Headed over to my friend's house earlyish on Sunday morning, I decided to check and see if I could detour over to the famed 158 Pickett Street Cafe. Yup, sure could (I mean, how far is too far for good food?). This little cafe was recently included in the New York Times' review of the Portland food scene and praised for their homemade bagels. And the quickest way into my heart is with a good bagel.
I ordered the Grecian, which is a bagel sandwich with egg, feta, scallions, and spinach ($5.75). I was a little flustered in ordering, since the overhead menu does not provide descriptions of the bagel sandwiches. And while this is surely not a problem for the regulars, I felt a little rushed when I stepped up to the counter to order and found a menu detailing each cleverly titled sandwich (read: if you're gonna give it a cryptic title, please tell me what's on the damn thing).
But I survived and found a little table in the corner where I could suvey the scene, drink my bottomless mug of coffee, and read the Phoenix. Pretty much heaven, and I hadn't even gotten my bagel.
I wish I could say I'd found the best bagels in (South) Portland, but this one was a little too hard for me. I hate eating foods that leave you with Captain Crunch mouth, and this sammy kinda shredded my mouth. But the salty feta was awesome and I liked that their everything bagel has sunflower seeds.
I hope to return to 158 Pickett Street, as it is located in one of the most beautiful parts of SoPo, out by SMCC where you can sit outside when the warmer weather returns. Next time, I'll try some of their flavored cream cheese and take a little more time to explore some of the sandwich combinations.
Update: The best salmon bagel in town!
