Finding My Pappy’s - Milo's City Cafe in Portland, OR

My parents, Helzie (Mom) and Jeano (Dad), had one of the most loving relationships that I have ever seen. They somehow managed to maintain that love through raising six kids, three foster kids and on a shoestring budget. There was never much money for extras and if there was it was spent on us kids.  My parents have both been gone for some time now (18 years for my Dad and 10 for my Mom) and as I grow older I think of their relationship in a new light. For example, there were two things that my Dad would always find the money for: roses (ALWAYS red) for Helzie on special occasions, and a weekly breakfast at Pappy’s, the pizza place up the street.

Pappy’s was (is) a small local place where the booths are plastic and the cold drinks are served in paper cups. My parents went there so regularly that for a few Christmases the waitresses gave them presents. They went there for their one-morning-a-week breakfasts before Jeano dropped Helzie off at work. He changed up his order from time to time while she always got two eggs over easy with bacon and home fries. When my sisters and I want to feel closer to them we do not head to the cemetery, we meet at Pappy’s for lunch or dinner (they sadly no longer offer breakfast). I never really understood their obsession with Pappy’s breakfast; it was good food but not anything really special.

Then I went to Portland, Oregon and walked into Milo’s City Cafe…..

Jay knows that one of my favorite things to do on vacation is to go out to breakfast, and it is an even bigger score if they have Eggs Benedict. He did some research and found Milo’s, it fit the criteria and was a few blocks from the hotel.  The moment that we walked in it felt like home, the interior was so bright and welcoming. There were booths and tables to select from and with the cheerful “Welcome, sit where ever you like” from someone behind the counter I knew we had found a gem. Our waitress, Redd, was as sassy as could be and you could tell she genuinely loved her job. Actually everyone who worked there seemed happy, not in a fake Disney-like way but really, truly, just in a good mood.

Of course I ordered one of the Eggs Benedict dishes, and wanting to try something different I got the vegetarian version (which we didn't get a picture of) with a tomato in place of the Canadian bacon. However, after some gentle ribbing from Redd, I also got a side of their house pepper bacon. (We would later be introduced to Redd’s Bacon bibles which are a sight to see, request to see them when you go!) Both Jay and I agreed that the bacon was amazing, as was the locally handmade and grilled sausage Jay ordered. The Eggs Benedict was delightful as expected, the tomato was so flavorful and fresh with the acidity cutting through the hollandaise. Writing this I can almost taste each item as I describe it (the tell of a great restaurant). The coffee was strong and dark, real coffee, not anything fancy with froth; just simple coffee brewed well. When we left Milo’s I made Jay promise we would be back before we left Portland.

It was on our second visit that it dawned on me, I had found my Pappy’s. I was thousands of miles away from home in a place my parents had never been, but I felt them all around me. Sitting there with my Jeano (Jay) I felt a sense of connectivity to the adult that I am and the people my parents were. I was seeing them as adults with their own story, not just as my parents. This is what they felt when they walked into that place each week, they felt like in this big universe they had found their spot to just…be. Sure, the food at Milo’s is really good, fresh and very well prepared (not to mention inexpensive) but it was the whole experience that made it special. (For the record they also serve lunch and dinner.)

We shared our thoughts with our server on the second visit (Redd was not in). After telling us he would share it with the higher ups he pointed to or check…with the server name Milo clearly filled out. Connecting with him about the experience and enjoyment of it made it even more special.

It makes me sad to think that my Pappy’s is so far way but I rejoice in having found it. Far too often when we blog about food and drink we put the emphasis on the technicalities. I hope that each of you can have a moment like I did, when for some inexplicable reason you feel connected through time and space to people you have lost or memories long gone. I am forever a fan of Milo’s City Cafe and will visit each and every time I am even CLOSE to Portland. To Milo, the owner and our server, I will say that I hope you take some joy out of creating, for me, the perfect place to help me to miss my parents a little bit less. I thank you.

