Best PDX Breakfast Sandwich: Bowery Bagels

November 4, 2016 by 4 Comments

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: Brunch Box

September 23, 2016 by 1 Comment

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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Nuvrei Patisserie and Cafe Lunch Edition

January 15, 2013 by 2 Comments

While I was on winter break from work during the holidays, I stopped by at  Nuvrei again a couple of times. It’s become my breakfast/brunch obsession. I wished I lived closer as I was jealous each time I saw a regular come in and get greeted by name and exchange life updates small talk with the staff.

This time, rather than stopping in the early morning I stopped during lunchtime, and I found the fact that they have no menu board but you have to get to the register to grab one of their printed paper trifolds (even though the line is supposed to snake to the right of the entrance, past where they assemble the sandwiches and all the pastries and those macarons before you get to the register all the way on the left) pretty disorienting. They should have the menus closer to the right side perhaps in a menu holder that is noticeable so you can take the time to read through it before you get to the register area.

Still, even though they only had 8 bar seats and 3 tables, we were able to find a seat for 2 to enjoy our little lunch. One extra tip- if you look at the outside countertop where they have the additions for your coffee, there is one more small counter spot and 2 stools if you don’t want to eat back at the office or it’s not nice enough to eat outside.

Even though I came during lunchtime, I ended up with more options from their all day breakfast sandwiches part of their menu. I tried the cheddar jalapeno bagel with cream cheese, and swooned over the taste of the bagels which uses with their homemade pretzel dough, so is not quite a traditional bagel but all is totally forgiven.

Also, I tried the Smoked Cheddar pretzel with chive cream cheese and smoked wild sockeye salmon which was like a dream, every bite was so heavenly, it just sinks in with the right amount of chewiness. I suppose you can just get the bagel or the smoked cheddar pretzel by themselves too and they would be just as tasty, but seriously, their pretzel bread is such a perfect mix of soft and doughy yet firm and just a little bit of salt but then add in how it tastes with the savory sandwich fixings… like the fresh melt in your mouth salmon with that smooth just enough smear of cream cheese…so incredible.

Nuvrei Patisserie and Café breakfast sandwich pretzel bagel Nuvrei Patisserie and Café breakfast sandwich salmon pretzel

On the brioche side, the grilled cheese with young asiagio cheese was helped by the dijon butter and the cornichons, but it still seemed plain. Also on brioche, the Morning Croque Madame with was  a much better combination with its gooey oozy melt in your mouth mix of brioche, fried egg, bechamel, dijon butter, swiss cheese and ham, served hot.

Nuvrei Patisserie and Café brioche grilled cheese Nuvrei Patisserie and Café breakfast sandwich brioche Croque Madame Nuvrei Patisserie and Café breakfast sandwich brioche Croque Madame Nuvrei Patisserie and Café breakfast sandwich brioche Croque Madame

If you are looking for a grab and go pastry, besides the pretzel based bagels and their various flakey buttery croissants, you might also consider their yellow squash pizza with chevre fresh oregano and ground pepper, and the margarita pizza with tomato onion chevre and fresh basil, both on a olive oil crust. I find what they did with the squash an example of what I had mentioned in a previous post: that everything is thoughtfully created with love and high quality and European craftsmanship.

Nuvrei Patisserie and Café breakfast yellow squash pizza

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Macarons from Nuvrei

December 7, 2012 by 2 Comments

I went to Nuvrei Patisserie & Café in order to purchase some macarons to share at work. Macarons are one of the items Nuvrei is famous for (some have called their version best in all of Portland), and these Parisan style flourless almond based treats are filled with a variety of flavorful creams and custards.

What I didn’t expect that now that they have moved from their basement location which had given it a secret bakery feel (as if you were walking into a commercial kitchen that baked for other restaurants and catered and you were purchasing their goods on the side- Ota Tofu also has that feel) to now a spot on the first floor, how utterly sweet and charming the storefront cafe now is, and how inviting it is to want to linger over coffee or tea. It’s also given them opportunity to expand their offerings.
Macarons from Nuvrei, Nuvrei Patisserie and Café Macarons from Nuvrei, Nuvrei Patisserie and Café

I chose to get an assortment of macarons. Their variety of flavors include their

    • Caramel au beurre sale (salted buttery caramel! My fave of what I tried!)
    • Italian pistachio with light vanilla butter cream (my second favorite of the box)
    • Framboise with oregon raspberry preserve
    • Fruit de la passion with vanilla passion fruit custard
    • Citron with lemon lime and orange zest folded into buttercream
    • Rose et Fraise with pure rose and Oregon strawberry preserve
    • Espressio with Coava espressio and white chocolate custard
    • Chocolat with Valrhona chocolate ganache

Macarons from Nuvrei, Nuvrei Patisserie and Café Macarons from Nuvrei, Nuvrei Patisserie and Café

As I was waiting to select my macarons, my eyes kept being drawn to the other wonderful baked items they had showcased. And so that’s how I “accidentally” also ordered a Bagel Sandwich.
<br /> baked goods from Nuvrei, bagels, croissants, scones, muffins, macarons, macaroons, bagel sandwich, danishes, cookies, biscuit, brioche, sandwiches, Nuvrei Patisserie and Café

It starts with a choice of bagel here as part of a Fried Egg sandwich that includes fontina, tomato, frisée and dijon butter and cream cheese. I went with the asiago cheese bagel, but other options of their bagel, made with home made pretzel dough, were cheddar jalapeno, honey oatmeal, everything, onion, sesame, salt, poppy seed, or plain.

Fried Egg sandwich that includes fontina, tomato, frisée and dijon butter and cream cheese, Nuvrei Patisserie and Café Fried Egg sandwich that includes fontina, tomato, frisée and dijon butter and cream cheese, Nuvrei Patisserie and Café

I took a bite and just couldn’t put it down and stop until it was all done and maybe shook the sandwich bag for any crumbs or smears to lick the paper clean. There are a variety of other bagel sandwiches, as well as various croissant sandwiches be it for breakfast, which they serve all day, or such as one for lunch that caught my eye that has avocado and Oregon bay shrimp, apricot creme fraiche, dill and butter lettuce.

They also have just “regular” croissants (regular, chocolate, almond, or chocolate almond), scones (blueberry blackberry, lemon poppy seed with lemon glaze!), muffins, danishes, cookies, bacon cheddar biscuit or berry brioche, not to mention a whole bunch of other hot and cold sandwiches varying from your croque monsieur or madame to one with roasted and pickled beet with chevre arugula and truffle oil on their bread…

My goodness the menu is big enough for a whole tri-fold menu that would rival any restaurant, not a tiny cute cafe with only a couple tables and lovely window counterbar for people watching. And each option is irresistible you will be so torn what to get. Everything is clearly thoughtfully created with love and high quality and European craftsmanship.

I’m glad I don’t have to live too close to these temptations and that this is totally out of the way to go to work, or I would be their daily and this would be part of my routine. As it was, I had to go early when they opened to get them before heading to Beaverton for work, and it was totally worth it thanks to that sandwich even before I got on the trolley to get to the Max. I already hope to visit again (and maybe twice…) as after next week, I’ll be on vacation from work for the rest of the year!

They are open 7-5, and are an amazing little breakfast and lunch destination that just takes you from a gray dreary day in Portland to a mysterious gray dreary day in Paris, and seems to remind you of opportunity as it whispers “aren’t you ready for adventure and romance? let’s go!”

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