Bintliff's American Yumminess

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!