Margot

One Day in Maine – All Day Breakfast Two

Summer vacation to Maine was one day for us this year. As I am often accused this ended up being a “working vacation” as Margot calls it. We had four destinations with missions in each location. We would travel to Biddeford, Portland, North Berwick and York Beach before heading back to NH. We were questing for local wine & beer, blueberries and lobster rolls at the beach. A day like that wouldn't start well without of good breakfast though. And here’s where I finally get to experience All Day Breakfast from the legends of nearly 15 years ago.

When I first met Margot her and her sorority sisters would talk about car trips back to Maine to go to their sister Jen’s family’s all day breakfast restaurant. Named in that most straightforward of ways (gotta love New Englanders!) All Day Breakfast did just that, served breakfast from morning into the early afternoon closing time, seven days a week. We had never made a trip despite being close by a few times.

In 2004 Jen’s sister Val opened All Day Breakfast Two taking the model she knew so well to a new location not far away. Margot contacted Val a few weeks ago and arranged for us to stop in for breakfast and to get the backstory about the restaurant.

At 10 AM on a beautiful summer Friday the restaurant was pretty busy. In talking with Val I learned that they have a considerable number of regulars but also see fair number of seasonal tourists being so close to the Maine coast. All Day Breakfast Two is open from 7-2 seven days a week and is only closed on a few major holidays. I have it on good authority that they are busy all day most of their summer days which keeps the pace high and the need to be on top of things paramount.

Margot and I perused the menu and settled on the Irish Benedict, Blueberry Pancakes and the Whole Hog Breakfast, one of the day’s specials. As we waited for our plates we chatted more with Val about what makes All Day Breakfast Two what it is.

Val was 24 when she opened the restaurant and with encouragement from her parents and experience in the business in hand, she has successfully developed a thriving business. When you talk to her she is clearly passionate and spoke often of the people involved in the day to day, whether they be regular customers or the staff. I asked her if she ever imagined doing this. She replied, “no, I never thought I would go into the family business.” She also added “that taking on opening the restaurant at 24 years old was scary.” I was 26 when I started a consulting business so I know exactly what she means!

As I walked around and shot photos the phrase “country kitchen” kept coming to mind. That is how I would describe the décor and atmosphere. They have a counter that clearly is the center of the action during much of the day. I caught some of the staff talking business while we were enjoying breakfast.

Our food arrived and we switched gears from talking to eating. 

The blueberry pancakes are huge! The pancakes were the first thing I wanted to try. Val confirmed that she gets as much Maine produce as she can from her vendors, and the blueberries were from not far away. The cakes are light with tons of berries from edge to edge. The berry flavor was significant and the cake didn’t taste heavy or thick. I used butter and ultimately some maple syrup, but for berry lovers the syrup was unnecessary!

One of the themes we immediately picked up on is how gently prepared everything was. There was no substantial grease or oil on any of the items. The clean tasting flavors of the components of the Benedict and the home fries really came through. The Benedict was that perfect storm of flavors you might think it would be. Eggs Benedict is great with just Canadian bacon, but when you swap out that meat for another form you really can work some magic. The eggs were cooked just to the point of not being too messy to eat, very nice! The hash was flavorful, not salty, and was so savory with the Hollandaise sauce! The potatoes served here could easily go unsung, but when you actually taste red potato that is lightly fried and gently seasoned it is a real pleasure. All of the hog in my Whole Hog breakfast was hot and tasted equally great.

We certainly couldn’t eat all of our breakfast and packed up the rest for home. Sidenote: The leftovers heated up very well and made us happy a second time!

When I was talking with Val I asked about any recent changes to the menu. They in fact did make changes this past May. A revamped the look for the menu, the additions of biscuits and gravy (I hear some people order the gravy as a side for other dishes!) and Panini sandwiches to the lunch section of the menu were the big changes. Another notable point about the food is that they have no fryolaters and no fried items on the menu. Sandwiches are served with hand-prepared cole slaw, pickles and chips. Some folks might miss the fries with a tasty sandwich or burger, but I doubt they can be really missed since they can’t possibly taste as good as everything else you might order.

The menu also includes products of Val’s husband’s labors. Last year he decided on a change of pace and has been experimenting with baking a range of different goodies like muffins, cupcakes, breads and cookies. Taking a look in the case near the entrance and you can find all sorts of things, including several gluten-free products which are quite popular with a number of regulars. We took home double chocolate cookies which sadly never got in front of the camera. But I can tell you they were quite good! The balance between the crunchy and chewy textures was excellent, and the richness of the chocolate didn’t hide. The cookies didn’t last long once we opened them!

