If you’re a hardcore food geek, Portland is most definitely the place to be. Whether it’s the hoards of food cart hoods, conceptual restaurants, jam-packed reservation-shunning restaurants who make you feel like they’re doing you a favour by letting you eat in their establishment, or the homie truffle-ized comfort food brunch spots- it’s almost impossible to get too hungry here.
Lucky for me, I have a few partners in munching just as passionate about scouting out new sumptious menus and willing to wait two hours in frigid temperatures for a brunch table.
My bombshell Bombay-bred pal, Nazneen and I have started a weekly Saturday (or Sunday) brunch tradition this past month as well as a Monday-night “let’s cook dinner together pre-Pretty Little Liars/Gossip Girl” idea…not to mention that we eat lunch together every single day after our respective theatre classes.
Alas, in true foodblog form, I present to you some of the food pornography I have partaken in the past two weeks.
BRUNCHES:
Greek Omelette avec spinach, sundried tomatoes, kalamata olives, & feta sided with rye toast, whipped butter, and outta this world Home Fries- Mother’s Bistro
Moroccan Chicken Hash- Tasty N Sons
Again…just look at that amazing yolk juice meshed with the harissa cream…munchtastic that’s for sure.
Frittata with caramelized onions, swiss chard, butternut squash, and feta. Absolute mouthgasm. -Tasty N Sons
True comfort food: Naz’s Steak n cheesy scrambled eggs, cornbread pancake & jalapeno butter- Tasty N Sons
Avocado eggs benedict on a house-made english muffin sans hollandaise (je deteste le mayo…)- Urban Farmer, The Nines Hotel
The beauty of poached eggs…
FIRST MONDAY NIGHT COOK-IN
Nazu’s delicious salad: Arugula, pomegranate seeds, parmigiano reggiano…with this dressing:
My delicioussss chicken dish: Grilled chicken breast, garlic, olive oil, roasted eggplant, crimini mushrooms, balsamic vinegar, tinge of tomato paste, black pepper, dried oregano, dried basil, red pepper flakes, fresh thyme. delightful.
Naz makes amazing rice…the trick- use organic basmati and add olive oil and cumin seeds in the prep.
RANDOM NOTEWORTHY MUNCHES:
Custom wok-fry: Lots of chicken, carrots, bean sprouts, red onion, mushrooms, bok choy, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, zucchini, peas, ginger, garlic, sriracha, thai spicy sweet chili sauce- New Seasons Market
(tipsy photo)…Marinated peruvian chicken kebabs with some delicious salsa- Andina in the Pearl
DELICIOUS ENSALADA: mixed greens, hearts of palm, fresh cotija cheese, asparagus/seasonal veggies, some sort of seed, amazing vinaigrette- Andina.
As featured:
I’m glad to see you ate Peruvian food! I spent all of December and half of January in Peru.. starting in Arequipa (where they eat massive portions of meat, and where the divine fruit lucuma is plentiful), to the northern deserts, renowned for the civiche, where I got to party with Peru’s ex-president Sr. Toledo (and his ten big bodyguards). The food is superb, I agree, even though I’m not at all Latino (half EuroAmerican, half Persian). Let me know when you are going back to Andina and I will recommend a few things that you MUST try.
How many months left until school is over… less than four? Are you graduating and out for good? Live it up until then, until real life hits, because entry-level jobs in this economy don’t pay enough to allow frequent visits to Andina. And by the way, great video, that took some courage, I could never do it. “Unplanned”? But don’t let unscrupulous men get a hold of it, with all the clothes changing, shoes,…!
I have never been to Portland but I totally want to go now – if just for the food! Everything looks really delicious.
And I detest mayo too. I detest it!!
You should also check out Veritable Quandary- I love their brunch and they make a great chocolate souffle.
Yesss I’ve heard of it! Definitely on my brunch hitlist!