with a side of cheese grits AND a side of biscuits and vegetarian gravy. This was Mike's first time having grits and he said it tasted similar to porridge or Chinese rice pudding. Hmmm, I guess I'll have to take his word on that. The waitress seemed enamored with his accent and kept smiling and saying "hun" to him every time he spoke. I'm pretty sure he could have got a free meal out of her if he would have asked.

My goal was to order something off of the specials menu. I went with the special mushroom scramble, which was slightly different from the one on the regular menu, but I can't recall why. It doesn't really matter because it was delicious. Also, Screen Door makes some of the best potatoes in town. They really know how to season them well and I think they've even improved from the last time I was there.

Mandy ordered the frittata on the specials menu which came with spinach, cheese, and some other ingredient that I'm forgetting. The Screen Door is Mandy's favorite breakfast spot, and she is always happy when she is there. She is pretty much their spokesperson.

I can't remember what Kara and Jay ordered, but it was either the Alabama Scramble or the Cajun Scramble. Or perhaps it was the Mushroom Scramble. Geez, I better take notes next time. I know f'sho that they shared an order of biscuits 'n gravy.

Really, you can't go wrong with anything on the Screen Door menu. We walked away completely satisfied . . . and ready to take a nap.


Wait Time Inside: 10 minutes, not long at all for our party of 5.
Wait Time For Food: 15-20 minutes
Service: Very friendly
Food: no complaints from anyone!
Options: Lots of options
Price: $7.95 – 8.95
Atmosphere: Southern hospitality in PDX

Sweetness

Sweetness
3524 SE 52nd Ave.

Date: 5/6/07
Arrival: 10am








Sweetness is located in the heart of FoPo. What is FoPo, you might ask? Well, according to the Willamette Week, my friend Kay is FoPo. But in all seriousness, FoPo is a new "up and coming" neighborhood in the Foster-Powell neck of the woods. Kay and her mom, Gretchen, recently opened up a bakery there, carrying on the family tradition. Sweetness has a very neighborhoody feel, Kay greets most of her customers by name and they all seem excited to have this place a few steps from their homes.

Sweetness serves brunch on the weekends. When we were there, this was the brunch menu:

• Southwestern Strata with sausage, cheese, eggs, chilis, spices, cilantro
• Boursin Fritatta with potatoes and scallions
• Red Pepper, Spinach, and Feta Quiche.

I wasn't going to let a big brunch stop me from trying one of the many delicious items on the counter. I went with an Apple Puff, and I just want to say that it was pretty much the best thing ever.

Mandy had the orange poppy seed muffin, and she claimed it was pretty much the best thing ever as well. Basically, you can't go wrong with anything at Sweetness.

Once the rest of our friends from NoPo arrived in FoPo (har har har), we ordered brunch. I chose the Quiche with Red Pepper, Spinach, and Feta. It was delicious and I was pleasantly surprised by all of the amazing fresh fruit on my plate. You don't see that at any other breakfast place in town, unless you order it separately. I think it was pretty much the PERFECT meal to eat before we went hiking later on that day.

I think we all ordered the same meal and everyone was completely satisfied. I should mention that Sweetness is also an internet cafe, which warms my little NERDY heart. Kay's fashionable children made an appearance towards the end of our breakfast.

Wait Time Inside: 0 minutes
Wait Time For Food: 5-10 minutes
Service: the best
Food: Delicious and we loved the additional bonus of fresh fruit
Options: Usually 3-4 brunch options, plus a whole plethora of pastries, muffins, etc. on the counter.
Price: $2.50 - $6ish
Atmosphere: friendly, laid back, smells incredible