"Where do you like to go for breakfast?"
"Where do you like to go for breakfast?" That’s a question every Portlander has an answer to. And soon, every Portlander will have a definitive guide to where we all like to go for breakfast: Breakfast in Bridgetown will be published in September, 2008. The book will cover some 95 restaurants throughout the city: where they are, what they’re like, and most importantly, what kind of coffee they serve. It’s not a book of criticism – I believe every place is worth visiting – rather, it’s a tour of Portland’s favorite meal, based on the idea that a city’s soul shines through its breakfast restaurants. In other words: I describe, you dine.
I know it’s lame, just posting from here to other blogs, but I’ve been doing more work and screwing around than usual lately, and almost no breakfast. Actually, no breakfast. So here’s my latest post, written for LivePDX.com:
Whenever somebody asks me about my favorite breakfast places — and that happens a lot — I usually stammer and offer up a bunch of disclaimers and qualifiers (”These are just my type of places,” etc.), then reel off some names like Zell’s, Bijou, Stepping Stone, etc.
But when the question is “Which places are really good?” or “Where should I go this weekend?” I usually mention the Country Cat, Simpatica, and Autentica. Autentica, in particular, was a revelation to me: a Mexican brunch where everything was great, the decor was lovely, and the lines were nonexistent.
I wrote a short version of my Autentica chapter for a post on LivePDX.com. I’ll share the long version here:
Man, does this place look fancy! Anybody been there? The Oregonian said brunch is better than dinner, so next time I find $50 lying in the street or something, I’ll have to go check it out.
Just posting this so I can show up better in Google. Bear with me.
The old Gramma Lucy’s Cafe is now the Blue Pig Cafe, and I went by a couple times to check it out. I’d say it looked a lot nicer and the food is a little better, but it’s still a pretty low-key little neighborhood joint … without the yelling.
Read more in my article at LivePDX.com.
Hey folks,
If you pre-order a copy of the book between now and September 1, you’ll get free shipping. Just letting you know that — you can order it via the link on the left, and if all goes the way they’re telling me, you’ll have your book in September.
Thanks!
Sorry, no breakfast books yet — but soon!
Meanwhile, I’ll be selling my two hiking books at fairs this weekend. So if you’re out and about, here are two recommendations for fun ways to dig the local community.
Saturday, July 12, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., it’s the Mississippi Avenue Festival.
Sunday, July 13, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., I’ll be at Crafty Wonderland, a gathering of artists downstairs at the Doug Fir Lounge (830 E Burnside), which also happens to serve a pretty good breakfast.
Admission is free for both events, so come on out!
And which books are they? Well, glad you asked: 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of Portland and Day and Overnight Hikes on the Oregon PCT.
So I’ve been traveling, working on the book, and otherwise not posting. Allow me to fix that in the easiest way possible: by showing you what other folks have posted!
VeganFabulous paid visits to FlavourSpot and Mississippi Station, and also stopped by here to comment on the closing of Hannah Bea’s.
FlavourSpot also got some well-deserved love from MaceratingShallots — look at the line in their photo! Those folks need a breakfast book filled with other options.
Lizzie Dishes Portland did that thing I both appreciate and hate: telling me about a breakfast place I didn’t already know about — in this case, Porcelli’s Restaurant on SW Virginia. It’s a funny read, because she was the only person there!
MoxieRX, the little cart on North Mississippi, has some cool stuff going on: puppet shows! She hasn’t posted all the details, but the puppet folk have a website: PuppetStock.com.
Where once stood Gramma Lucy’s Cafe, now there is the Blue Pig Cafe. I are there once and am working on a story for LivePDX.com, but in the meantime, check out what the Food and Ink blog had to say.
And speaking of LivePDX.com, my latest blog entry was about breakfast at Wild Abandon, which is now available daily, except for Tuesday when they are “strangely closed.” Check it out.
Just talked to the nice folks at Pix and confirmed that they no longer do brunch on the weekends. It was kind a of a one-man show, and that man is no longer there. A shame. And now, since I’m giving away chapters that won’t be in the book anymore, here’s what I had written about Pix:
Sad news from MLK Boulevard last week — sad, but not shocking.
Hannah Bea’s will close for good on June 30, after a going-away party on June 28. See their website for details.
The place hardly ever had anybody in it when I went by, and while the staff was always friendly, and the poundcakes amazing, the food never struck me as all that great. So I can’t say I was surprised.
