Beach and Brunch: my kinda sunday

Lovely Emily from Cupcakes and Cashmere had the most wonderful brunch on the beach, complete with homemade muffins, Smoked Ham-Gruyere-and-Carmelized-Onion Fritatta (I would just subtract the smoked ham and maybe add some asparagus) a record player and the beach!!!

What a perfect recipe for the ultimate Sunday Brunch with friends. I think I will have to adopt this idea. Makes me want to head out to Sauvie Island right here in Portland and set up shop on the beach. Here's my version of Emily's weekend beach brunch!!! Once baked orange zest biscotti , iced coffee in a vintage thermos, greek yogurt with honey and granola, me in my vintage bathing suit , and Sauvie Island. .

Food Porn

Just a little something to make you drool...from the loveliest little blog, Food Porn Daily Today's eggy image has my craving a benedict.

Brunch Ware: Hungover Vegan

so sometimes i go to brunch in sweatpants...but it really really really doesn't have to be sweatpants. sunday outfits can be easy and casual and still super cute.

i had to repost this little ditty from one of my all time favorite blogs, Camp Comfort. Roberta recently moved to portland from the great state of California. She does a great "How I'd Wear It" series where she asks fellow bloggers to come up with outfits around one item of clothing. Jessica, another Portlander, from Heartthrobs and Villains came up with this outfit based around some TopShop shorts.
She said its what she recently wore to a hungover vegan brunch. Sounds like we've all been there.

I love what she put together. It's casual and I'm completely coveting that necklace! To bad it's sold out! I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for something similar.

Brunch Special: John Street Cafe

So my first Brunch Special will go to my little local St. John's cafe that I like to roll out of bed and stumble down the street to: The James John Cafe. Located in the heart of St. John's on Lombard this little cafe is probably one of the best brunch spots in the city. Hardly ever a wait but it is always full. And if it takes a couple minutes to get a table a cup of coffee is happily offered by one of the 2 owners that are always there. Specials line the wall and are usually what I end up getting simply because they are available later in the day when the rest of the breakfasty items are off the menu. I've really scored with this technique and am always the perfect amount fo full when I leave. Lavendar walls, vintage mirrors and paintings are simply hung and natural wood tables give this place a casual neighborhood gallery vibe...Though I've never see the artwork change, haha.

Big veggie omelets are probably their claim to fame. EVERY SINGLE ONE IS GOOD. You really can't go wrong. I devoured the black bean omelet that's slathered with sour cream, avocado, ewwy gewwy melty jack cheese, black beans (of course) and salsa. The omelets always come with wheat toast with yummy freezer jam and their perfect oven roasted potatoes. This meal can easily be shared between two people which makes it super affordable.

I also just found out that in the summer months they have a backyard patio! Yeah for enjoying the morning sun while sipping coffee.

Pros: Yummy Kobos locally roasted coffee, massive omelets, breakfasty specials even when it's lunch time, stumbling distance from my house...but worth the drive from Eugene (2 hours) according to one friend.

Cons: Brunch stops at noon on saturday, thank goodness it goes till 2:30 on Sunday. No Bloody Mary's.

Recommendations: This place is relatively small. I don't recommend going with more than 4 people just because it would be a tight squeeze and the restaurant would have to shift to make room. A breakfast date is really the way to go, especially if you want to get seated quickly.

John Street Cafe
8338 N Lombard St Portland, OR 97203
(503) 247-1066

Easy Like Sunday Morning

There's nothing like waking up to the morning sun and my boyfriend spooning me versus an alarm clock...rolling out of bed to have the first cup of coffee while reading the morning paper versus fighting the line at the coffee shop...or strolling leisurely down the block to the local brunch spot versus weaving in and out of highway traffic during the daily commute.

Ahh weekends. The time to appreciate the better things in life like: brunch.



Brunch makes me happy. It is comforting. It is easy. It is never rushed (or at least shouldn't be). It is wholesome or greasy, depending on the previous nights alcohol intake. And it sometimes can simply consist of bloody mary and good friends. It is something that can turn an uneventful weekend into an event, or simply be a relaxing end to a couple wild and crazy nights. We are lucky to live in a city where people share this mindset. From Greasy All Night Pancake houses to sustainable-local eateries that I could literally eat every meal in, we enjoy PDXbrunch.