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Bread and Ink Café

3610 S.E. Hawthorne, Portland, OR - (503) 239-4756
Posted By Michael Stern on 5/19/2003 7:32:00 PM
In the restaurant-rich Hawthorne neighborhood, Bread and Ink has become a trusty old friend to longtime residents. It is a folksy place with interesting art on the walls and a staff that treats everyone with disarming familiarity. The food reflects a sophisticated urban palate that ranges from Vietnamese spring rolls to cassata (Italian wedding cake) to linguine in a sauce of blood orange zest, cream, and mint.

The most familiar dish on the menu is also one of the people’s favorites. Bread and Ink’s hamburger is a one-third pound patty set upon a warm onion bun, accompanied by ramekins of homemade mustard, catsup, and mayonnaise. It is available with cheddar or gruyere cheese, bacon, and or fried onions.

Most meals are more intricate than burgers. You can begin dinner with such hors d'oeuvre as a salad of hazelnut-crusted chevre with arugula or baked Dungeness crab bruschetta with pine nuts, wasabe, basil, and parmesan cheese, served atop a hill of field greens tossed with hazelnut vinaigrette. Soups include garlic/onion garnished with Parmesan croutons and a silky red pepper puree.

One of the signature dishes on the menu is cheese blintzes, which are served at lunch, dinner, and on Sunday, when the restaurant features a "Yiddish brunch," including chopped liver and scrambled eggs with lox and onions. The blintzes come as a threesome: tender crepe pillows filled with ricotta cheese, accompanied by sour cream and raspberry jam.

Bread and Ink is a nice place to sit. Tall windows provide diners with a view of the comings-and-goings on Hawthorne; and tables are outfitted with well-cushioned chairs conducive to leisurely meals and relaxed conversation.

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Scorecard

3 - Overall: Excellent - Worth a Detour
Overall: Excellent - Worth a Detour
Dungeness Crab Bruschetta
Linguine
Hamburger
Cheese Blintzes
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Reviewers Photos [Upload Your Photos]

While the burger could be bigger, there is no faulting the great bacon and cheese (your choice) atop it. And the condiments (those three ramekins in back of the plate) are extra-special.
"While the burger could be bigger, there is no faulting the great bacon and cheese (your choice) atop it. And the condiments (those three ramekins in back of the plate) are extra-special."
Michael Stern





Bread and Ink is the sort of place people like to linger before, during, and after a meal.
"Bread and Ink is the sort of place people like to linger before, during, and after a meal."
Michael Stern


The walls of the restaurant are hung with interesting art.
"The walls of the restaurant are hung with interesting art."
Michael Stern


This salad is topped with goat cheese crusted with crushed toasted hazelnuts.
"This salad is topped with goat cheese crusted with crushed toasted hazelnuts."
Michael Stern


These tiles of toast are heaped with Dungeness crab and pine nuts.
"These tiles of toast are heaped with Dungeness crab and pine nuts."
Michael Stern


Bread and Ink has been a Hawthorne Boulevard hang-out for many years.
"Bread and Ink has been a Hawthorne Boulevard hang-out for many years."
Michael Stern



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