I have long heard that Bintliff's American Cafe is the best brunch in Portland. But I have also witnessed the lines out the door at Bintliff's on the weekends. And when I go out to brunch, I'm usually hungry, like now. So I can't handle long brunch waits. And this often proves to be a problem in Portland, as there are long waits at all the great brunch spots - Hot Suppa, Becky's, Local...
But since we were looking for brunch at around noon on Saturday, M. and I crossed our fingers and prayed for a short wait at Bintliff's.
And we were in luck! We had a short wait (10 mins), but were able to get our own Bintliff Blend coffee from Coffee By Design at a self-service coffee station (loved that!). We were seated upstairs in a booth, in a cute little space that also includes an outside deck sheltered by an awesome old tree.
The menu includes a lot of stuff, from sandwiches and salads for the lunch crowd to omelettes and french toast for breakfast. I went with the crabmeat benny (picked from a selection of 8 or so Bennys!), which came on a toasted english muffin and wilted spinach, accompanied by their three potato home fries.
And, oh my gosh, was it awesome! I ate the whole thing- the hollandaise sauce was so light and the spinach was still sort of fresh, not overcooked. And while you know I would prefer Maryland blue crab on my benny, the Maine crab meat was delightful too.
The decor inside Bintliff's is a cool mix of old Portland relics and copies of all the great press they've received. Here's M. checking out a signed photo of Liv Tyler - she loves Bintliff's like the rest of us Portlanders.
So you may find it no surprise that M. and I found Bintliff's to be a restaurant in Portland that lives up to its great reputation. I am already looking forward to going back and sampling more of their extensive menu and hopefully not having to wait too long to do it!
But since we were looking for brunch at around noon on Saturday, M. and I crossed our fingers and prayed for a short wait at Bintliff's.
And we were in luck! We had a short wait (10 mins), but were able to get our own Bintliff Blend coffee from Coffee By Design at a self-service coffee station (loved that!). We were seated upstairs in a booth, in a cute little space that also includes an outside deck sheltered by an awesome old tree.
The menu includes a lot of stuff, from sandwiches and salads for the lunch crowd to omelettes and french toast for breakfast. I went with the crabmeat benny (picked from a selection of 8 or so Bennys!), which came on a toasted english muffin and wilted spinach, accompanied by their three potato home fries.
And, oh my gosh, was it awesome! I ate the whole thing- the hollandaise sauce was so light and the spinach was still sort of fresh, not overcooked. And while you know I would prefer Maryland blue crab on my benny, the Maine crab meat was delightful too.
The decor inside Bintliff's is a cool mix of old Portland relics and copies of all the great press they've received. Here's M. checking out a signed photo of Liv Tyler - she loves Bintliff's like the rest of us Portlanders.
So you may find it no surprise that M. and I found Bintliff's to be a restaurant in Portland that lives up to its great reputation. I am already looking forward to going back and sampling more of their extensive menu and hopefully not having to wait too long to do it!