Sad news received from Jane, a friend doing fact-checking for the book. Apparently the owner of Echo decided it was just too much work, and with a baby on the way this summer they called it quits. Too bad — the weekend brunch was yummy and a highlight of the Breakfast Crew’s research project.
Dinner and Happy Hour go on, however: check out their website.
I have now been to Bar Carlo (6433 SE Foster) twice, and I have to say that both times I had the same impression. The people are nice, the menu items sound interesting, the room seems kind of barren, and the food sort of underwhelmed me.
The first time, a few weeks back, I had the smoked salmon scramble, which was long on salmon and had a nice combination of grilled red onions and fresh dill. But it didn’t hold together the way I like scrambles; the eggs were a smidge overdone so they kind of fell apart.
Just came back from two very relaxing days at highly-recommended Summer Lake Hot Springs, 100 miles southeast of Bend in the high desert of southeastern Oregon. Jenny and I got a cabin for $75 a night, looked at birds, soaked in the historic bath house, and marveled at the wide-open scenery.
I’ll post some new writings of my own next, but first here’s a summary of the other breakfast-related blog posts I’ve tracked down on this rainy catchup day:
–> First, some shameless self-promotion: On Friday I debuted as a blogger at LivePDX.com. I’ll have a breakfast-related post every Friday, and the first one is called The Secret Brunches of Northwest 21st Avenue.
–> FlavourSpot, the little waffle cart of North Portland, got some love from Lizzy Dishes Portland.
–> Portland Sunshine, a very active blog I just found out about, had a good trip to
Gravy, as so many of us have. (Scroll down a little to find it)
–> Moxie RX, the ultimate little food cart on N Mississippi, has a new post called Spring is Here in which they report that the favorites are back, the rain walls are up, and the in-season Meyer Lemons have found their way into some “lovely little bundt cakes.” How good does that sound?
–> The Screen Door, according to this post, offered its usual fare to PDX Restaurant Reviews by Regular Folks: that is, long lines from opening time and amazing French toast. I’ve had the same experience!
–> Vegan breakfast at Bob’s Red Mill? According to Vegan Fabulous, Bob Does well by the vegans. Vegan Fabulous also had “a bitchin’ brunch at Beaterville.”
–> There’s more for the vegans: StumptownVegans had a grand time at the new $10 all-you-can-eat brunch at the new SweetPea Baking store on SE Stark. And while we’re here, StumptownVegans has launched a podcast.
A friend sent me an email today asking for my advice on reviewing restaurants. She and her husband want to write a book, apparently — what an insane idea! I should have just talked her out of the whole notion, but instead I did my usual: ramble.
Consider:
Well, I don’t know much about “reviewing” a restaurant. I’m not being a smart-aleck, either (though it does come naturally).
What I do is describe what a place is like, rather than pass judgement on how good the food is. In that sense, I just talk about what it looks like, what it feels like, what they serve and how they do it, what’s the crowd like, and how does it fit into the local restaurant scene. Is it known as a casual hang-out place, or a “special-occasion” type of place, for example. And then cover all the usual stuff like hours and price range, and so on.
I go on the assumption that (A) I don’t really know enough to judge a place on how good it is, (B) all I’d really be offering is my opinion, and therefore, (C) nobody gives a crap about my opinion. I still slip it in there sometimes, but I shoot for the right perspective on it. I might like a place that the reader doesn’t, and I might hate a place that’s popular.
Anyway, that’s what I have to offer, such as it is.
A friend sent me an email today asking for my advice on reviewing restaurants. She and her husband want to write a book, apparently — what an insane idea! I should have just talked her out of the whole notion, but instead I did my usual: ramble.
Consider:
Well, I don’t know much about “reviewing” a restaurant. I’m not being a smart-aleck, either (though it does come naturally).
What I do is describe what a place is like, rather than pass judgement on how good the food is. In that sense, I just talk about what it looks like, what it feels like, what they serve and how they do it, what’s the crowd like, and how does it fit into the local restaurant scene. Is it known as a casual hang-out place, or a “special-occasion” type of place, for example. And then cover all the usual stuff like hours and price range, and so on.
I go on the assumption that (A) I don’t really know enough to judge a place on how good it is, (B) all I’d really be offering is my opinion, and therefore, (C) nobody gives a crap about my opinion. I still slip it in there sometimes, but I shoot for the right perspective on it. I might like a place that the reader doesn’t, and I might hate a place that’s popular.
Anyway, that’s what I have to offer, such as it is.
If you’d like to help out with some fact-checking on my book, please get in touch. All you’d have to do is receive a few chapters from me via email, then call the restaurant and make sure my info is correct.
Prizes available …..
Well, add me to the list of local writers who have been to Pine State Biscuits and loved it. If you want details, get on over to LivePDX.com and read what I had to say.
A blog called Vegan Fabulous just gave some love to Francis, up on Alberta Street. I don’t much about eating Vegan, but I do love Francis. And so does Vegan Fabulous.
Just in case anybody’s reading this and wants to go to brunch tomorrow — that’s Saturday the 14th — drop me a note. I’ll be hitting one place in SE at 9, and another in SE at about 2. Yes, that’s two brunches in five hours, but hey, I need to do my research!
I say “my goodness” in regards to Pine State for two reasons.
One is that they serve some outstanding biscuits and sandwiches. Jenny and I ate there this morning and went away totally impressed. Lived up to the hype based on one visit this morning, when it was hopping along pretty well at 9 a.m.
I had the Reggie, a towering sandwich of golden biscuit, fried chicken, tasty bacon (thick and lean and just a touch of sweetness), and sausage gravy (could have had mushroom gravy). $7 seems like a lot for a biscuit sandwich, but I don’t think I’ve ever had one that was as good or as filling. They also have sweet tea that lives up to any I’ve had down south while growing up.