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}Gravy

We headed over to N. Mississippi this last week for our weekly breakfast adventure.

Located at 3957 N. Mississippi Avenue, Gravy, has a nice neighborly, laid back kind of feeling. 

Not only do they use fresh local and organic ingredients but they have also decorated with some fun, funky, cartoon like local art.

Portions are large at Gravy so just embrace it.  My husband opted for their ground on the premises, fresh, corn beef hash and I had an egg scramble.  Not to be missed are their amazing, cooked to perfection hash browns.  I don’t eat potatoes unless they are crisp so I enjoyed picking off the top layer of the potatoes – yum.

My egg scramble had a little too much spinach in it for my liking but I loved the sundried tomatoes they added for their Greek scramble.  Our favorite thing to do while we wait for our order is to watch other people’s food arrive at their table.  I don’t even like oatmeal but I must admit their Creme Brulee Oatmeal looked divine.  Crispy and crunchy on the outside thanks to a nice layer of sugar, it also has a layer of fresh fruit hiding on the bottom.  The french toast also looked out of this world.  A reason to go back!  I am sure their biscuits and gravy are to die for too – they are named for it after all!

Remember to go hungry or plan on sharing because the portions are large.  We arrived at 8:30 a.m. amd were seated right away but by the time we left close to 9:30 a.m. there was a bit of a wait.

Gravy’s is open 7 days a week from 8 – 3 p.m. and also serves lunch.

Best Breakfast} Bijou Cafe

The hunt continues….

This week we headed back downtown to the Bijou Cafe.  Jim was at a conference all day so it was just us two girls.

The Bijou Cafe is located at 132 SW Third Avenue and is open for breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

Breakfast is served all day.  Their specialities are Oyster Hash and their omelets although we tried neither.

We opted for some carb loading and went for their oatmeal pancakes which were huge, filling and oh so yummy!  My daughter chose the brioche french toast which she said was like eating cake – yum!!

I loved the fresh look of the blue and white checked tablecloths and the light coming in through the windows made for a nice cheery place to enjoy breakfast.

We arrived at 9 a.m. and were shown right to a table.  There was a bit of a line when we left about 45 minutes later. Service was friendly and fast.

I was eyeing the omelets as they were delivered to the neighboring tables so I think another trip to the Bijou Cafe is in order so that we can give one a try!

We’d love to hear about your favorite breakfast place in the Portland metro area!

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.

Best Breakfast} Mother’s Bistro

One of my new year’s goals is to discover who serves the best breakfast in Portland. Most Saturday mornings my husband and I (and our teenager daughter when she gets up in time) are venturing out into Portland to find who serves the best breakfast in town!

Our first visit was to Mother’s Bistro in downtown Portland. They had just been closed for some floor refinishing so the place was packed the day we visited. Even though the restaurant was overflowing and there were a lot of people waiting we were seated within 5 minutes. I don’t know if it was because we were just a party of 3 or we were just lucky!

Just like the name implies, Mother’s uses recipes from mothers around the world. Chef Lisa Schroeder has recently come out with a cookbook too, “Mother’s Best”, featuring a collection of some of the most popular recipes from the restaurant.

Mother’s was selected “Restaurant of the Year’ by Portland’s Willamette Week. Voted ‘Best Brunch’, ‘Best Comfort Food’ and ‘Best Lunch Spot’ by Citysearch.

The restaurant is large and just seems to flow from room to room. I loved the chandeliers in the room we were in!

But the other room is just as pretty!

Service was fast and friendly and we enjoyed a yummy breakfast.

I had the waffles with gingered peach compote and my daughter had the blueberry pancakes which were huge – they filled the whole plate. My husband enjoyed one of their egg scrambles, a special of the day.

The lunch and dinner menu looked great too and we’ll be back to try it out! They even have a message for my college kids on their coffee mugs!

Mother’s is located in downtown Portland at 212 SW Stark, Portland, OR 97204. Check out their website for hours.

Mother’s Bistro is a place we will definitely revisit and hope you will too. We’d love to hear what some of your favorite breakfast spots in the Portland area are. Please leave a comment and let us know!