All Day Breakfast Two can be found at 420 Alfred Street, Suite 8
Biddeford, ME 04005.

With our to-go bag packed we said our goodbyes and headed for more fun in Maine. Check back for the next post on our scavenger hunt in Portland which includes local beers!

Cheers!

Jason

Breakfast for Dinner

I love having what would normally be considered breakfast foods for dinner. I love how much easier those meals can be in comparison.

Last week I made a vegetable frittata that came out perfect. All the vegetables were cooked just right and the eggs for nice and puffy, but not to crispy on top.

Veggie Frittata

1 broccoli crown, cut down into half florets
½ bunch of asparagus, top 2/3 of each stalk cut into 2 pieces
½ large red pepper, sliced thin
½ large red onion, sliced thin
1 cup egg whites/egg substitute from a carton
½ cup shredded low fat cheddar cheese
1 tsp garlic paste
2 tsp olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Steam the broccoli and asparagus just until they were fork tender. Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Set your broiler on high. Sauté the pepper & onion until tender in the hot oil. Add the garlic to an open spot in the center of the pan and quickly mix into the cooking vegetables. Add the asparagus and broccoli. Sprinkle the cheese over the vegetables and toss to mix. Add egg white to cover the vegetables evenly. Add salt & pepper if you like. Allow the eggs to cook just until they begin to bubble and you can see them have set underneath the liquid top layer. Move the pan to the broiler. Watch it carefully under the broiler until the eggs complete cook and puff up. It should be golden brown on top, but not too brown.

Allow it to cool for just a minute, cut and serve. One quarter of the dish clocked in at just about 3 Weight Watcher points for anyone who is considering how the dish fits into an active diet regimen.

And there you have breakfast for dinner!

Jason

Super Sunshine Starter Strawberry Smoothie

Mornings typically end up being busy days for me. Cleaning up the kitchen, blog posting, making the coffee and possibly prepping for that evening’s dinner; sometimes I don’t end up with much time for breakfast.

Enter the smoothie. They are so easy to make. With the early morning spring sun showing its face, fruit smoothies taste even better.

They taste sort of like dessert, but generally don’t have excess sugar that is hard for the body to handle. My favorite combination is banana, strawberry, vanilla almond milk and orange juice. For this recipe I used strawberries I picked at Sunnycrest Farms in Londonderry, NH where I live. My wife and I picked them in June of 2010 and they are excess from what we picked to make our award winning strawberry wine. We froze them the day we picked them and take them out of the freezer in small amounts as we need them. Sunnycrest is only a few miles from my home. It is an understated farm with extraordinary produce. We buy a variety of fruits and vegetables in every season from them. We have used their berries and cherries in wine, cider, pies, desserts and of course, smoothies.

Super Sunshine Starter Strawberry Smoothie

1 frozen banana
1 cup frozen strawberries
6 oz vanilla almond milk
4 ounces orange juice

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve in a pint sized glass.

Cheers!

Jason

Harvest Apple Pancakes

Ahhhh, Sunday morning pancakes. I have become known for this occasion over time. Whether they are at home for just the two of us, served to overnight guests or with family and friends up in VT you can usually expect me to make pancakes on Sunday morning. And they are never just plain old pancakes!

A few weeks back a posted the recipe for Candied Bacon Mancakes and got a lot of humorous and curious feedback. This morning as I kicked around recipe ideas I went back to using beer in the pancakes, but what kind, and what other flavors should I add to them? I came up with Harvest Apple pancakes.

Harvest Apple Pancakes

2 cups Bisquick Lite
2 eggs
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp fresh ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp dark maple syrup
1 bottle Sam Adams Oktoberfest
1 large apple

Mix all ingredients except the apple, and only as much of the beer to get the right texture, together and set aside for 10 minutes. Peel and chop the apple into small bites. Incorporate into the batter.

Portion the pancakes on to a hot greased griddle in 1/3 cup-fulls. Cook on both sides until golden brown. Serve with butter and maple syrup.

