Wandering Fork

I was a Blue Bird for an abbreviated period of time.  I wore a second-hand red top/blue skirt uniform with a white blouse and a small bluebird pin — being prudent, I wore shorts under my skirt.  During the summer, I would spend a week at summer camp eating in the dining hall, making the occasional smore, singing quietly around a camp fire, and spending a lot of energy wishing I could just go home. (Cue Somewhere Over the Rainbow…) 

 

 

Blue Bird Bistro Signage

 

Back in Kansas City, I met a friend I’ve known forever, but hadn’t seen in a decade, for lunch. She suggested the Blue Bird Bistro which caters to the organic/local movement in a funky little neighborhood just southwest of downtown.  Over two hours we caught up and gossiped, drank several cups of coffee and (no I shouldn’t, but let’s go ahead) ate dessert.

 

My friend ordered the pizza special, while I looked at the menu.  While contemplating my order, I quickly asked the flavor of their house made preserves.  The server had said they were out because of Mother’s Day the previous Sunday…and you know how mother’s love jam.  Disappointed, I said that was too bad because I had been considering the PB&J (pecan butter with preserves on a wheat English muffin).  She looked at me conspiratorially and said that was one of her favorites and there may be a bit set aside.  I enjoyed the open-faced sandwich, but would have preferred the muffin toasted.  In addition, I found the apple-rhubarb jam non-descript and a different flavor would have been a better accompaniment.  The salad was fresh and the dressing was clean and added a nice finish without overpowering. For desert my friend had the lemon bread pudding and I had the vegan orange cake.  While gorgeous to look at and imparting big orange flavor, overall the cake was dry and required a cup of coffee to consume. The lemon bread pudding was moist and a reasonable sized portion. However, overall, I found $8.00 per dessert expensive for what was received.

 

 

Pizza Special – Red Peppers, Mushrooms, Goat Cheese on Whole Wheat Crust

 

 

Pecan Butter and Apple-Rhubarb Jam on Toasted English Muffin with Mixed Greens in a Blueberry Vinaigrette

 

 

Lemon Bread Pudding

 

 

Vegan Orange Cake

 

 

I went back the next day with Mister to try their breakfast.  In an attempt to try a little bit of everything, I ordered a half order of their biscuits and gravy with an egg (over easy) and a half order of the French Toast.  Mister ordered an Omelet with Bison Sausage, Mushrooms, Onions and Cheese. 

 

The timing of our breakfast was disrupted because the first omelet was incorrect.  Our server, who kept my coffee cup filled, had mis-punched the order and selected spinach instead of sausage.  Mister likes raw spinach in salads, but doesn’t actively pursue spinach as a part of cooked fare. Therefore the omelet was returned for a do-over.  We started with the biscuits and gravy. The biscuit was a bit dry, but was a good accompaniment to the sausage gravy which was quite good.  For me, the French Toast was the winner of the meal and should be the top choice of any visitor’s breakfast or brunch list.  The half order consisted of two generous slices of ciabatta bread with a good custard consistency and topped with a bit of pecan butter.  If I hadn’t been full, I would have ordered more.  Mister’s second omelet was as ordered with potatoes and a biscuit.  We requested some of their home-made jam for the biscuit and I found the apple-rhubarb combination better when it was not competing against the pecan nut butter.

 

 

Omelet #1 – With Spinach Instead of Sausage

 

 

Biscuits and Gravy

 

 

French Toast and Egg

 

 

Omelet #2 – With Sausage

 

 

Blue Bird Bistro

1700 Summit

Kansas City, MO  64108

816.221.7559

www.bluebirdbistro.com

 

May 14, 2009

1 Pizza                                      $11.95

1 PBJ                                       $ 8.95

1 Bread Pudding                       $ 8.00

1 Vegan Orange Cake                $ 8.00

2 Coffees                                 $ 4.60

Total                                        $41.50

 

