Category Archives: Brunch

Sur Lie:The New Kings of Brunch!

Sundays 10am to 3:00pm the most amazingly yummy brunch delights are now available at Sur Lie. So many delicious things! Luckily Portland is the land of small plates. Although, Sur Lie’s portions are so generous it seems unfair to call them small!

We started with the Lox Toast, a delicious combination of egg salad, house cured salmon, and dill served on toast. Topped with capers, it was briny/salty/creamy rich! We followed this up with the PBEC, pork belly, egg and cheese that combined in such a way that I fear the photos I’m publishing may be obscene. Perfectly seared yet tender pork belly, warm egg yolk, melted cheese, crunchy heavenly bread! So good, so very good! I really didn’t think it could get any better, until I tried the caviar with eggs! North Spore Mushrooms, rich eggs, and topped with a generous dollop of caviar. So satisfying, I found myself mopping the plate with the accompanying sourdough toast! I left ready for a nap that was sure to include dreams of pork belly.

Lox Toast

Lox Toast


PBEC

PBEC


Caviar and EGG

Caviar and Egg

Pocket Wedding

Do you love getting dressed up in your finest and dancing the night away? Have you ever thought that going to a wedding would be so much more fun, if you didn’t have to sit through a long ceremony,deal with unpleasant relatives, or buy an expensive gift? Then you’re sure to love Pocket Wedding!

The crew behind Pocket Brunch have prepared an evening to remember filled with some of the best food, drink, and music available. So put on your dancing shoes and purchase your tickets to this May 2nd event. If you aren’t lucky enough to get tickets, you can catch their follow up act at Flanagan’s Table for Mother’s Day Brunch. Get them while you can!

POCKET-WEDDING-PROMO-2-2 (3)

Sur Lie – Tip Top Tapas

Sur Lie is a very good new restaurant specializing in tapas. Addressing the elephant in the room, despite serving small plates, this restaurant is not trying to compete with the award winning Central Provisions. The owners recognize that Chef Chris Gould is making some of the best food in the country and that is rarified territory. What they have built is a welcoming spot to enjoy delicious food and drink with friends.

Sticking to the theme of a fun night out,the Missus and I sampled liberally from the drink menu cocktails:Midnight Manhattan, Nector of the Bogs, Made Man, and Blood Eagle. We thoroughly enjoyed them all, but the Midnight Manhattan was my stand out favorite. The Punt e Mes vermouth they use makes it delightfully bitter. It made me Happy, happy.

Standout dishes were the scallops with white sweet potato,a wonderful concoction involving plantains and chorizo, and delightful cream of white beans with pork belly. In the first dish I loved the addition of pickled vegetables. They added a delicious crunch to the savory plate. While the chorizo with plantain was a heavenly blend of salty/sweet/tangy goodness. The bean soup was comforting and flavorful, the pork belly managed the rare feat of being both crispy and tender.

Despite my sworn enmity to anything brulee, I could not resist trying the Maine Grain oatmeal pudding with brulee sugar and cranberries for dessert. This dish is based on a recipe the chef’s grandmother made him as a child and is reminiscent of warm rice pudding with a delicate candy top. Service was very,very good almost telepathic and everyone was very warm and welcoming.

Maine Oatmeal Pudding

Maine Oatmeal Pudding


Scallops with white sweet potato

Scallops with white sweet potato


Pork Belly and White beans

Pork Belly and White beans

Hot Suppa! Hot Damn!

Hot Suppa is a Congress Street gem, serving breakfast and lunch 7 days a week and dinner Tuesday through Saturday. Locals know to get here early or expect to wait on weekends, but try this place mid-week and you can often be seated right away. Look at the menus and you will see updated traditional diner food with a touch of southern flair. Good stuff!
On this particular visit I had grits with black bean chili, cheddar, poached eggs, and warm perfect puffy tortilla chips. So creamy/crunchy/rich/good! I also love that they not only make good coffee, but also have giant pitchers of cream for the table. This makes me happy, happy!
Grits w chili and poached eggs
IMG_1861 - Copy
Cream