( Look at the piece of apple snugly nestled in there! )

The hints of spice and maple flavors with the slightly crunchy apple reminded me of pie in the autumn in New England. The malty, harvest essences to the beer provided just enough of a foundation, but didn’t make them taste of beer.

Cheers!

Jason

Making Margot’s Favorite Breakfast – Eggs Benedict

Margot goes nuts for Eggs Benedict. I have never seen her pass on ordering it when it shows up on a restaurant menu. Me, I had never had it before today. I’ve never been a huge fan of cooked eggs with yolks intact so I could pass this over without thinking about it.

I figured making it for the first time would also be a great opportunity to try it for the first time. I decided to use the regular bacon we had rather than Canadian Bacon, knowing full well that the dish would come out a bit different than the classic. Margot approved so I went ahead.

Hollandaise sauce can be tricky to make primarily because you must be careful not to scramble the eggs during the cooking. Similar to the lemon curd I made recently and the many applications of melted chocolate, the use of a double boiler (or similar apparatus) is required. The recipe I used for the Hollandaise came from Tyler Florence and The Food Network.

I didn’t find the process to make the sauce too much of a challenge and Margot confirmed that it tasted correct and had the desired texture. I’ll say I got lucky the first time out!

The poached eggs were pulled off using a cheat, a microwave egg poacher. Margot bought the little contraption to for her to make poached eggs without any hassle. It worked well and I hope nobody will think less of me for not doing to work to poach the eggs.

The assembly of the final dish included a light English Muffin covered gently with Smart Balance, several pieces of bacon, the poached eggs and a healthy portion of Hollandaise sauce. I used Marjoram for a garnish. I added a little salt and pepper to mine and dug in.

The Hollandaise sauce definitely expressed the lemon flavor and acid, something Margot said she really likes. I can imagine the difference with the Canadian Bacon and Margot suggested it holds up against the sauce a bit better than the traditional bacon. I can’t say I am as enamorate of this dish as Margot, but I can see how it can be just the thing to make for a satisfying breakfast.

Cheers!

Jason

Candied Bacon & Beer Mancakes

Really?

Hey, I’m not really a man’s man. I don’t watch sports, I don’t leave the toilet seat up and I don’t have a man cave in my house. I do know how to eat however, and celebrate manly foods with the best of ‘em. Bacon, BBQ, pizza, grilled meats, sandwiches with as many meats as there are stars, etc. You get the point.

This week I got behind on blog posts because I had to fight issues with roof snow and ice dams. Real manly stuff. I’ve got to do it again today and I need a manly breakfast to get me fired up. SO I bring you Candied Bacon & Beer Mancakes. I even used homebrew!

For the next two days I will be doing marathons of blog posts to both get caught up and to also give the middle finger to this winter that has been trying to permanently get me off track.

Candied Bacon & Beer Mancakes

8 slices of thick-cut maple bacon
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 cups Bisquick Lite
¼ tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1 bottle homemade Blueberry/Blackberry beer (you will need between 8-12 oz)
Set oven to 350. Lay the bacon out on a foil lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with half the brown sugar.

Bake for 10-15 min. Flip and cover with the remaining brown sugar. Cook for another 10 or so minutes, until the bacon is crispy and the sugar has complete melted. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Chop into rough pieces.

Mix the remaining ingredients together using as much of the beer as needed to get the consistency you desire. Fold in the chopped bacon.

Cook the pancakes using 1/3 cup-fulls on a hot griddle until golden on both sides.

Serve with butter and maple syrup. Belch loudly when done. Only to celebrate the meal of course!

Cheers!

Jason

Simple & Tasty Breakfast Casserole

I woke up early on Sunday morning and got right to work on our post on the charity wine tasting held the day before. An hour later I was getting hungry and figured that if I made some noise in the kitchen and got the coffee going Margot would be up soon after. Me, sneaky?

But what to make for breakfast?

We had some chunks of Italian bread and some sharp cheddar cheese left over from the event the day before and a breakfast casserole came to mind. Plenty of eggs in the fridge. With no bacon around I wasn’t sold on the idea, but then genius struck. Forget the meat. I used sliced pears and apples instead. To add some complexity to the dish and maybe flavors reminiscent of meat I used some Chinese five spice with the salt, pepper and cinnamon to season the casserole.

