Brunch is pretty close to my heart. I love it. It is the only time you really get to indulge in fatty meats, fried potatoes, amazing pastries, lots of coffee, cream and sugar and occasionally champagne spiked orange juice. It is the ONLY reason why I will drag my butt out of bed somewhat early on the weekend.
Of course this is Portland, so we have to do things in our own special way. When you brunch in Portland there are a few things you must consider. There is the pre-funk to the brunch in Portland. You must first stop at a coffee shop for coffee to go before you go to brunch. That is because there is not a single brunch joint in Portland that does not have at least a 1 hour wait. So get your coffee first, bundle up, bring a paper and be prepared to wait outside for a long time. It's just what you do. If you don't have to wait it is either freakishly early in the morning or sketchy. Just the facts. Trust me though...we wouldn't wait unless it was worth it.
There are a ton of places to brunch in Portland and most of them are VERY good. One that I love is La Petite Provence. They have a few locations, Division, Lake Oswego, and Alberta. I have only been to the Alberta one. I love this place. One big attraction to coming here besides the great food is the fantastic wait staff. Every time I have come here, I have encountered the most pleasant, down to earth, accommodating people EVER. Truly. Oh and sometimes while you are waiting they let you sample the pastries. (Uh-huh...awesome)
Of course it's the food that you come for. Their menu has many classic French options, as well as some less traditional versions of comfort food. Some of my favorites are the Savory French Toast, which is french toast made with house-baked brioche, topped with ham, asparagus and Gruyere cheese. As if that wasn't enough you get a side of cheese sauce. The Corned Beef hash is wonderful too. They drizzle it with a creme horseradish-shallot sauce and top it with two eggs, cooked to your liking. A couple of note-worthy brunch dishes are the Meurette Benedict, which is two poached eggs in a burgundy reduction placed on top of croissants and topped with caramelized onions and mushrooms, with bacon and their Provencal potatoes and butternut squash. Those fried potatos and squash are ridiculously good. The Risotto Cakes and Eggs, are risotto cakes with bacon, asparagus, mushrooms, red onions and fresh basil, that are breaded and grilled and topped with poached eggs. Most dishes are served with a freshly baked, warm croissant with a little ramekin of raspberry preserves. I LOVE that. Seriously. I love the little ramekin of raspberry perserves and that crossiant. They also have a full coffee bar, great mimosas, and amazing looking pastries and breads.
Now you see...why we wait.
La Petite Provence-Alberta
1824 NE Alberta
Portland, OR 97211
