Jam on Hawthorne

2239 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of visit: January 13, 2010 Price for 2 (with tip) $18.50 Jam on Hawthorne is a pretty typical Portland breakfast joint, and if you know any thing about Portland, that's a good thing, at least foodwise. Ample portions, lots of variety and a full bar with all sorts of specialty cocktails are a must for any go-to breakfast spot in this town. But of course, there is a dark side to almost all of the good ones: the are small and usually crowded, and unfortunately, this much is also true for Jam. We managed to arrive at prime lunch time, and had to put our…
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Thanh Thao

4005 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: October 29, 2009 Price for 2 (with tip) $16 Though there was nothing particularly Vietnamese or Thai (as the sign implies) about the lunch I ate at Thanh Thao, it definitely is in the running for my favorite new lunch spot on Hawthorne. Today's visit was actually our second attempt to each there. The first was on Tuesday, the one day a week they are closed. That day, we ended up eating at No Fish, Go Fish right across the street instead, so it wasn't all bad. Thanh Thao is decent sized and was nearly full with diners, which is always a good…
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What’s for Lunch?

Today we cheated on Hawthorne Blvd and crossed the bridge to eat at an old favorite, Vegetarian House. One thing that I have noticed by eating at a bunch of new places is that most are not really that great for lunch. But rather than just complain that they aren't, I figured I should explain exactly what I am looking for in a lunch spot. 1. Cheap. One of the things that is awesome about eating lunch out is lunch specials. The midday meal is often less expensive than eating out for dinner, or even breakfast, so ideally, the restaurants serving lunch should recognize that. To put a value on…
Read More

Jam on Hawthorne

2239 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of visit: January 13, 2010 Price for 2 (with tip) $18.50 Jam on Hawthorne is a pretty typical Portland breakfast joint, and if you know any thing about Portland, that's a good thing, at least foodwise. Ample portions, lots of variety and a full bar with all sorts of specialty cocktails are a must for any go-to breakfast spot in this town. But of course, there is a dark side to almost all of the good ones: the are small and usually crowded, and unfortunately, this much is also true for Jam. We managed to arrive at prime lunch time, and had to put our…
Read More

Thanh Thao

4005 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: October 29, 2009 Price for 2 (with tip) $16 Though there was nothing particularly Vietnamese or Thai (as the sign implies) about the lunch I ate at Thanh Thao, it definitely is in the running for my favorite new lunch spot on Hawthorne. Today's visit was actually our second attempt to each there. The first was on Tuesday, the one day a week they are closed. That day, we ended up eating at No Fish, Go Fish right across the street instead, so it wasn't all bad. Thanh Thao is decent sized and was nearly full with diners, which is always a good…
Read More

What’s for Lunch?

Today we cheated on Hawthorne Blvd and crossed the bridge to eat at an old favorite, Vegetarian House. One thing that I have noticed by eating at a bunch of new places is that most are not really that great for lunch. But rather than just complain that they aren't, I figured I should explain exactly what I am looking for in a lunch spot. 1. Cheap. One of the things that is awesome about eating lunch out is lunch specials. The midday meal is often less expensive than eating out for dinner, or even breakfast, so ideally, the restaurants serving lunch should recognize that. To put a value on…
Read More

Jam on Hawthorne

2239 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of visit: January 13, 2010 Price for 2 (with tip) $18.50 Jam on Hawthorne is a pretty typical Portland breakfast joint, and if you know any thing about Portland, that's a good thing, at least foodwise. Ample portions, lots of variety and a full bar with all sorts of specialty cocktails are a must for any go-to breakfast spot in this town. But of course, there is a dark side to almost all of the good ones: the are small and usually crowded, and unfortunately, this much is also true for Jam. We managed to arrive at prime lunch time, and had to put our…
Read More

Thanh Thao

4005 SE Hawthorne Blvd Date of Visit: October 29, 2009 Price for 2 (with tip) $16 Though there was nothing particularly Vietnamese or Thai (as the sign implies) about the lunch I ate at Thanh Thao, it definitely is in the running for my favorite new lunch spot on Hawthorne. Today's visit was actually our second attempt to each there. The first was on Tuesday, the one day a week they are closed. That day, we ended up eating at No Fish, Go Fish right across the street instead, so it wasn't all bad. Thanh Thao is decent sized and was nearly full with diners, which is always a good…
Read More

What’s for Lunch?

Today we cheated on Hawthorne Blvd and crossed the bridge to eat at an old favorite, Vegetarian House. One thing that I have noticed by eating at a bunch of new places is that most are not really that great for lunch. But rather than just complain that they aren't, I figured I should explain exactly what I am looking for in a lunch spot. 1. Cheap. One of the things that is awesome about eating lunch out is lunch specials. The midday meal is often less expensive than eating out for dinner, or even breakfast, so ideally, the restaurants serving lunch should recognize that. To put a value on…
Read More