Thirty minutes later we had what turned out to be the best breakfast casserole to ever come out of our oven!

Simple & Tasty Breakfast Casserole

10 eggs
½ loaf of soft bread, cut into ¾ inch chunks
2 ripe pears, seeded and sliced thin
1 ripe apple, seeded and sliced thin
4 oz cubed sharp cheddar cheese
1/3 cup half & half
¼ tsp Chinese Five Spice
Dash of cinnamon
Salt & pepper

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Place the bread in the bottom of the dish. Layer the apple and pear over the bread. Sprinkle the cheese over top the fruit. Sprinkle the seasonings over the top. Beat the eggs and half & half together. Pour into the baking dish, covering the bottom. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until a nice inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool a bit and serve.

Cheers!

--Jason

Breakfast at the Gorge

Ahhh Breakfast…going out to dinner is great, but give me a good breakfast over that any day. Starting my day usually with a fruit smoothie, or Special K cereal it is nice to take a break on vacation. Words like griddle, toast, and omelet or better yet……homefries, make me so happy. I suppose I get it from my Mom who lived for weekends when she could make her and my dad breakfast: eggs (his poached, hers were fried), toast and bacon. I mean, when the woman finally had her dream trip to France she went out and bought a fry pan, eggs and bacon because the host breakfast of fruit ,cheese and bread did not cut it. Now that is commitment!

One of the things that I most looked forward to when we recently stayed at the Skamania Lodge in Washington was the fact that they had a full restaurant on premises that served breakfast. Boy, I was not disappointed. On my own for breakfast and lunch each day (that Jay guy was in winemaking classes….) I got to plan my day. And plan I did, entirely around breakfast. I figured if I had a big breakfast a wee bit later in the morning I could skip lunch. It was well worth it.

If you are interested in checking out their dining options you can do so here http://www.skamania.com/columbia-gorge-dining.php

Day One: Meandered down to the restaurant which has breath taking views of the gorge. The smell hit me immediately. They had a good looking buffet but I was all about the Salmon Hash that I had seen on the menu. When it came I was not disappointed, you could tell it was all freshly made. Shredded potatoes (not those crappy frozen ones) julienned peppers and onions that we slightly crunchy and not greasy at all. This nest of flavor was topped with two poached eggs and a huge piece of fresh salmon. I was happy that the salmon was not over marinated or smothered with some sauce. It had a light, slightly spicy, dusting of flavor. Topped off with some freshly made sourdough toast and strawberry jam and I was a happy gal. Note: this illustrates one of my favorite things about breakfast over other meals, you can always blend salty and savory with sweet.

Day Two: Well, I’ll be honest this was the morning after I was at a Winemaker dinner with over 400 amateur winemakers who all brought some wine to share……I’ll leave my condition to your imagination. Moving a bit slow I decided that room service was best. This time I went all out, the Blue Dungeness Crab Omelet, served with homefries of course and a fresh fruit smoothie. Everything was good and hot. I would say though that the flavors were not quite as balanced as the Salmon Hash the day before. There was a lot of crab but even the quantity could not make up for the huge amount of cheddar cheese fighting for attention. It would have been better, I think, to have used a smaller amount of a more flavorful cheese, like goat or maybe even gorgonzola. This would have added some salty flavor without smothering the crab flavor. The smoothie was great and, let’s say, medicinal for my ailment.

On our last morning I finally had company and we decided to go to the restaurant and partake in their champagne buffet. The food was good, and there was A LOT! Pastries, and omelets, carving stations, desserts, an assortment of lunch items. Though I enjoyed all the food it was not quite as good as my made to order breakfasts were. I had Jay try the Salmon Hash after my wonderful experience and it was only OK. The salmon had been shredded rather than one large filet and the potatoes, peppers and onions a little limp, all of this as a result of being a “buffet”.

In the end, if you head to the Skamania Lodge, definitely get some breakfast. But, if you go to the buffet remember the golden rule: No matter how much it costs….it’s still a buffet, even if they are serving champagne.

Mangia,

Margot