Recommendations at Bistro Agnes

I’ve been on a French Bistro craving recently, and been satisfied multiple times with visits to Bistro Agnes. Here are my favorite recommendations at Bistro Agnes for you to try if you visit.

For starters, the decadent Escargot and Button Mushrooms Gratin with herb and garlic butter, almond parmigiano cream, puff pastry are available at lunch and dinner.
Recommendations at Bistro Agnes: the decadant Escargot and Button Mushrooms Gratin with herb and garlic butter, almond parmigiano cream, puff pastry

Do you like pate and mousses? I hear that people are usually totally for or totally against. Count me in for team pate – and here at Bistro Agnes I can eat one of these Chicken Liver Mousse starters by myself, and they are available on all their menus. Don’t miss out on the specials menu either – during the summer I adored this cantelope melon with prosciutto and aleppo pepper.
Recommendations at Bistro Agnes: Chicken Liver Mousse starters Recommendations at Bistro Agnes: Chicken Liver Mousse starters

For lunch and breakfast or brunch, the generously portioned Croque Madame with ham, gruyere, and mornay on griddled brioche with a sunny side egg is enough for two.
Recommendations at Bistro Agnes: Croque Madame with ham, gruyere, and mornay on griddled brioche with a sunny side egg Recommendations at Bistro Agnes: Croque Madame with ham, gruyere, and mornay on griddled brioche with a sunny side egg

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Best PDX Breakfast Sandwich: Brunch Box

Brunch Box first attracted my attention several years ago with their food cart and has since grown to still have the food cart and also have their brick and mortar downtown on 620 SW 9th. I was initially drawn to their famous YouCanHazCheeseburger, a cheeseburger that both a nod to the cat meme and that their sandwich uses two grilled cheese sandwiches using Texas Toast for each side of the bun (I covered it in this blog entry here). What you may not know is that not only did they bring the cheeseburger to another level, but they have done the same for breakfast sandwiches as well.
Brunch Box's Sandwich wrapped to go

My favorite is the simple Omelet Sandwich. It starts off with two eggs with mushrooms, grilled onions & american cheese. You can get hash browns with it – it’s in a patty like the McDonald’s ones I used to love until I learned better are – that you can choose to have in the sandwich or in a sleeve on the side.

Then, you choose your bread, ranging from biscuit to english muffin to various bagels or Texas Toast or yes, grilled cheese can be your buns. My recommendation is to go with one of the bagels, either Plain or Everything – I chose the Everything Bagel. That’s because as you can see, they lovingly brush that bagel with butter on ALL the sides which makes for messy eating with your hands (which I lick my fingers afterwards…) but is so good!
Brunch Box's Omelet Sandwich which you can customize to your liking- to the base of Two eggs with mushrooms, grilled onions & american cheese I added hash browns on the side rather than inside the sandwich and I chose an Everything Bagel as the vehicle Brunch Box's Omelet Sandwich which you can customize to your liking- to the base of Two eggs with mushrooms, grilled onions & american cheese I added hash browns on the side rather than inside the sandwich and I chose an Everything Bagel as the vehicle

There are many other breakfast sandwich options which makes this great to grab and go before a hike in the Gorge, or get it delivered via Postmates (Use code 1i24n for FREE delivery up to $10 on your first order!) on a day you have a hangover (what? Truth!). Examples include

  • Bagel Sandwich, but not just with cream cheese: oh no, it comes with cream cheese, bacon, grilled onions & egg.
  • Start your day off with a burn via the Trial by Breakfast sandwich with fried egg, pepper jack, bacon, grilled onions, jalapenos, and aardvark habanero hot sauce. I hear spicy food is good for your metabolism. The same bread options I mentioned with the Omelet Sandwich are true here too.
  • A Black and Bleu Breakfast sandwich offers a fried egg with bacon, sausage, bleu cheese, grilled onions, fried egg & blackening spice with the same bread options I mentioned with the Omelet Sandwich.
  • On the sweeter side, again with the same bread options as the Omelet Sandwich, consider the Hawaiian Breakfast, a sandwich with fried egg with swiss, pineapple, fried egg & teriyaki sauce.
  • The Lumberjack offers fried egg with cheddar, bacon, sausage, ham, grilled onions, & maple syrup on French Toast. OR, the Monte Cristo is a version of fried egg with ham, swiss, grilled onions, & maple syrup on french toast.
    Brunch Box's Sandwich for breakfast, the Lumberjack offers fried egg with cheddar bacon, sausage, ham and grilled onions, fried egg and; syrup on French Toast Brunch Box's Sandwich for breakfast, the Lumberjack offers fried egg with cheddar bacon, sausage, ham and grilled onions, fried egg and; syrup on French Toast
  • The OMG Breakfast sandwich takes up the craziness to include fried egg with bacon, ham, spam, american cheese, and the OMFG Breakfast is everything the OMG sandwich is plus sausage!