May 15, 2009

½ order Biscuits & Gravy           $ 5.70

½ order French Toast                $ 6.60

1 Egg                                       $ 1.25

1 Omelet                                   $10.15

1 Coffee                                   $ 2.30

1 Iced Tea                                 $ 2.25

Total                                        $28.25

 

No Comments | In: Breakfast, Dessert, Kansas, Lunch, Missouri | tags: Biscuits and Gravy, Blue Bird, Bread Pudding, Breakfast, Cake, French Toast, Kansas, Kansas City, Lunch, Missouri, Omelete, PB&J, Pizza. | #

As I prepared for my trip to the North Slope of Alaska, I reviewed my wardrobe wondering what I owned that may be appropriate for the Artic Circle in April.  The list I received was very generic:  warm boots, warm coat, hat covering the ears, and gloves.  As a result, I packed all of the cold-weather apparel I had in layers including long underwear, wooly sweaters, and a new pair of ski pants.

 

For three days and two nights, I was a guest of BP at their Prudhoe Bay Operations Center (PBOC).  Outside, it ranged from 2° F to -10° F, but at least the sun came out and we weren’t subject to “Phase 3,” which is when weather conditions shut down part or all of the oil field operations.  The landscape was flat and white like something out of science fiction, or perhaps Western Kansas in January. I saw some wildlife: a red fox and four ravens, but no bears or caribou. I also saw the beginning of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline which runs from the North Slope to Valdez, AK.  

 

Pipeline

 

PBOC was a large structure which included dormitories, a gym, theater/chapel, cafeteria, laboratory, and offices.  The structure is elevated off of the ground on pylons and painted different colors depending on whether it was part of the original structure or a later addition. Similar to college, I was assigned one of two small bedroom with a bed and desk. The bathroom (toilet, sink, and shower) were part of a small interior hall abutting one end of the rooms.  With the large number of people on the Slope, rooms are a precious commodity and so I was bunking in the room of someone who was on their scheduled days off.  Later that day, I met my “roommate,” Mark.  When I asked one of my hosts how to handle the logistics of the shower (it had a glass door), she explained that it was not normal to be bunked in to that kind of room with a member of the opposite sex and I was subsequently reassigned.  The beds were long, foam singles which are probably similar to something that astronauts sleep on.

 

Building on pylons

 

View from my room

 

Food at the PBOC is quite good and plentiful.  It is set up cafeteria style with a main line for hot foods, salad bar, drinks, and dessert area. Although it has specific hours for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, there is also a “Spike Room” which is open 24/7 and includes sandwiches, hotdogs, cereal, fruit, yogurt, donuts, cookies, popcorn, and drinks.  For breakfast I enjoyed French toast, bacon, sausage, a cheese omelet, milk, and orange juice. I missed the syrup, so I topped my French toast with blueberries.  Everything was quite good and the cooks do a nice job insuring everything is fresh and tasty.  

 

Breakfast 

 

Other meals included: a steak that was huge and almost didn’t fit on my plate, with accompanying baked potato and sautéed mushrooms; pizza; peanut butter and jelly sandwich; and, my own comfort food which included a combination of wilted spinach and mashed potatoes.  I can definitely understand why many put on about 20 pounds when first living on the Slope.

 

April 15, 2009 

1 x French Toast with blueberries                                  

2 x Bacon                    

2 x Sausage                                          

1 x Cheese Omelet                                 

1 x Orange Juice                                  

1 x Milk                                                  

Total                                        $ 0.00

 

No Comments | In: Alaska, Breakfast | tags: Alaska, Artic Circle, Breakfast, French Toast, North Slope, Omelette, Prudhoe Bay. | #

Sabine sent me a link earlier in the week about Morgan Brownlow, former chef of Clarklewis (during its 2005 Oregonian pick as Restaurant of the Year), had returned to Portland and just opened a café in Northeast serving breakfast and lunch. 

