Best PDX Breakfast Sandwich: Bowery Bagels

Previously I mentioned a cocktail election in  Portland.  There’s also one in the food sphere. Bowery Bagels is running its own homemade cream cheese flavor election this November: the Bowery Bagels 2016 #SchmearCampaign! During August and September, they invited schmear flavor nominations through all their social media platforms, and they will let you vote on the winner in November for Election Day. The winning flavor will be featured on their menu. So get out there and vote by November 8 – not only as a good US citizen, but as a citizen of things delicious in Portland for your schmear flavor of choice soon, and this is for all ages!

The final ballot with the final three nominees are

  • Tzatziki: cream cheese, sour cream, lemon zest and juice, cucumber, fresh dill
  • Blue Cheese Honey Walnut: cream cheese, blue cheese, toasted walnuts, clover honey
  • Spicy Vanilla Chai: cream cheese, our own blend of fresh and dried Chai spices, and vanilla bean

Four years ago, when the Bowery Bagels shop first opened, they had their first Schmear Campaign, and the winning flavor has become one of their best sellers – The BOM.com, a delicious bacon, onion, mushroom schmear.

Meanwhile, they continue to be open every day at its location at 310 NW Broadway just 7 AM – 2 PM. I also like how the Bowery Bagels sandwiches on their menu – whether they be for breakfast or lunch – are named to reflect famous people in Portland’s history. Although I usually go for their Everything bagel and rotate among both their cheese and vegan schmears, I thought I’d spotlight some of their sandwiches as well as part of my PDX Breakfast Sandwich series I’ve been doing.

It’s a little unusual, but my favorite Bowery Bagels breakfast sandwich is The Oliver Lent with caramelized onions, gruyere, and egg. They also have a regular egg and cheese sandwich, as well as variations with Tail and Trotters ham, housemade bacon, or housemade maple sausage patty. Below, I have the Oliver Lent on a Parmesan bagel, I also recommend any of the salt bagels to counter the sweet of the caramelized onions.
Bowery Bagels Bowery Bagels The Oliver Lent with caramelized onions, gruyere, and egg, here on Parmesan bagel Bowery Bagels Bowery Bagels The Oliver Lent with caramelized onions, gruyere, and egg, here on Parmesan bagel Bowery Bagels Bowery Bagels The Oliver Lent with caramelized onions, gruyere, and egg, here on Parmesan bagel

Another favorite for me is the classic Sarah’s Special with Gravlax with red onion and caper schmear.
Bowery Bagels Sarah's Special with Gravlax with red onion and caper schmear Bowery Bagels Sarah's Special with Gravlax with red onion and caper schmear

You get to of course choose your flavor of bagel, and they have quite a selection:

  • plain
  • poppy seed
  • sesame seed
  • sea salt
  • salt and pepper
  • onion
  • garlic and herb
  • everything
  • multigrain
  • pumpernickel
  • cinnamon raisin spice
  • jalapeno salt,
  • parvesan (contains nuts/seeds)
  • + additional weekly specials

Bowery Bagels - assorted bagels with vegan cashew spread conveniently cut into quarters so we can try multiple types of bagels, SO perfect!
Bowery Bagels – assorted bagels with vegan cashew spread conveniently cut into quarters at a group get together so we can try multiple types of bagels, SO perfect!

The schmears available include various flavors of cream cheese as well as vegan friendly options

  • plain
  • smoked salmon
  • roasted vegetable
  • BOM.com (bacon, onion and mushroom), winner of the last Schmear Campaign 4 years ago
  • kimchi
  • fresh herb
  • hummus
  • vegan savory (no soy, cashew base)
  • +additional weekly specials

Their lunch sandwiches are available on their bagels or on Pearl Bakery Bread with meats that Bowery roasts or cures in house. These more substantial sandwiches vary from roast beef, pastrami, to here smoked pork loin, and several other options (below, the Francis Pettygrove bagel sandwich boasts Smoked pork loin, fennel and radicchio salad, and romesco schmear).
Bowery Bagels The Francis Pettygrove bagel sandwich with Smoked pork loin, fennel and radicchio salad, romesco schmear Bowery Bagels The Francis Pettygrove bagel sandwich with Smoked pork loin, fennel and radicchio salad, romesco schmear Bowery Bagels The Francis Pettygrove bagel sandwich with Smoked pork loin, fennel and radicchio salad, romesco schmear

The only thing I wish they would do is always toast the sandwiches as that brings out the right textures a bagel should have, in my opinion. If you are fan of chewy, a bit ore dense bagels without the harder outside and at a reasonable size (I would compare it to more like a Montreal bagel) to reduce the calorie bomb a bagel usually is (or have enough room to try multiple bagel types and schmears), this is the bagel purveyer for you.

