Brunch in Portland: The Daily Cafe in the Pearl

Because so many family members live there, Seattlest heads to Portland at least once every couple of months. And while we're not sure if it's become a Portland tradition, it's our tradition to eat brunch at the Daily Cafe in the Pearl just about every Sunday we're in town. And we can't be the only ones -- the place is usually packed, although the wait for seating is never terribly long.

Their brunch menu is prix fixe: you select one appetizer and one entree from the day's menu. Some items have been there since we can remember, such as the tasty and "soon to be famous" granola, but just about every visit offers us the opportunity to try something new.

This past weekend, Seattlest started with seasonal berries in fresh yogurt, as did two others in our party. The fourth person started with the gingerbread strawberry shortcake, which he said was sweet enough to be dessert but completely tasty nonetheless.

For our entree, we chose the jal frazi, described as curried chicken hash with poached eggs. It was a very tasty American cafe take on Indian cuisine, by no means authentic but entirely delicious, and too filling to finish, as it turned out. We had a bite of our wife's salmon eggs benedict, which were light and flavorful and -- added bonus -- served with a side of the cafe's home fries. Our third companion had the same thing. And the fourth chose huevos rancheros which were, like the jal frazi, Americanized but tasty. He expected them to be spicier, but the provided jar of Tobasco sauce soon fixed that.

The Daily is noisy -- lots of concrete in a wide-open space will do that -- but deservedly popular. Next time you're in Portland, give their brunch a whirl. We know we will.