The Mango Lassie

Like most people who’ve been there, I love Paris. And, like many food-loving Europhiles, I have found little in life to compare to than a simple, fresh, bistro lunch. The mere bread in a sandwich served at any random sidewalk café is enough to make me consider a trans-Atlantic move. Empanada Boy has not been to Paris, or even to Europe, which makes me all the more eager to show him how much better than average American fare everyday French food can taste.

We were thinking of taking a trip there this year, but the exchange rate combined with EB’s use of his vacation days on our trip to Portland make that more and more unlikely. Luckily, all was not lost in my quest to show him what makes French food so exceptional. While we were in Portland, we went out to lunch at Boulangerie St. Honoré, a bakery and bistro that truly looks, feels and tastes like Paris.

A wall of beautifully crafted loaves and cases of exquisite, butter-filled pastries greet you as you walk in the door. Indoor wooden tables seat coffee drinkers and the lunch crowd throughout the day. A large window opens onto outdoor tables, making the place seem all the more French. The lunch menu consists of hearty quiches, warm and cold sandwiches and some of the most attractive and delicious salads I’ve tried.

Flav, Mango Mama and I all had salads, which come with slices of rustic bread. Now, don’t think we were being virtuous and ordering the low calorie option. The salads here are massive and very filling. I enjoyed this tasty salade Niçoise complete with green beans, potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, tuna fish and Niçoise olives. This is a perfect summertime salad because it’s filling, while also tasting deceptively light. Flav had the salad I prefer to order during the winter months. It’s made with sweet, earthy red beets, green apples, walnuts and a wedge of pungent blue cheese. Mango Mama tried the salade Lyonnaise (pictured above) with tomatoes, bacon, homemade croutons and a fried egg. It’s best to break the egg before eating the rest of the salad to allow the yolk to run all over.

As for EB, he got his first taste of croque monsieur. St. Honore’s version is rich with crackling, melted Gruyere, Dijon and smoky ham and came paired with a pretty little salad. “Now that is a grilled cheese,” I said after I took a bite. EB agreed.

We finished off the meal with a bag of chouquettes. These are little, fried, egg-based puffs reminiscent of popovers. The come topped with large sugar granules. Though they may not be as pretty as some of the other desserts in the display case, they are
delicious, and most importantly small. An air-filled puff is about all I can fit into my stomach after lunch here. All in all, I think EB got a pretty good sense of what I mean when I rave about France. Hopefully that can tide us over until we finally make it to Paris.

Boulangerie St. Honoré
2335 NW Thurman St.
Portland, OR 97210
503.445.4342