Sunday breakfast is a ritual for the TableTalkPortland family. It's on a pedestal with Easter, Christmas, my birthday, watching Jen's face when I told Ken Forkish (owner of Ken's Artisan Bakery) that Jen was actually a stalker and the blog was her excuse to follow him, soap on a rope, happy hour, beautiful shoes that are comfortable... you get the point! Lately though I have been in a east-side Sunday breakfast routine rut where I only frequent Bread & Ink, Crema, Pine State Biscuits, Genies (if the wait is under 20 minutes) and Jace Gace. Don't get me wrong, they are all great, but variety is supposedly the spice of life, so this Sunday I was determined to break out of my rut and try something new!The BF and I headed to Toast to break the rut! Due to their recent write-up in the A&E and the fact that Portlanders love Sunday breakfast more than any other meal, We were expecting a wait as we walked up to the tiny restaurant, but we were pleasantly surprised when the host told us we could sit up at the bar right away. It felt like we were in a cute old school type diner as we watched all the regulars shuffling in, most of whom the servers knew by name.
Moments after we sat down, two homemade marionberry scones were placed in front of us and coffee was poured immediately! LOVE IT! This is the instant breakfast gratification you rarely get around Portland. I then spotted the most beautiful blueberry muffin that I have ever seen...
Upon my first bite I was greeted with a mouthful of warm blueberries surrounded by cinnamon and sugar spice... I was in breakfast heaven and I hadn't even looked at the menu yet.
The breakfast menu is super cute with names like Hippies Use the Front Door (oatmeal), Truck Stop (steak and eggs), and Take the Leap (seared pork belly, eggs). I decided on an item called "Just Another Breakfast Roll," which was housemade sausage, scrambled eggs, hollandaise sauce atop a homemade brioche bun served with a rösti (finely shredded potatoes crispy fried on the grill). I have to say those potatoes may be the best breakfast potatoes I have ever had, they are perfectly crispy on the outside, soft NOT mushy on the inside, and PERFECTLY salted. The spicy Italian sausage on the roll was amazing and without it the dish would have been a bit on the bland side.
The BF decided on the chile relleno stuffed with shredded chicken atop perfectly over easy eggs, and the amazing rösti. The pepper was fried to a light crisp and the savory chicken filling was subtly spicy--with the creaminess of the egg yolk it made a perfect combination.
Not only was the food wonderful, but Toast's staff is also amazing... they effortlessly orchestrate the small place, and nothing is overlooked.
Thanks to Toast, my Sunday Breakfast RUT is officially over... though I may have to go back next Sunday to try the Truck Stop and force Jen--an ardent West-sider--to order Hippies Use the Front Door!
-M
Toast* 5222 SE 52nd Ave* Brunch Wed - Sun, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m* (403) 774-1020
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Oh yeah, Sis, I was just ROLLING when we stopped to say hello to darling Ken at the Passport to Pinot last weekend and you told Ken I was stalking him on our blog. His beatific trademark smile quivered like warm pastry cream being poured into a tartlet shell and his eyes were the size of rosewater macaroons. I can never go back to Ken's Artisan Bakery, and since I eat at least two meals a day there, I'll soon waste away to naught and you'll have to write this whole blog by yourself. So there!
ReplyDeletePS: And for the record, I am not "stalking" Ken Forkish. I just happen to think he's the best baker in Portland, and the United States, and the world, and maybe the universe, and I kind of worship him a little bit. Okay?!