Crazy Good Chicken and Waffles
When was the last time that a breakfast out was so exceptional that everyone in the party was swapping bites, speaking in superlatives and discussing the ingredients?! This must be my month for exploring neighborhood treasures that should not be taken for granted. Last week it was the rolls at St. Honoré Bakery, and this week, it’s breakfast at Meriwether’s in NW Portland! My brother and sister-in-law were in Oregon for an entire week, and this was the dining highlight of the trip (no offense to either my sister-in-law’s or my cooking, because we ate really well all week). Given how quickly and comfortably we were seated and how attractive both the space and the menu offerings are (my brother pronounced that he’d like to try everything on the menu), it seems absurd that Meriwether’s wasn’t our first thought. We had arranged to meet at Besaw’s but our party of eight, including 4 children under the age of 8, abandoned it when told the wait would be 25 minutes. If you haven’t been to Meriwether’s for breakfast, or if it’s been a while, get there soon. In savoring her Duck Confit Omelet with Caramelized Onions and Gruyère, my sister-in-law felt certain that a memory was being made. The label “crazy good” was used for both my brother’s Corned Beef Hash with Potatoes, Seared Greens, Poached Eggs and Hollandaise, and for my Coconut Fried Chicken and Waffle. The kid’s plates of scrambled eggs and blueberry pancakes ($6) were delicious and enormous. I’d like to try the Chilaquiles and the Wild Salmon Lox Omelet with fresh herbs. The eggs and produce are fresh from the farm belonging to the restaurant’s owners, Renee and John Orlando. While the kids learned about produce and then drew their own vegetables in rows in a garden plot on the children’s activity sheet supplied by the restaurant staff, we savored our last meal together before their flight back to Washington DC. One more “crazy good” meal together.