I don’t have anything from Brunch Box often – I either really need that grease delivered in the morning, OR I know I’m doing a big hike or other physical activity later that day. After all, these are all a bit over the top – but I love that they are. I really savor that extra buttery on all sides bagel in whatever sandwich form I get each time. They are also surprisingly quick even though they let you do so much customization to your sandwich, which I also really appreciate.

Have you ever heard of or had a French Toast breakfast sandwich?

Brunch Box Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Best PDX Breakfast Sandwich: Pine State Biscuit

Another highlight of one of my favorite breakfast sandwiches in Portland. Today I’m all about a Pine State Biscuit because it also happens that the second week in September is National Biscuits and Gravy week. I’ve been a fan of Pine State Biscuits for many years, especially since I live only a few blocks from the Portland Farmers Market at PSU on Saturday and they have a stand there – I consider it my reward if I shchlep down there early enough on Saturday that the line is reasonable.

There are two ways I prefer the biscuits. My favorite Pine State Biscuit breakfast sandwich, a tempestuous guilty pleasure of a too rich breakfast that can get scarfed down in 10 minutes it’s so delicious, even though it contains probably half my calorie allotment for the whole day, is the Reggie. Fried chicken, bacon & cheese topped with gravy between a buttermilk biscuit. Make it a Reggie Deluxe and add an egg to this, which is the Thrilllist pick for one of the top 21 breakfast sandwiches in the country.

Pine State Biscuit at the Farmers Market, Reggie sandwich: Fried chicken, bacon & cheese topped with gravy between a buttermilk biscuit

For a less messy version, sans gravy is good too…

Pine State Biscuit, Portland Oregon, biscuit sandwich

When I’m trying to be more reasonable, I just go for a biscuit rather than a sandwich but order it with the pimento cheese spread to give some tang to the creamy softness of the biscuit

Pine State Biscuit, Portland Oregon, biscuit sandwich

Or, get it just with gravy – they have a sausage gravy and a vegetarian mushroom gravy for you to choose from.

Pine State Biscuit, Portland Oregon, biscuit sandwich

Besides their market stand at the Portland Farmers Market on Saturdays, Pine Street Biscuit also has brick and mortar locations at 22nd and NE Alberta, 11th and SE Division, and NE Schuyler. The brick and mortar locations are open every day for breakfast through mid day, and then Thurs-Sun at the NE Alberta and SE Division locations are also open in the evenings until 9 PM for breakfast for dinner.

Where do you get your biscuits in Portland? How do you like your biscuits?

This is the second of my favorite breakfast sandwich highlights, the first was from Portland Penny Diner.

Pine State Biscuits Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Best PDX Breakfast Sandwich: Portland Penny Diner

For some reason this summer I have been really into breakfast sandwiches, and I thought I would share some of those sandwiches over the next few weeks that I consider the best in Portland. Here’s my first Best in PDX breakfast sandwich highlight.

This is one of the most frequent breakfast sandwiches I crave is from Portland Penny Diner downtown. This sandwich stands out because of the unique trait of being on a fresh Parker House Roll. They have three versions of this sandwich at breakfast (served until 7 – 11 AM) that includes a mortadella version with egg, sauerkraut, and coffee mayo (PDXWT, which I’ve shared before), a meatless Hipster one with tomato, hazelnut romesco, and egg, or this one…

The New Yorker on a fresh Parker House roll with house sausage, bacon, egg, cheese. This one is available at breakfast and also on their mid-day menu unlike the other two breakfast sandwiches.

Best PDX Breakfast Sandwiches: Portland Penny Diner has these incredible Parker House Roll sandwiches for breakfast and one all day breakfast sandwich called the New Yorker on a fresh Parker House roll with house sausage, bacon, egg, cheese

Best PDX Breakfast Sandwiches: Portland Penny Diner has these incredible Parker House Roll sandwiches for breakfast and one all day breakfast sandwich called the New Yorker on a fresh Parker House roll with house sausage, bacon, egg, cheese

You can eat this sandwich here in this modern diner or get it to go. Every time I’ve had one of these damn things I always eat it in like 5 minutes because I just can’t stop, they are always so good. I love all three versions of the 3 Parker House roll breakfast sandwiches, but I most often get the New Yorker because of the longer availability during the day.

I’m still waiting for them to come to their senses and also offer a Parker House roll sandwich in the evening because I would totally grab one to go and take it down to Bailey’s Taproom if it was available. Hell, if I could even just get a try of these rolls, I’d do it… Instead, I pop over to Imperial which has the Parker House rolls on their regular menu for $1 a piece and get one at the bar, as I’ve already shared here as Imperial is one of my favorite bite and a drink highlights in Portland.

What are your thoughts on Parker House roll breakfast sandwiches? Have you had one of these from Portland Penny Diner before? Where is your favorite PDX breakfast sandwich from?

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