Back in P-Land
After spending some time with my family in Idaho, I’m back in Portland for a bit. You know Portland – the land of the super-yummy specialty restaurants.
Today, I had lunch with my friend Leo, who I hadn’t seen in months. We planned to go to a deli for some grub and gab, but when we drove up to it, it was closed. Fighting through the momentary fluster, Leo regrouped.  “How about the Red Bike? You like fried egg sandwiches?â€
Now, I’d never heard of the Little Red Bike Café but, as it so happens, I do enjoy fried egg sandwiches. So, we made a course-correction and headed toward the smell of butter (always a safe option).
The café is cute. Disguised as an unsophisticated walk-up counter kind of place, the café is anything but.
The first clue to this was the tea menu. If a place has more than 10 types of tea on a special menu, it’s not unsophisticated. If the tea comes in a tea press, it’s bordering on fancy.
We ordered a couple of sandwiches and sat down to talk about life. (Leo and I always have a good time conspiring to find fantastic business ideas and meaningful spiritual journeys.) But when they food arrived, I found myself totally distracted by the first bite.
I got something called the “flat tireâ€. It had scrambled egg, cheese, aoli and veggie-bacon on a sesame bagel. Super-yum. When I ordered, I asked them to leave the bacon off. Forgetting I was back in Portland, I was surprised when the guy behind the counter offered me veggie-bacon. Yup, veggie-bacon. That just about made my day, not because I like bacon, but because I was reminded of the coolness of Portland.  And, as the sandwich sat there, the aoli melted and coated the bread and egg.
Leo got something else – something with real bacon.
This bad-boy was serious. It had a fried egg, thick bacon and was on a ciabatta roll. I didn’t even ask how it was, I was so consumed with mine, but it looked tasty and disappeared quickly.
The staff was extra-helpful and Portland-funky. As I walked out, I looked back on the place and mused.
Every-so-often I forget how cool Portland is. You don’t even have to look for incredible places to eat here. I’ve never even heard of a restaurant that specializes in fried-egg sandwiches, but now I know where to go next time I’m craving one.
January 13, 2010 2 Comments