The Cadillac of Cafes
Empanada Boy and I were in Cannon Beach for most of our Thanksgiving trip, but we spent our last full day with my immediate family in and around Portland. My good friend Mint Chip was in town from Sacramento for the holiday, so we all went out to breakfast with her. Even though we were planning an afternoon trip westward toward the wine country, I couldn’t resist the thought of breakfast at the East side staple the Cadillac Cafe.
The Cadillac Cafe is a wonderful breakfast and lunch spot, serving up distinctive, but homey, fare for reasonable prices. There is a friendly bustle to the large dining space and a pleasant indoor greenhouse provides another nice seating area. One of the signature breakfast items is the catfish (pictured above), which is fried in a rosemary-infused batter. The dish comes with two eggs any style, home fries and toast. It’s not every day you think of having catfish for breakfast, but it really hits the spot. Mango Mama orders it pretty much every time she goes. Being his adventurous self Empanada Boy followed suit. I ordered the Bunkhouse Vittles, which include flavorful home fries, a plump, juicy, chicken sausage, two eggs and custard French toast. I swapped out the decadent-sounding French toast for a piece of peach cornbread. The cornbread tasted as sweet as if it had the honey built right in.
Mint Chip ordered the Henry’s North American, a scramble of Italian sausage, spinach and fontina cheese. Daddy Salmon had the hearty stack of oatmeal pancakes. The only disappointment was Flava Flav’s Veracruz omelet from the specials list, which she said was lacking the necessary Southwestern spice. In the end, the Cadillac Cafe was more worth driving the extra distance out of our way— at least if, like us, you show up in a Prius instead of the big boat of a car that gives the cafe its name.
Cadillac Cafe
1801 NE Broadway
Portland, OR 97232
503.287.4750
Empanada Boy said,
December 3, 2007 @ 12:29 am
The catfish breakfast was excellent! A very good recommendation by Mango Mama. I dipped each bit of the cornmeal encrusted catfish in the dippy yolk of my over-easy eggs and the taste was exquisite. I imagine one could turn this combination of eggs and catfish into a unique & delicious dinner dish as well.
Mint Chip said,
December 3, 2007 @ 11:06 am
It was a great breakfast. I think I might need to have the catfish next time I go. It was great to eat out with you all. (I am so excited to have a name and everything.)
Mango Mama said,
December 3, 2007 @ 12:29 pm
Thanks for a great review of one of my favorite breakfast places. And thanks to EB for his shout-out. I love that catfish!
BTW – we had a fantastic dinner the other night at a new restaurant called Cava. I highly recommend it to the ML’s Portland readers.
Eating Adventuress said,
December 4, 2007 @ 10:14 pm
ML,
I had my Sacramento daughter and husband visiting me over the Turkey Days. On Sunday, the weather was good, we drove to Carlton, Yamhill County, for lunch at “Cuvee” a French style bistro in our wine country. Good food, service and fairly moderate. So nice to be in a town where the tourist demand for shopping has not yet affected it’s small community feel, unlike the Napa Valley.
Anonymous said,
March 16, 2008 @ 12:40 pm
A. Buchanan said,
June 19, 2009 @ 3:38 pm
Wow! those are some mouthwatering dishes. Mmmm, I am hungry again, there goes my diet.