I also think they make the most unique cream cheese and vegan spreads in Portland and quite a variety as you saw from the list. Although I highlighted sandwiches here, 8 out of 10 times I just get their bagels with schmears. If you do get a sandwich, they package all the sandwiches to go, and you can get also the sandwiches delivered via Portland Pedal Power, Caviar or Postmates. The sandwiches are great to pack in a bag when you are going on a hike or roadtrip. They are open every day 7 AM – 2 PM.
Always love a toasted bagel with cream cheese
It’s too late to enter the #SchmearCampaign, but what would you have suggested? I admit I did suggest a horseradish and dill one so not exactly Tzatziki but I love the refreshing taste of dill with crea cheese. I also suggested a blue cheese with honey walnut or hazelnut, which is pretty close to the second nominee!

What would you vote for from the final three? And keep don’t forget to vote!

THE WINNER: Blue Cheese Walnut Honey Schmear, with Danish buttermilk blue cheese, toasted Oregon walnuts, Oregon clover honey, and a little toasted walnut oil!

A photo posted by Bowery Bagels (@bowerybagels) on

Bowery Bagels Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Best PDX Breakfast Sandwich: Fried Egg I’m In Love

Another Portland breakfast sandwich highlight, continuing from previous posts on Portland Penny Diner, Pine State Biscuits and Brunchbox. I’m a fan of egg sandwiches I’m many forms. When it comes to specifically a fried egg sandwiches on bread, I think of Fried Egg I’m In Love. Fried Egg I’m In Love is a food cart located at SE 32nd and Hawthorne offering about 10 sandwiches – well, ok maybe 9 sandwiches and one breakfast burrito. All the Fried Egg I’m In Love sandwiches use toasted sourdough bread from Portland French Bakery, local eggs from Willamette Egg Farms, and when fried the eggs are sprinkled with their special Magic Egg Dust spice blend.
Fried Egg I'm In Love Food cart specializes in toasted sour dough bread egg sandwiches with local bread and eggs. Fried Egg I'm In Love Food cart specializes in toasted sour dough bread egg sandwiches with local bread and eggs. This is the Free-Range Against the Machine, a sandwich with fried egg, avocado, tomato, and havarti cheese.

The sandwiches look and sound simple, but after a few bites maybe 60 seconds later you’ll realize that the sandwich you just held nestled in a it’s paper envelope has been completely devoured and you are powered up for the next agenda item of your day.

Fried Egg I'm In Love Food cart specializes in toasted sour dough bread egg sandwiches with local bread and eggs. This is the Free-Range Against the Machine, a sandwich with fried egg, avocado, tomato, and havarti cheese. Fried Egg I'm In Love Food cart specializes in toasted sour dough bread egg sandwiches with local bread and eggs. This is the Free-Range Against the Machine, a sandwich with fried egg, avocado, tomato, and havarti cheese.

This version is the Fried Egg I’m In Love Free-Range Against the Machine, a sandwich with fried egg, avocado, tomato, and havarti cheese.

Fried Egg I'm In Love Food cart specializes in toasted sour dough bread egg sandwiches with local bread and eggs. This is the Free-Range Against the Machine, a sandwich with fried egg, avocado, tomato, and havarti cheese. Fried Egg I'm In Love Food cart specializes in toasted sour dough bread egg sandwiches with local bread and eggs. This is the Free-Range Against the Machine, a sandwich with fried egg, avocado, tomato, and havarti cheese.

The signature Fried Egg I’m In Love sandwich is the Yolko Ono with fried egg, homemade pesto, parmesan, and a hand-pressed house sausage patty. It’s always a toss up for me which of these two sandwiches I’ve highlighted I will order –  I think Free Range has a more fun combination of textures and flavors, but pesto and breakfast sausage on the Yolko is so savory!
Fried Egg I'm In Love Food cart specializes in toasted sour dough bread egg sandwiches with local bread and eggs. This is their signature sandwich, Yolko Ono with fried egg, homemade pesto, parmesan, and a hand-pressed house sausage patty. Fried Egg I'm In Love Food cart specializes in toasted sour dough bread egg sandwiches with local bread and eggs. This is their signature sandiwch, Yolko Ono with fried egg, homemade pesto, parmesan, and a hand-pressed house sausage patty.

