2008-04-28

Bread and Ink Cafe

Bread and Ink Cafe
3610 SE Hawthorne BLVD
Portland, OR 97214

My GF and I stopped by the Bread and Ink Cafe in Portland for a late brunch.

The place as a nice feel to it. It feels like a neighborhood place that is trying to be a little sophisticated, and yet stay grounded. For example, they had small candles on the white table clothes, had nice cloth napkins, but outside, still had chalk drawings on the side walk directing people to the walk up waffle window.

My GF ordered the Belgian Waffles; I opted for the Eggs Benedict. The portions were surprisingly reasonable. They were neither skimpy nor obnoxious.

The roasted potatoes were very good, as was the spicy syrup for the waffles. The hollandaise and eggs were bright yellow.

The coffee was a bit disappointing; it was like overcooked truck stop coffee. Maybe that would be okay in a diner elsewhere in the country, but I have higher expectations for coffee in Portland and Seattle.

The restaurant itself could use a good cleaning. It doesn't look unsanitary, but the decorations and lamps look like they haven't been scrubbed in a while.

They paint job on the walls uses nice, muted colors, but was sloppily done. It's evident the owners didn't bring in professional painters.

Overall, though, the Bread and Ink Cafe has a nice, comfortable feel to it. And if you find yourself on Hawthorne BLVD in need of a good, late breakfast, it's worth checking out.

1 comment:

AVCr8teur said...

Sorry to hear you were disappointed with this place. From the name, it sounds like a place you can eat and read. We have a Printer's Ink Cafe here which is mostly a bookstore with an eatery.