Out to Lunch}Blueplate Counter

As promised, today I am sharing one more great Portland grilled cheese sandwich location.

First we had the food cart, The Grilled Cheese Grill.

Then there was the more upscale grilled cheese sandwich at Paragon.

Today’s featured grilled cheese sandwich location falls in between the food cart and the upscale Pearl District restaurant – it’s a lunch counter!  A real life, old fashioned lunch counter and soda fountain – Blue Plate Lunch Counter and Soda Fountain located in downtown Portland at 308 SW Washington Street.

Blue Plate has been featured on Diners,  Drive-ins and Dives.  Blue Plate is only open for lunch from 11 – to 5, so go for lunch or an early dinner.  It is a popular lunchtime spot for the downtown working crowd.

Housed in a former department store there are lots of fun architectural details to give the place some character.

The menu is limited but when it’s all good you don’t need a lot of choices.  Of course our first choice was the grilled cheese and tomato soup.  You have the option of adding bacon and tomato but we kept it pure. The tomato soup was wonderful and we licked the bowl on that one.

We also ordered some Northwest Sliders which came with a yummy basil spread and Tillamook cheese.  They also come with a side of mashed potatoes but we opted for a side salad.  The sliders were juicy and yummy and just the right size!

Both the grilled cheese and the sliders are regulars on the menu.  There are two specials each day too so check out the menu on their website.

There is also a great selection of soda fountain treats including some not so typical choices – vanilla honey sodas and the PR  Nelson Milkshake which is made of  huckleberry ice cream blended with the house made purple haze hibiscus syrup.  Next time we will go just for dessert!

And if that wasn’t enough for you – there is always the penny (10 cent) candy!

Enjoy a fun lunchtime experience downtown at Blueplate Lunch Counter and Soda Fountain!

Out to Lunch}Paragon

We have a bit of a theme going this week on Homebased Portland.  The theme is grilled cheese!

Monday we shared with you the very fun and funky Grilled Cheese Grill.

Who doesn’t love grilled cheese and tomato soup!?

If you are looking for a little bit more sophisticated atmosphere then a food cart and a refurbished bus but still want a yummy grilled cheese and tomato soup head on down to The Pearl.  Paragon is located on  the corner of 13th and Hoyt in The Pearl.

Famous for their grilled cheese and tomato soup, it is a popular lunch time destination.  They use a wonderful artisan style bread for their sandwiches and the tomato soup is creamy and smooth

So if you want a little bit of comfort of home but in a little more upscale environment Paragon is perfect.

I celebrated my birthday there in January with a group of girlfriends and the service was excellent.  The majority of us went for the grilled cheese and tomato soup but I am sure the rest of their menu is amazing too!

Believe it or not we have one more Portland grilled cheese hot spot to share – coming soon!!

Do you have a favorite place to get grilled cheese in Portland?

The Grilled Cheese Grill}Food Cart

Portland is a mecca for food carts!

Last Saturday we were doing a little browsing over on N. Mississippi.   There is a great row of food carts on N. Mississippi   – Mississippi Marketplace but we decided to check out a new one we had heard about – a food cart that just serves grilled cheese.

Grilled cheese and tomato soup is one of our favorite comfort food.   I think we grew up on grilled cheese and tomato soup at our house.

The Grilled Cheese Grill is located at 1027 NE Alberta Ave., Portland, 97211  and is open starting at 11:30 each day except for Mondays when they are closed.  Check out their website for specific closing hours.

The Grilled Cheese Grill is celebrating their first birthday tomorrow – Tuesday, April 19th so head on down and join the celebration.

The kitchen is run out of a little trailer.

There is outside seating but the best place to sit is in the bus.

They have brought in an old school bus and outfitted it with booths and a nice long counter and stools.  Hundreds of old school photos decorate the table top and counter top.  Maybe you’ll see someone you know!

The painting on the ceiling is amazing and will keep you entertained for hours!

There are lots of fun grilled cheese combos on the menu or you can make up your own.  Any combination you can think of they will make! (as long as the ingredient is listed on the menu)

We went with The Gabby which was a combination of cheddar, colby jack, swiss, mozzarella on white bread.  We lived dangerous and added potato chips to it – yes, potato chips.  I loved the addition of the salt and the crunch.

Our second choice was The Pops which was a combination of tomato, Havarti and honey mustard on Dave’s Killer Cracked Wheat – so good and my favorite.  Of course we added the tomato soup too!

For dessert we couldn’t resist The Jaime especially when it said that “you might need to eat this in private.”

The Jaime was a combination of marscapone, Nutella, and grilled banana on grilled cinnamon swirl.  It was amazing and I don’t even like bananas!!!

