You can boil them hard, or boil them soft. You can pickle, devil, scramble, flip or fizz them. What can’t you do with eggs? They bind our soufflés and nearly all baked goods. And when we think of breakfast, we almost always think: eggs. But the industrious men and women who populate Portland's many kitchens know that eggs aren't just for morning meals; they can be dolled up in a variety of inspired ways.
Eggs Benedict with Pastrami
The yolks in a genuine eggs Benedict should be fairly runny, and the hollandaise sauce, light and fluffy. As for the the English muffin and the ham? Who needs them when you bake your own challah bread in the basement, and cure your own pastrami brisket before smoking it for 10 hours and hand slicing it for every order? But, of course, it's the hollandaise that'll make or break a Bene, and Kenny & Zuke's delivers. The only drawback? The longer you take to stroll in and order one (it's only served during weekend brunches), the more likely it'll be that they've run out of sauce. Because once it's gone, it's gone. So, show up early and get that table.
Kenny & Zuke's Delicatessen, 1038 SW Stark St., 503.222.3354
Bad Ass Sandwich
It certainly sounds braggadocious, but don't let the name fool you. Toast's egg sandwich, a delicate blend of flavors, is comprised of two slices of locally sourced bacon, a generous portion of locally grown greens, and two fried eggs laid by cage-free chickens, all of which is sandwiched between thickly sliced, lightly toasted pieces of house-baked bread that have been subtly "buttered" with a tangy goat's milk cheese. All this is accompanied by a potato rosti, a Swiss-style hash brown patty, bound by (you guessed it) eggs. One warning: Because the eggs are fried over easy, you might opt for a fork and knife, unless you're into licking the yolk from your fingers. But if you are, just dig in.
Toast, 5222 SE 52nd Ave, 503.774.1020
"Egg in a Hole"
When you think of the ole egg in a whole, you can be forgiven if your first thought is, "Why?" Isn't it too much trouble to cut out the hole and evenly cook both egg and bread? Sure, but maybe you've never tried Beaker and Flask's "Egg in a Hole," which gets the quotation marks because it's not the one you grew up with. That's because the egg, served sunny side up, was laid by a Duchess Farm duck, and the toast is a liberally buttered slice of brioche from the southeast bakery Little T. But that's just the first step before the kitchen skillfully places atop it all a generous portion of local, wilted, creamed greens (mostly kale), a fair number of locally foraged and lightly sauteed black trumpet mushrooms, and a brilliantly colored shock of amaranth microgreens. In a word, this dish is rich. In two, pleasantly surprising.
Beaker and Flask, 727 SE Washington St., 503.235.8180
Huevos Rancheros
In a foodie town, you're almost sure to get the stink eye if you're caught pouring ketchup on your eggs. So, if you're craving something acidic with your protein, order, when possible, huevos rancheros. Besaw's version starts with a wide-as-a-plate soft tortilla (flour or corn) followed by layers of cheddar cheese, a healthy sampling of spicy black beans, and a pair of perfectly runny-yolked over easy eggs. It's finished, of course, with a chunky tomato-based ranchero sauce and seasoned with onions, cilantro, cumin, garlic, and cayenne pepper. But because it's spicy without being spicy hot, Besaw's take on this famous Mexican dish is something anyone can eat, including the children, vegetarians and ketchup lovers among us.
Besaw's, 2301 NW Savier St., 503.228.2619
Ramos Gin Fizz
This city's bartenders are famous for reinvigorating our taste in vintage craft cocktails, but few focus primarily on pre-Prohibition cocktails. And, fewer still make a proper foamy-egg Ramos Gin Fizz as it was once made in 1880s New Orleans. But Cathedral Park Kitchen co-owner, bartender and student of spirits Chris Bollenbacher does. His trick is to take his time—it requires three steps. Since the cocktail includes citrus (freshly squeezed lemon juice) and dairy (heavy cream), which can curdle when blended, the fizz must be shaken vigorously, twice: once without gin, and then again with it. After all the ingredients have emulsified, Bollenbacher strains the cocktail through a fine mesh sieve over a hand-cut chunk of ice, resulting in a smoothly textured, milky, lemony, and, more than anything, refreshing cocktail that tastes as good with a cheeseburger as it does an omelet... or just another fizz.
Cathedral Park Kitchen, 6635 N Baltimore Ave, 503.946.8426
Scotch Egg
To illustrate the egg's versatility, consider the hard-boiled egg. You could peel it and eat it plain, but you could pickle or devil it, too. But why bother, when you can boil it, peel it, wrap it in something porcine, roll it all in batter, and drop it in the deep frier? At Helser's, you can order up individual Scotch eggs or the dish, where it's paired with a trio of firm, crispy-on-the-top, soft-on-the-bottom latkes. Colorfully concentric and crunchy as can be, Helser's Scotch egg is not just a keeper, but owes its uncommon taste to the bratwurst in which it's wrapped.
Helser's on Alberta, 1538 NE Alberta, 503.281.1477
How do you like your eggs? What eatery uses them most creatively? Sound off below and let us know.
