01 Jan Brunch and Bloody Marys at Tasty & Sons, Portland

Who doesn’t love brunch? It’s the perfect meal that satisfies both the breakfast crowd and the lunch crowd, that can be enjoyed all morning and into the afternoon. In most cities, brunch is the meal that is saved for weekend days – the days in which we can casually start our days a little later than normal and don’t have to rush off to work or appointments. But, in Portland, brunch is so popular that many restaurants offer it every day of the week. In fact, brunch is such a part of life in Portland that the hit TV show Portlandia even titled an episode “Brunch Village” and filmed on location at various local brunch spots. There is also a website and book that serves as more of a fan page for the early morning delight. Breakfast in Bridgetown: The Definitive Guide to Portland’s Favorite Meal, showcases brunch and breakfast reviews, news and everything in between. One of our favorite spots for brunch in Portland is Tasty and Sons, where the menu changes regularly and is designed to feature seasonal, local ingredients.   The best way to start brunch is with a selection from the Mary Menu, featuring 7 types of carefully curated Bloody Marys. All variations from the classic Bloody Mary, we ordered 4 different ones: Lady Vengance (old overholt rye, tomato, kimchi juice, lime, fish sauce, korean chili salt), Mayan Maiden (sauza hornitos tequila, tomato, red bell pepper, lemon, calabrian chili, olives), Belladonna (krogstad aquavit, tomato, red bell pepper, lemon, calabrian chili, olives) and Tasty Mary (monopolowa vodka, tomato, worcestershire, horseradish, lemon, sriracha, celery salt, celery, house pickles). Each was tasty but The Belladonna was my favorite….balanced with just the right amount of spice.   Once the drinks have been ordered, we shifted to the food menu which is full of flavor and will awaken all your taste buds. We started with the roasted apple with bacon lardons and cheddar – a perfect combination of sweet and savory – and the home-baked fresh sweet biscuits with sides of blueberry compote, whipped cream, butter and apricots. After a few appetizers, the entrees arrived: Burmese Red Pork Stew with short grain rice and eggs two ways Corned Beef Hash with horseradish creme fraiche and over easy egg North African Sausage with over easy egg, couscous and cauliflower Shakshuka (red pepper and tomato stew, with baked eggs) Hungry? Run out for brunch now! Tasty & Sons 3808 N Williams Ave. 503.621.1400 Hours: Sun-Thu 9am-10pm, Fri-Sat 9am-11pm Brunch served 9am-2:30