Brunch at Woodsman Tavern Blows My Mind

While there's been many a times when I've enjoyed Portland's brunch offerings, I haven't yet been truly blow away until recently.  Visiting Woodsman Tavern last week for a business meeting, the restaurant happens to be a part of the Stumptown Coffee empire, owned by Duane Sorenson.  This was no doubt a great indicator of quality and needless to say, their brunch menu proved all sorts of enticing.

Atmosphere:
Located on the East end of Division Street on the corner of 45th Avenue, Woodsman is a bit removed from the popular eateries and businesses on the main drag.  However, being that it's right next to the Stumptown Coffee storefront gives it more curb appeal.

The restaurant itself is lovely and elegant with dark rich furnishings that have a touch of industrial and refurbished elements.  While some of it feels like a collection of different pieces, they all seem to go together nicely and make me think of the coveted things I admire at a store like Rejuvenation.  In terms of seating, I like that it's a combination of traditional two and four top tables, as well as communal seating and bar stools as well.  So basically, you can adapt your experience to anything you want.

Food:
Although Woodsman's brunch menu isn't huge, the items on it all look interesting and sophisticated.  While my week was spent eating lots of eggy dishes due to Passover, I decided to go for something different and chose the pancakes instead.

Woodfired Pineapple Pancake - I was surprised to see a non-traditional combination of pancakes and pineapples, which I haven't yet tried but that sounded delicious.  Made up of two very fluffy pancakes with thin slices of charred pineapple both in between them and on top, it turned ordinary pancakes on their ear, together with toppings such as prosciutto, pickled cherries and the piece-de-resistance, gouda butter.  I couldn't even imagine what the latter would taste like and sure enough it was an absolute standout with its creamy texture and slightly tangy flavor.  I let my dining companions try some and needless to say they were VERY impressed!

Other Dishes - Also very satisfied with their dishes, my dining companions went for savorier options including Woodsman's signature Eggs Benedict and a beautiful cured salmon plate.  Both things looked gorgeous and super fresh, especially the fiery red salmon, which I just may have to get next time.  I loved its rustic arrangement, together with fixins such as onions, capers and some bright herbs.

Service and Cost:

Indicative of its overall quality offering, the service here is also excellent.  The staff seems to have a lot of knowledge about the menu and on the whole we felt very well taken care of - not having to wait for anything for too long.  At the same time, when we were done with our meal, we didn't feel rushed.

Costs are on the expensive side but I'd return any day for such a stellar ambiance and exemplary food.  You can expect to shell out about $17-$20 per person together with a beverage such as coffee.

3 Mmmms

Woodsman Tavern - 4527 Division Street, Portland OR 97206
971.373.8264
woodsmantavern.com

Café 1 of a Kind – Serving Stumptown and Beyond

Brunching at my brother and sister-in-law’s yesterday, we wanted to surprise them with a fun host treat. Noticing a sign at a nearby café that caught our eye, we were all about it, as it advertised Stumptown cold brew coffee. Dan and I have been getting into this lately, as we’ve been trying various cold brews from around the area (more on that soon). So we walked into Café 1 of a Kind – yes, strangely that’s its name – to check it out.

Atmosphere:
Situated on Northern Blvd in Little Neck, Café 1 of a Kind sits right next to other food establishments such as La Baraka French Café and Red Lotus Chinese bakery, which is one of my favorites. Unlike its neighbors, Café 1 of a Kind boasts an ultra modern façade and a sleek, contemporary interior.

I liked it from the minute we walked in, as the furnishings are earthy with a hint of rusticity. You’ll find dark wood paneling, a few welcome bursts of green and fun light fixtures that have a whimsy feel.

It’s great to see they have free wifi and lots of communal tables to sit with a larger group or even smaller tables if you want more privacy. I can see this as a good place to spend time and do work, blog, or have a meeting.

Food & Drink:
Although we came here for the Stumptown, we walked out with something else – cupcakes to be exact. Noticing a lovely display of baked goods and various savory things, we quickly chose a treat to bring over for brunch.

Sweet Street Cupcakes – Given that I’m a cupcake freak, I immediately stopped to marvel at these beauties, which came in a few different flavors including chocolate, peanut butter/chocolate, vanilla bean, red velvet and lemon meringue. Supplied by Sweet Street Bakery in Pennsylvania, which started out as a small batch producer, I knew I wanted to try a few flavors including the chocolate ganache, chocolate/peanut butter, lemon meringue and jelly roll.

We cut the cupcakes carefully in order to try them all and quickly devoured them. While they were all delicious, my favorite was the lemon meringue, which came with a light, fluffy dollop of frosting (or meringue to be exact). The inside was lovely too, as it was soft, airy and injected with a shot of lemon curd. Agreeing that the chocolate cupcake was a close second (or first for some), we enjoyed its unbelievably rich frosting and perfectly moist chocolate cake.

Stumptown Coffee – Although I found the cold brew to be expensive ($5 a bottle) and didn’t end up purchasing it, I did however go with the hot drip coffee and it was awesome. Rich, earthy and potent, you didn’t need to mix it with too much milk and a little went a long way. If you’re a Stumptown fan like me, you’ll be happy to know that they sell 1 lb bags that you can grind and brew at home.

Service and Cost:
Because this place is brand new, and also to give credit to its lovely staff, Café 1 of a Kind’s service was on point. Even though at times I found the baristas a little slow, it’s only because they were trying their very best to please each customer, including going downstairs and fetching the cupcakes of my choice. Everyone was simply lovely, and I’m eager to come back.

Costs are on the higher side for coffee, but reasonable comparatively speaking for desserts. Given the high quality of everything they sell, I think the costs are fairly justified.

Coffee/Espresso - $2.50 - $5.50
Breakfast/Sandwiches - $4.50 - $9.50
Desserts - $5 - $9

3 Mmmms 

Cafe 1 of a Kind - 255-13 Northern Blvd, Little Neck NY 11362
347.408.4780
www.facebook.com/cafe1ofakind