 

 

401 Signage

 

Following the trend of naming restaurants based on their street address, 401 sits in the triangle between East Burnside and East Glisan.  The space is small and while some may describe it as a music or jewelry box, but I prefer amuse bouche. Two counters (one facing the inside of the restaurant, the other facing the window) and four booths make seating parties over four very challenging.  As they have just opened, the front of house staff is still trying to get a rhythm. When asking how long the wait, don’t be surprised to hear, “I don’t know, maybe 30 minutes?”  In fact, if you want the best chance at getting seated quickly, stick to parties of two. (This morning, the wait for a party of two was 25 minutes.)  Fortunately there is a good sized space to wait inside (out of reach from the rain) and a cart for coffee (regular only) is set up. 

 

The décor is very Rebuilding Center.  Mismatched tiles surround a glass fireplace and different sized cabinets have a puzzle-like fit along the back wall.  Walls are papered with old newspapers from the 1960s with headlines about John Kennedy’s assassination, astronauts being shot into space, local picks for the Rose Court, and movie times for Jack Lemmon’s Under the Yum-yum Tree.  Even during the wait, there was plenty to read and Mister and I pointed out interesting articles and advertisements.

 

We were seated at the counter facing the street. A bicycle locked to a signpost declared “Support Your Local Farmer” and a strange mural across the street looked like an artist’s interpretation of pigeon dinosaurs invading the Willamette Valley. 

 

We ordered quickly: Zeppole to start, French Toast with Sausage (on the menu), Hen’s Liver with sautéed onions and bacon (a special), two glasses of orange juice, and a coffee. 

 

The Zeppole, Italian bite-sized donut holes, were warm, doughey and sprinkled with powdered sugar.  They were okay, but they did not extinguish the flame I carry in memory of the cake-like donut holes with Seville orange marmalade from defunct Gotham Tavern circa 2005.

 

Although we ordered first by about three to five minutes, the couple next to us was served first. I looked longingly at their polenta and eggs and asparagus over toast.  When our meal arrived, approximately 40 minutes after arriving, my stomach was growling and we quickly tucked in.

 

Mister’s French Toast was made from French baguette: tasty, light and sweet.  As we enter maple syrup tapping season, the price of syrup has gone up 30% and 70% over the last two years with some US-based products topping $100 a gallon putting it in the same class as luxury foodstuffs.  I understand why some restaurants are charging for it, but I still dislike the practice and it will cost you $2.00 at 401.  I’ve been known to bring my own home-made jam with me to breakfast, and I wonder if we will start seeing customers BYOS in the future.  

 

The sausage was very spicy with a southwest-style flavor. Mister asked our server about the house spicing, and she replied that it changes, depending on what inspires the chef when he is making it.

 

My dish was mirrored my expectations precisely. On a thin slice of crispy toast, fat hen’s livers were layered atop sautéed onions and crowned with bacon.  Liver, whether calf, chicken, or goose, splits diners into two groups: lovers and haters. I’m in the lover’s column and the livers were plentiful and well-prepared.  The onions were translucent, as opposed to caramelized, and the bacon provided a taste combination which harkened back to my childhood. 

 

Our server, who reminded me of Sex in the City’s Charlotte with her dark brown locks and sweet disposition, did a great job of keeping coffee and water refilled.  She was very solicitous of our needs; a difficult trick as the location of the counter does not make it easy for servers to watch or serve.  

 

I would recommend 401 for parties of two, and would suggest going on a weekday as the weekend crowds will increase the waiting time, especially in light of the positive press they are receiving.

 

 

Menu

 

 

Zeppole and Coffee

 

 

French Toast and House Sausage

 

 

Hen’s Liver with bacon and sautéed onions on toast

 

 

401

401 NE 28^th Avenue

Portland, OR 97232

503 . 935 . 5221

(no website)

 

March 28, 2009

1 x Zeppole                              $ 2.50  

1 x Hen’s Liver on Toast           $ 8.00

1 x French Toast                       $ 7.00              

1 x Sausage                              $ 2.50  

1 x Maple Syrup                        $ 2.00

2 x Orange Juice                      

1 x Coffee                                             

Total                                        $26.75

 

And….the bizarre pigeon mural:

No Comments | In: Breakfast, Oregon | tags: 401, Breakfast, Chicken Livers, Donut, French Toast, Oregon, Portland, Street Art. | #

After being battered by multiple snow storms, not being able to leave the house for four days, and finding it impossible to dig out the car until Mister’s Herculean effort, it was time to have someone else cook.  Downtown Portland was not sufficiently plowed, and with dropping temperatures it was questionable as to whether you would encounter slush or ice.  The issue became not what was open, but what had the easiest parking.