The food was great and how fun is it to be able to eat lunch in a school bus!  Check out The Grilled Cheese Grill!!

Best Breakfast}La Provence

I went to Paris for breakfast last Saturday.

Or at least it tasted and felt like I did.

Discover a little bit of Paris right here in Portland at La Provence.

Thanks to blog reader Amber who raved about La Provence!  She commented,

“If you truly want the most amazing breakfast in the Portland area YOU HAVE GOT TO TRY La Provence Bakery and Bistro in Lake Oswego off Boones Ferry. It is like walking into a European Cafe (so I’ve been told) and it has the most AMAZING morsels of yumminess to choose from. PLEASE go soon…you will not be disappointed!

So we went.

She was right – we weren’t disappointed.

La Provence has several locations in the Portland area -  NE Alberta, SE Division, Lake Oswego and one in The Dalles.

La Provence first opened in 1996 when it’s owners arrived from France and wanted to share their passion for French patisserie with Portland.

We took Amber’s recommendations and my husband had their corned beef hash which he thought was one of the best he has ever had.

Based on another Amber’s suggestions Tessa ordered their french toast stuffed with cream cheese and a berry sauce – so good!

And I enjoyed crepes!  Everything was delicious.  I also ordered a pain au chocolat to go because Amber said I must!

We truly felt like we were enjoying a morning in Paris.  Even our water was French.  We loved talking with Francois!

We’ll be back.  We hear the lunch and dinners are fabulous too.

La Provence serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and hours vary through the week so be sure and check out their website. It was busy on Saturday morning.  We arrived about 10 am and waited for 20 minutes.

Maybe you’ll be lucky and get Francois as your waiter too!

Out to Lunch:Hands on Cafe

This last week I did a little shoe intervention with one of my friends.  She hadn’t bought any new shoes in 7 years so we figured it was about time.  We had a great time at Nordstrom Rack and she walked out with 5 pairs of shoes!  We were quite famished from all that hard work so we headed over to the Hands on Cafe at the Oregon School of Arts & Craft.

Have you heard of it?

The cafe is located at 8215 SW Barnes Rd, Oregon College of Arts and Crafts, Portland, OR 97225 and is open Mon-Fri 11:30am-2pm, 5:30pm-7:30pm; Sun 9:30am-1:30pm.

Prices are incredibly reasonable and average about $6.00.  I have only enjoyed lunch there but am anxious to try it for dinner too!

It is a little hidden treasure over on the west side just down the road from St. Vincent’s Hospital.  It had been several years since I had been there and I forgot how much I like the place.

It is a cozy, student run restaurant and the daily specials are prepared right there in their small kitchen each day.  The menu is rather limited but it  is always hard to choose! The menu changes on a daily basis so it is always a fun surprise to see what they are offering.

Here is Jack – he is the one that took our order and he also made the delicious soup we ordered.  It was a tomato, roasted red pepper and blue cheese soup – so good!

My friend and I both had the soup/salad combo.  I had bread with mine, she was good and didn’t.

For lunch we split a piece of this amazing lemon cake with lemon curd and whipped cream.  After I took my first bite I was wishing we had each got our own – I wanted to lick the plate the lemon curd was so good.

After lunch be sure and visit the gift shop that is right next door that is full of beautiful creations made by the students at the school.

I wish a school I had gone to had had a cafeteria this amazing.

Just be prepared – they only take cash!

Best Breakfast}Besaw’s Cafe

 Besaw’s Cafe  has been a Portland institution since 1903.

Originally the home of Portland’s first beer parlor and gambling hall Besaw’s cafe quickly became the most popular meeting place in the neighborhood, with a reputation for a pleasant drink, a scrumptious meal and lively conversation.

More than 100 years later that is still Besaw’s recipe for success. You can still sit at the same mahogany bar that’s that has graced Besaw’s since the turn of the century.

Besaw’s serves breakfast and lunch 7 days a week and dinner Tuesday through Saturday.

Our first trip to Besaw’s was for a Saturday morning breakfast.  We were told their Eggs Benedict was to die for.

My husand chose a little lower glycemic meal and went for the eggs, bacon and fresh fruit.

I decided to try the oatmeal pancakes with brown sugar and dried cranberries with real maple syrup.  Yum!  They were fluffy, moist and healthy.  I order a side which was just one large pancake and it was plenty for me. They were delicious and I went right home to look for a recipe so I could make them myself.

By the time we left an hour later there was quite a line waiting to get in on a beautiful Saturday morning.

So if you’d like to enjoy a taste of Portland history and some good food pay a visit to Besaw’s Cafe.

