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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The Eastburn’s 2nd Annual Grilled Cheese Invitational 2015

September 7, 2015 by 4 Comments

Last week, I attended The Eastburn‘s Grilled Cheese Invitational 2015. The 2nd Annual event capped off a great fundraising effort as Eastburn was offering $5 grilled cheese all August, with proceeds donated to the Portland Women’s Crisis Line. The Grilled Cheese Invitational, with it’s $20 for multiple grilled cheese samples as multiple establishments threw down for the people to judge, also had all proceeds go towards the worthy cause.

The Eastburn's Grilled Cheese Invitational 2015

I wanted to recap and highlight all the wonderful grilled cheeses I was able to enjoy from the restaurants participating as I feel they deserve some extra recognition, even if they didn’t win. Everyone brought a very special grilled cheese they invented just for the event. Thank you for manning the grill for those hours and helping this great cause! And, of course thank you for the delicious combination of grilled cheese.

The Eastburn’s Grilled Cheese Invitational course was set up like golf, with various stations where you would drop a token to receive your grilled cheese. You would rank the grilled cheeses by Taste, Originality, Presentation for a total, and at the end the results would be for Best In Taste, Best In Originality, Best Presentation, and Best Overall.
The people got to vote for The Eastburn's 2nd Annual Grilled Cheese Invitational where the results would be for Best In Taste, Best In Originality, Best Presentation, and Best Overall Map of the stations for The Eastburn's 2nd Annual Grilled Cheese Invitational 2015

Big Ass Sandwiches

Big Ass Sandwiches impressed with their special one off grilled cheese take that had Panko crusted brioche, pancetta, cambozola cheese and raspberry compote. This former food cart now has a brick and mortar in NE 55 and Glisan which has allowed them to offer even more sandwiches and Brian’s Meaty Balls. You should investigate this stop yourself. Meanwhile, I’m going to remember that clever use of panko for a future grilled cheese of my own.
Big Ass Sandwiches impressed with their grilled cheese take that had Panko crusted brioche, pancetta, cambozola cheese and raspberry compote Big Ass Sandwiches impressed with their grilled cheese take that had Panko crusted brioche, pancetta, cambozola cheese and raspberry compote Big Ass Sandwiches impressed with their grilled cheese take that had Panko crusted brioche, pancetta, cambozola cheese and raspberry compote Big Ass Sandwiches impressed with their grilled cheese take that had Panko crusted brioche, pancetta, cambozola cheese and raspberry compote

Zeek’s Cheese Grill

Also formerly a food cart in Cartlandia but now located in Hillsdale Food Park and as a micro restaurant in Bethany Village, Zeek’s Cheese Grill concocted his own version of a Cubano. The Cubano grilled cheese sandwich take was served with tomato basil cream soup and included Slow Roasted Pork and Bacon, Dill Havarti cheese with Housemade Pickles and Banana Pepper Mustard Relish. Both of these are available on their regular menu.
The Zeek's Cheese Grill cubano grilled cheese sandwich take was served with tomato basil cream soup and included Slow Roasted Pork and Bacon, Dill Havarti cheese with Housemade Pickles and Banana Pepper Mustard Relish The Zeek's Cheese Grill cubano grilled cheese sandwich take was served with tomato basil cream soup and included Slow Roasted Pork and Bacon, Dill Havarti cheese with Housemade Pickles and Banana Pepper Mustard Relish The Zeek's Cheese Grill cubano grilled cheese sandwich take was served with tomato basil cream soup and included Slow Roasted Pork and Bacon, Dill Havarti cheese with Housemade Pickles and Banana Pepper Mustard Relish

Blue Plate Diner

There was quite the line for the Blue Plate Diner’s version of grilled cheese of Texas toast with Jack Cheese plus Rogue Creamery bleu cheese and house braised pot roast with beef jus dipping broth

Brunch Box

Brunch Box brought the heat in a good way with their Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese with Habanero Pepperjack, Jalapeno Cream Cheese, and French’s Fried Onions on Texas Toast
Brunch Box brought the heat in a good way with their Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese with Habanero Pepperjack, Jalapeno Cream Cheese, and French's Fried Onions on Texas Toast Brunch Box brought the heat in a good way with their Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese with Habanero Pepperjack, Jalapeno Cream Cheese, and French's Fried Onions on Texas Toast Brunch Box brought the heat in a good way with their Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese with Habanero Pepperjack, Jalapeno Cream Cheese, and French's Fried Onions on Texas Toast

Gigi’s Cafe (formerly Gaufre Gourmet)