 

Mister suggested Urban Farmer, the hotel restaurant for The Nines. While parking was a little challenging, it was the ice and snow falling from the surrounding buildings that was the real risk.  Entering on SW Morrison across from the Courthouse, it felt a little like stepping into a W hotel.  Taking an elevator to the lobby, we continued past several interesting object d’art: large shoes that look like weapons, dresses made of colored wire, and lots of naked female manikins.  The central atrium where Urban Farmer is located uses wood, stone, and glass to create nice meeting areas, and the décor, again, is a throw back to W hotels.  (The one thing The Nines has that W hotels do not, is good lighting.  Whenever I visit a W hotel, I don’t feel tragically hip enough to be there and I’m always tempted to ask for a flashlight in order to read the cocktail menu.)

 

When we sat down, I was pleased to see their coffee was from Stumptown and the orange juice, although poured into glasses with artful but tiny openings, was a welcome bit of sunshine after so much snow.

 

The breakfast menu did not have a lot of choices, but guests should not have too much difficulty finding something palatable.  Mister was craving a little Southern cooking, so he ordered the Cheddar Bacon Biscuit and Fried Egg Sandwich which included a fried chicken leg and red-eye gravy.  This scratched his itch and the red-eye gravy was very good.  I was trying to decide between the Eggs Benedict and Brioche French Toast with huckleberry jam and our server recommended the sweet.  When it came, the brioche, which the server confirmed was made on site, was a slice about the size of a salad plate with huckleberry jam and a side of syrup.  In Portland, there are enough French bakeries that brioche is plentiful and it is always interesting to see where the bakers will take this dish.  The Brioche French Toast was surprisingly just “bready” in flavor without any sort of custard, egg, vanilla, or nutty tones. I supposed it was designed to be a conveyor of jam, but the jam wasn’t stellar either.  The most memorable item about the food was that the maple syrup had a subtle bacon flavor which was the saving grace for the brioche.

 

While the meal wasn’t transcendent, I was glad to be out of the house. At least I thought I was happy to be out of the house until after I sponged up the last of the bacony-syrup and then watched the service at the Urban Farmer tragically falter. 

 

From what I could see, in the front of the house there were at least three servers, a hostest/busser, a bartender, and two managers.  Based on the number of patrons, this count should have been sufficient.  Going back to the start of our visit, our order was taken by one server and then delivered by a manager, not an unusual occurrence in some dining establishments.  During the meal and while topping off my coffee, a second server suggested a second glass of orange juice. It sounded like a good idea and ordered a second glass.  We then sat for twenty minutes without the second orange juice appearing or without a second refill of coffee. Mister never received a refill of ice tea at any time, and no one come by to deliver the bill or remove the dirty dishes. Instead, I watched the servers and managers take care of new customers, providing coffee, juice, and water, taking orders, and delivering food, but completely ignoring the customers who had come to the end of their meal. It was almost like they thought we were a lost cause, but perhaps they could still save the impressions of the new arrivals.  Or maybe we had turned invisible. Our original server finally returned and asked if we needed anything else. We declined and asked for our bill.  She was gone another four minutes and when she returned she said that the computers were down and she would be back in a moment with our bill. She came back five minutes later stating that our order had been erased and “How am I supposed to remember what everyone ordered?”  We repeated our order to her and she disappeared again.  When she finally appeared with the bill, we immediately paid because we had already been ignored for over twenty-five minutes and I no longer wanted to be trapped.  And while our server did not charge us for our beverages, I was not sure if it was because she felt badly about the level of service we received or because she couldn’t remember what we ordered.

