1/16 - now closedI was sitting with a couple of long-time Portlanders at the Detour Cafe, reminiscing about the old Quality Pie Company and what the city used to be like: more working-class, more small-towny, perhaps more old-fashioned. Tom, for example, said it was tough to find a good bacon-and-egg sandwich anymore. It's like we were missing something that used to … [Read more...] about Review: Detour Cafe
Review: Blossoming Lotus
Note: The Pearl District location has closed.To list the Blossoming Lotus as a breakfast place seems to demean it. Even calling it a place that serves breakfast doesn’t remotely do it justice. How about this? On its Web site, the Lotus calls itself “a vortex of positive and loving vibrations for all to experience.” Seriously.Portland’s Blossoming Lotus (there’s one on … [Read more...] about Review: Blossoming Lotus
Review: Bijou Cafe
This restaurant closed in 2020.New/Classy/Veggie You can be healthy/progressive and be a "real" restaurant!The best way to sum up the Bijou Cafe's standing in Portland's breakfast scene is this: Out of 36 restaurants listed in Frommer's Portland guide, only three serve breakfast: the Heathman, Peanut Butter & Ellies (which made it as a kiddie/novelty place), and … [Read more...] about Review: Bijou Cafe
Review: Gramma Lucy’s Cafe
Note: Closed 5/2008Mom & Pop/Kid-FriendlyOne of the more entertaining experiences in the Portland breakfast scene is to sit at the counter at Gramma Lucy’s. That’s because Gramma Lucy’s isn’t just a restaurant. It’s also a training ground, a family party, and a stage.At the center of the whole thing, and constantly on the stage, is Mark, the owner. He cooks, he … [Read more...] about Review: Gramma Lucy’s Cafe
Review: The Tin Shed Garden Café
Mushroom-rosemary gravy. Somehow that wraps up the Tin Shed perfectly – that, plus the fact that when the weather’s nice there are so many people waiting outside, drinking self-serve coffee, that they put up benches out front and people share newspapers with each other.In fact, traveling east from MLK Boulevard, the first indication you have arrived on the Alberta Scene is … [Read more...] about Review: The Tin Shed Garden Café