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!

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.

Best Breakfast } Screen Door

Our second week of searching for Portland’s best breakfast took us to Screen Door located at SE 24th and Burnside.  Screen Door is a “Celebration of Southern Cuisine.” 

Screen Door is open for dinner seven days a week but only open for brunch on the weekend.

They don’t open until 9 a.m. as they technically serve brunch not breakfast.  When we arrived at 9 a.m. this is what greeted us – a line half way around the block.  I took this as a good sign.

By the time the doors opened and the first seating was full we were in the lobby area.  I asked a couple of regulars what the trick was and they said in order to make the first seating you need to arrive no later than 8:15 a.m.

We waited for almost an hour but I had brought a book so I didn’t mind.  It gave us plenty of time to look over the menu too.   In addition to their regular menu  they have daily specials which feature local and organic.

They are known for their biscuits and gravy and other Southern fare such as grits but we opted for just a plain biscuit which was buttery and flaky, just like a biscuit should be.

Jim ordered the egg scramble and I had a wonderful Praline Bacon Waffle – yummm!!  It was amazing!!

Probably their most famous item on the menu though is the fried chicken and sweet potato waffle.  We didn’t order it but couldn’t resist taking a photo.  The photo is not great because I had to go up to a complete stranger’s table and ask to take a photo of their food so I was in a hurry.  They were very gracious and didn’t think I was too crazy. 

Three large fried chicken breasts on a waffle – amazing!!

Service was friendly and prompt and once we were seated we had our food within 15 minutes.

The Screen Door serves a great breakfast and it is definitely worth the wait!  It is going to be a top contender for the Best Breakfast in Portland I think!  I can’t wait to try it for dinner.