 

Overall, the food was average and the service reprehensible. And while I may give the Urban Farmer a second chance, it would probably only be for cocktails as then I only have to rely on the bartender. 

 

 

Urban Farmer

525 SW Morrison St.

Portland, OR 97204

       (503) 222-4900       

www.urbanfarmerrestaurant.com

 

December 26, 2008

Cheddar Biscuit                         $ 13.00

Brioche French Toast                 $ 10.00

Coffee                                      $  0.00

Iced Tea                                    $  0.00

Orange Juice                             $  0.00

Total                                        $23.00

 

No Comments | In: Breakfast, Coffee, Oregon | tags: Biscuit, French Toast, Oregon, Portland, Urban Farmer. | #

Is breakfast the most important meal of the day?  When at home, my husband has to check to make sure I’ve eaten.  However when traveling, finding a fabulous new place for breakfast can start the whole day off with a perfect food moment.  (And really, isn’t life a little better when you have a perfect food moment?)

 

Since I had done a little too much the day before, my muscles were aching and (honestly) I was a little bit grumpy because the time zone change was catching up with me.  What brought a smile to my face before I even had my first cup of coffee was the whimsical bronze figures found in the subway at the 14^thStreet/Eighth Avenue station. The works are a collection called Life Underground by Tom Otterness (a Kansas native) and their small size had me searching as we walked through the station. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_Underground)

 

Pennies for the Little People

 

Couple with Subway Token

 

Once again, the print edition of New York Magazine (http://nymag.com/restaurants/features/breakfast/47394) was my motivation for trekking this distance to 202 simply based on a French toast recommendation. 

 

 

202 is part of Chelsea Market in what used to be the former Nabisco Biscuit Company bakery.  When we arrived, the restaurant was not what I was expecting. It is located inside a large space that is also a Nicole Farhi “lifestyle store” with clothing, accessories, and furniture.  I was expecting a larger crowd for a Saturday morning, but there was no wait. Based on the other patrons, it seemed to be a place women gather with friends or en mass for a special event such as the bridal shower which was seated at a long table in the back.  

 

The wait staff was fine, but not outstanding. The kitchen was slow that morning, so it took some time for our meal to arrive.  At first I thought this was because of the bridal shower party, but later I discovered they had not yet placed their order.  The food was very good, with nice sized portions, and reasonable prices.  

 

202 Menu

 

French Toast with Bacon

 

202

75 Ninth Ave.

New York, NY 10011

(646)638-1173

http://www.nicolefarhi.com/

 

June 28, 2008

1 x French Toast           $11.00

1 x English Breakfast     $13.00

1 x Orange Juice           $  4.00

1 x Ice Tea                    $  2.00

Total                              $30.00

 

After breakfast, I wandered (but not aimlessly) through the rest of 202 and Chelsea Market.  There was one more destination for the morning:  Ninth Street Espresso.

 

 

Ninth StreetEspresso is the only place in Manhattan who uses Stumptown Coffee (http://stumptowncoffee.com/).  When Starbucks started automating the creation of espresso drinks, I refused to drink their coffee.  There is great craft (and artistry) in the creation of espresso drinks, from the way the beans are ground, to how they are packed, to how the shot is pulled.  When a shot is pulled by hand, you can really taste the difference both in the beans used as well as the expertise of the barista.  

 

When the barista heard I drink Stumptown Coffee almost exclusively, they asked me if the latte I was drinking was the best ever.  I said it was the best I had in New York, and that their craft was in line to what I experience as Stumptown locations in Portland, OR.

 

Decaf Latte

 

Ninth Street Espresso

425 W 15th St
New York, NY 10011
(212)228-2930

http://www.ninthstreetespresso.com/

 

June 28, 2008

1 x Latte                       $  4.25

Total                              $ 4.25

 

No Comments | In: Breakfast, Coffee, New York | tags: 202, Breakfast, Coffee, English Breakfast, French Toast, Manhattan, New York. | #