Rovente Pizzeria

It’s been a while since we visited a local pizza place so we decided to check out Rovente Pizzeria’s newest location at the Streets of Tanasbourne (located off of Cornell and NW 185th)

A local pizza chain, Rovente has two other locations. You can find them downtown at 4th and Washington and on SW Macadem Avenue.

There aren’t a lot of quick food options at Streets of Tanasbourne so Rovente Pizzeria is a welcome addition.
They have taken over an existing restaurant location and the decor is on the slim side but the pizza is not!  Who really goes to a pizza place for the decor anyway!?

They have a great selection of “pizza flavors” with 6 -8 choices each day and of course you can always order “your way” too!

I of course had my usual choice of plain old cheese.  It was great and had just the right amount of cheese grease – yum!!

My friend went for one of the vege versions with artichoke hearts!  We took advantage of their lunch special and had a slice with a Greek side salad.

We definitely recommend Rovente Pizzeria if you are hungry from your power shopping at Streets of Tanasbourne or you are looking for a new pizza place to check out!

Oregon Coast} Bruce’s Candy Kitchen

What are your plans for Spring Break?  Are you headed out of town, maybe somewhere tropical?

If you are like us and you are sticking pretty close to home we want to spend the next few weeks giving you some fun ideas of place to go in and around Portland during the break.

How about an overnight trip or a day trip to the coast?

One not to be missed Oregon Coast stop is Bruce’s Candy Kitchen in Cannon Beach, just an hour and a half drive from Portland.  Bruce’s Candy Kitchen has been around since 1963 and no trip to the beach would be complete for our family without a visit to Bruce’s!

Bruce’s Candy Kitchen is candy heaven!  They have the feel of an old fashion candy shop and an amazing selection!  There is even candy on their front doors!!

If you are lucky you will be able to watch them make their salt water taffy during your visit.

If you miss it be sure and pick yourself out a nice selection of their amazing, house made taffy!

If taffy isn’t your thing, no worries, there is plenty of other sweets to tempt that sweet tooth!

And if you just can’t decide, you can always try my personal favorite – white chocolate covered gummi bears – polar bears!!

No matter what your candy of choice we can pretty much guarantee you won’t leave empty handed.

Enjoy a sweet treat at Bruce’s Candy Kitchen at Cannon Beach!

Best Breakfast}Jam on Hawthorne

Our breakfast adventures continue!  We headed over to the Hawthorne area of southeast Portland.

Jam on Hawthorne located at 2239 SE Hawthorne Blvd.  They are closed on Monday but open Tuesday through Friday from 7 a.m. to  3p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

You’ll notice the sign on the door – Jam Cafe and Art House   Here’s the art!

Jam is a smaller cafe but large on flavor and menu selection!  I had done a little research and heard that their lemon ricotta pancakes with blueberry compote were to die for so I had to give them a try!

The reviews were right – they were delicious!  I had them with blueberry compote and maple syrup – a great combination!  Jim had an egg scramble which was good too.

 Jam on Hawthorne was a delightful corner cafe and we’ll definitely be back – maybe we’ll try lunch next time!

Out to Lunch: The Daily Cafe

We are taking a little break from our weekly breakfast adventures to go out to lunch!

Since Monday was a holiday and the girls were off school it was the perfect opportunity for my neighbor and I to take our daughters to lunch.  We also had a fun shopping trip to Cargo which I shared with you earlier this week.

For lunch we went to The Daily Cafe in the Pearl.  The Daily Cafe  has three locations – the Pearl at 902 SW 13th Ave., Rejuvenation at 1100 SE Grand Ave. and one on South Waterfront at 3355 NW Bond Ave.

The Daily Cafe has a wonderful selection of salads, soups and sandwiches featuring local, fresh and organic ingredients and a nice selection of daily specials.   You order at the counter and your food is delivered to your table.  Service is friendly and fast.

The Daily Cafe has a casual, relaxed atmosphere and a reasonably priced menu.  Lunch prices vary from $5.00-$7.00.

We had heard they made a pretty great burger so two of us gave it a try.  It was delicious and the french fries were cooked just the way I like them – crisp!

Hannah, our grilled cheese connoisseur, gave their grilled cheese on a brioche bread two thumbs up!

I opted for one of their daily specials, a pork tenderloin sandwich with caramelized onions and delicious aioli.

They have an impressive dessert case and we couldn’t pass up a piece of lemon butter lemon cake – yum!

The Daily Cafe is located in the heart of the Pearl at 13th and Kearney and is open for lunch and  breakfast seven days a week.  I think we will be back to give breakfast a try!  They are also open for dinner Wednesday through Saturday.

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