Fried Egg I’m In Love can make any sandwich gluten free (using Udi’s Gluten Free bread) and/or vegetarian – they also have vegetarian SortaSausage. Other breakfast meats include ham and bacon. Spice it up with Sriracha or their aardvark aioli. You can dine there as they have a covered outdoor dining area, or even get their sandwiches to go, or delivered via Postmates.

What do you like to add to your fried egg sandwich? Do you like fried egg sandwiches on Sourdough bread like this, or what is your bread vehicle of choice?

Fried Egg I'm in Love Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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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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PDXWT Breakfast Sandwich at Portland Penny Diner

Portland Penny Diner, located next to Imperial, makes me sad with its hours of 7 AM – 3 PM on weekdays of Monday – Friday only. Unless I am very very motivated, there is no way I can go quickly grab something. Stupid working in Beaverton for my job getting in the way of leisurely breakfast deliciousness…

But I so want to visit more often, and even regularly, enjoy a breakfast sandwich on the buttery soft doughy fresh Parker House rolls that I already do not hesitate to pay $1 for when I come for happy hour or dinner at Imperial.

Portland Penny Diner Parker House roll with whipped butter and sea salt, Imperial PDX, Vitaly Paley

But did you know you can have those deliciously buttery rolls with breakfast between it?

For instance, the  most unusual sounding sandwich of the 3 breakfast sandwiches they offer on Parker House rolls is the PDXWT.
Portland Penny Diner's breakfast sandwich of PDXWT duck bologna, sauerkraut, coffee mayo, egg, american cheese, on the soft, buttery, and fresh parker house roll. Portland Penny Diner's breakfast sandwich of PDXWT duck bologna, sauerkraut, coffee mayo, egg, american cheese, on the soft, buttery, and fresh parker house roll.

This sandwich include duck bologna, sauerkraut, coffee mayo, egg, american cheese, on the soft, buttery, and fresh parker house roll.
Portland Penny Diner's breakfast sandwich of PDXWT duck bologna, sauerkraut, coffee mayo, egg, american cheese, on the soft, buttery, and fresh parker house roll. Portland Penny Diner's breakfast sandwich of PDXWT duck bologna, sauerkraut, coffee mayo, egg, american cheese, on the soft, buttery, and fresh parker house roll.
I inhaled that thing even before getting on the Max train at Pioneer Square to go to work. I need access to more sandwiches with these Parker house rolls.
Portland Penny Diner's breakfast sandwich of PDXWT duck bologna, sauerkraut, coffee mayo, egg, american cheese, on the soft, buttery, and fresh parker house roll.

It’s the best breakfast item I’ve ever had from Paley… and that means a lot, since it knocked off the other contenders available at Portland Penny Diner, the Bagel Bun, or Balls (also known as Bagel Bombs) which is a bagel stuffed with cream cheese inside. I’ve also another time had a Reuben and Cheese Croissant. Did you hear what I just described? This is serious breakfast pastry.
Bagel Balls, or I call them Bagel Bomb's, from Chef Paley of Portland Penny Diner and Imperial. These bagels are stuffed with cream cheese inside. LOVE. Bagel Balls, or I call them Bagel Bomb's, from Chef Paley of Portland Penny Diner and Imperial. These bagels are stuffed with cream cheese inside. LOVE. Bagel Balls, or I call them Bagel Bomb's, from Chef Paley of Portland Penny Diner and Imperial. These bagels are stuffed with cream cheese inside. LOVE. Portland Penny Diner, Reuben and Cheese stuffed croissant Portland Penny Diner, Reuben and Cheese stuffed croissant Portland Penny Diner, Reuben and Cheese stuffed croissant

If you are staying downtown as an out of town guest for work in Portland downtown, or work downtown, and want a quick bite to go (the diner itself is small so I admit I’ve only really grabbed and gone), make sure you stop here for a breakfast or lunch!

Dammit Portland Penny Diner, why can’t you be open on the weekends? I don’t even need to have you clean the place and let us sit down, I’d be happy if it was all carry out only, please?

Have you ever heard of these bagel bun, bagel balls, bagel bombs? What do you think of the description of the PDXWT breakfast sandwich?

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