Doughy Perfection Found at Milk Glass Market

With another successful PDX Breakfast club meetup under my belt, I have yet another delicious breakfast haunt to share with you.  It's called Milk Glass Market, which has actually been on my to-try list for a while.  Burning such a proverbial hole in my food list, I suggested to the club's organizer that we try it and she was happy to oblige.

Atmosphere:
Set in the quaint and somewhat elusive North Portland neighborhood of Overlook, you'll find Milk Glass Market just a few blocks away from The Hop and Vine, which we also visited last week.  Known for its breakfast treats, the cafe is open starting from 9 a.m. and has a pretty extensive and imaginative menu.

The interior is bright and cheery with clean, natural decor such as wooden cutting boards on the walls and vintage glass light fixtures and white porcelain dining-ware.  There's plenty of tables in the main dining area, which makes it a good pit stop or a place for a business meeting for example.  While this place can get busy, it's definitely not loud and I'd recommend stopping in for some peace and quiet.  I must also mention that they have a fabulous private room in the back, which our organizer reserved just for our meetup.  Being connected to the kitchen, it was most convenient and allowed us to enjoy stellar service including our own private coffee stash.

Food:
With a nice variety of savory and sweet breakfast dishes, there was plenty to choose from.  While their sweet things looked very enticing, I ended up going with a savory breakfast and took a sweet treat for the road.

The Swell - I thought this an interesting name for a breakfast sandwich, and its ingredients drew me in right away.  The fried egg was its main component, which was then layered with bright veggies such as roasted peppers, fresh basil and even some gooey provolone cheese.  A crunchy ciabatta roll, which held the whole thing together was the piece-de-resistance, with a toothsome crust but a perfectly pillowy middle.

Apricot Scone - After seeing someone in our group eating this, I knew I had to stop back in and get one for the road.  I actually bought it for Dan and he was pleasantly surprised to profit from my little breakfast outing.  Needless to say, I had some as well and marveled at the crumbly, buttery dough that flaked apart perfectly and revealed a pretty orange apricot marmalade that I'm assuming had to be homemade.

Service and Cost:
Milk Glass Market is an order at the counter kind of place, which makes life easier, especially if you're dining with a larger group.  Also, as mentioned, since we had that private room to ourselves, I think the staff did a great job of bringing the dishes out in good time and refilling our coffee pot when it got low.

Costs are moderate and fair for the high caliber of food.  I paid a total of $11.50 for my hefty sandwich and coffee and another $3 for that godly scone.

3 Mmmms

Milk Glass Market - 2150 N. Killingsworth Street, Portland OR 97217
503.395.4742
milkglassmrkt.com

A Whimsically Delicious Breakfast at Trinket

Yesterday, I attended another fun foodie meetup with some local Portlandian food enthusiasts at a quaint little restaurant called Trinket.  Being that it was a breakfast meetup, we congregated first thing in the morning, which I prefer, as it leaves the rest of the day free for work and plans.

Atmosphere:
Situated in the South East part of Portland, not far from the popular Division Street, Trinket occupies a small space right on Cesar Chavez Blvd.  It's easy to miss if you're not looking for it, but luckily I spotted it right away and was also happy to see they had a small lot for parking.

Walking in, I was pleasantly greeted by a cozy atmosphere with rustic wooden furnishings, such as the pretty antler chandelier and the charming booths.  There's a small bar in the back where the day's pastries are displayed ever so carefully and the whole space is filled with nostalgic, comforting touches that remind you being at your family's house.

Food:
There were so many amazing options to choose from, lots of them being non-traditional spins on classic brunch dishes such as duck eggs Benedict, a savory waffle, pistachio French toast and other fun items.  After much deliberation, I went for the sweet stuff and got the French toast you see above:

Pistachio French Toast - Part of the small plates on the menu, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect in terms of portion, but I decided to take my chances.  It's true that the above pictured serving was quite small, however, I must say that because it was so rich, a little went a long way.  Consisting of soft, pillowy brioche bread with ribbons of cinnamon and flecks of raisins, it also hat bits of chunky pistachios, as promised.  The latter ingredient was more subtle, which was OK with me.  The top of the French Toast was dressed with freshly whipped cream, which was just dreamy as well as a dollop of smooth apple butter.

Service and Cost:
Given that we were a large group and that this is a small restaurant, I think the service went off without a hitch.  Mostly all of our dishes came out at the same time, with the exception of one, which then appeared just a few short minutes later.  Our server was pleasant and accommodating with any special requests, which was appreciated.

Costs are inexpensive to moderate, setting us back around $12-15 each including tip.

3 Mmmms

Trinket - 2035 SE Cesar Chavez Blvd, Portland OR 97214
503.477.4252
trinketpdx.com