Gaufre Gourmet food cart recently closed so they could focus on the brick and mortar of Gigi’s Cafe. They swept the categories, winning the people’s vote for Best In Taste, Best In Originality, Best Presentation, and Best Overall! They offered up The Spicy Goat, their own country white bread waffle with a mixture of mozzarella, extra sharp white cheddar, and chevre paired with pistachios, arugula, peppered salami and local habanero jelly.
Gigi's Cafe The Spicy Goat, their own country white bread waffle with a mixture of mozzarella, extra sharp white cheddar, and chevre paired with pistachios, arugula, peppered salami and local habanero jelly Gigi's Cafe The Spicy Goat, their own country white bread waffle with a mixture of mozzarella, extra sharp white cheddar, and chevre paired with pistachios, arugula, peppered salami and local habanero jelly Gigi's Cafe The Spicy Goat, their own country white bread waffle with a mixture of mozzarella, extra sharp white cheddar, and chevre paired with pistachios, arugula, peppered salami and local habanero jelly

Gil’s Speakeasy Tavern

Tillamook cheddar, tomato, house smoked bacon and béchamel cheese spread on Portland City sourdough from Gil’s Speakeasy Tavern who have the tag line “The Nicest Assholes in Town” and are describe themselves as “a bitchin’ neighborhood dive underneath an apartment building. We have no sign other than the neons in the windows, so you may not know you are here until you ask”.
Tillamook cheddar, tomato, house smoked bacon and béchamel cheese spread on Portland City sourdough from Gil's Speakeasy Tillamook cheddar, tomato, house smoked bacon and béchamel cheese spread on Portland City sourdough from Gil's Speakeasy Tillamook cheddar, tomato, house smoked bacon and béchamel cheese spread on Portland City sourdough from Gil's Speakeasy

Meat Cheese Bread Portland

Next was Pimento cheese, pulled pork and pickled collards grilled cheese from Meat Cheese Bread Portland
Pimento cheese, pulled pork and pickled collards grilled cheese from Meat Cheese Bread Portland Pimento cheese, pulled pork and pickled collards grilled cheese from Meat Cheese Bread Portland

Bazi Bierbrasserie

Bazi Brasserie offered a grilled cheese using Pullman loaf, spinach dip, manchego cheese, bleu cheese, cream cheese, bacon and Delirium Tremens red pepper coulis that was quite photogenic. Although it sounds simple, the pleasure of that combination was quite a wow.
Bazi Brasserie offered a grilled cheese using Pullman loaf, spinach dip, manchego cheese, bleu cheese, cream cheese, bacon and Delirium Tremens red pepper coulis Bazi Brasserie offered a grilled cheese using Pullman loaf, spinach dip, manchego cheese, bleu cheese, cream cheese, bacon and Delirium Tremens red pepper coulis Bazi Brasserie offered a grilled cheese using Pullman loaf, spinach dip, manchego cheese, bleu cheese, cream cheese, bacon and Delirium Tremens red pepper coulis Bazi Brasserie offered a grilled cheese using Pullman loaf, spinach dip, manchego cheese, bleu cheese, cream cheese, bacon and Delirium Tremens red pepper coulis Bazi Brasserie offered a grilled cheese using Pullman loaf, spinach dip, manchego cheese, bleu cheese, cream cheese, bacon and Delirium Tremens red pepper coulis

If eating a progressive dinner of multiple sandwiches sounds awesome to you, you can wait until next year for the 3rd Annual Grilled Cheese Invitational (stay informed by following The Eastburn as they offer a lot of events on their calendar by liking their Facebook the EastBurn or Instagram @theeastburn)

For something sooner, next week Thursday will be The Feast 2015 Sandwich Invitational where I got all this practice for eating multiple sandwiches and documenting sandwiches with my cameraphone. The Sandwich Invitational boasts FIFTEEN sandwiches from chefs in Portland as well as around the US such as Alvin Cailan of Eggslut in LA and Aaron Franklin of Franklin BBQ in Austin and more. The ticket price there also goes towards a great cause, as net proceeds are towards ending childhood hunger in Oregon and around the country through Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon and Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign. Unlike the $20 at the Grilled Cheese Invitational, the Sandwich Invitational entrance is all inclusive of all drinks which includes several wineries, breweries and distillery.

For a recap of previous Sandwich Invitationals, see my recap of 2014 and my recap of 2013. I won’t be attending this year, but I definitely plan to be following the hashtags to live vicariously through other’s social media.

Which of the grilled cheeses would you have voted for Most Original or Best In Presentation, or sounds like would be Best In Taste for you?

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