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!
