There are some foodies in my office; Jeff and/or Brendan have set as a goal to eat their way through the top 10 restaurants in Portland as rated by Portland Monthly magazine. They had lunch at Podnah’s Pit BBQ in Northeast and raved about it. I looked on the web and found that they started opening for breakfast just about a month ago. So, it definitely sounded like a candidate.
When I looked at the menu on-line I knew I’d be happy but that the others might have a hard time getting something they like. But hey, we rotate picking and I figured I’d please myself and hope the others would find something they liked. The menu is very short.
- Biscuits and gravy
- Smoked trout hash
- 2 breakfast burritons (with or without sausage)
- Ham, eggs, and grits
I wanted someone to order the trout hash so I could at least see it; if someone has it, please post a comment.
I love good biscuits and gravy but rarely order it because it can be so easily ruined; a floury paste with a couple of chunks of greasy pork served over a hockey puck.
But Podnah’s knows there biscuits and gravy: there were huge chunks of spicy sausage in a creamy, peppery gravy; no lumps; no grease. The gravy was served in a soup cup alongside two wonderful, light, flaky biscuits. I also had a couple of scrambled eggs on the side. Make no mistake: if you want biscuits in gravy in Portland, go to Podnah’s.
The ambience is very VERY low key; it strikes me as what a southern barbecue joint would be. It is a small, narrow building with small old fashioned kitchen tables lining both sides. There were only a couple of spots for 4 people; we actually pushed a couple of small tables together. A few pictures are on the wall. Suffice it to say, if you are going to Podnah’s you are going for the food.
There are a couple of small things that keep this from rating 5 stars in my book. They had NO decaffinated coffee. After we ordered, Dianne and Carla ducked out and went next store to get a coffee from a little coffee shop and brought it in. Also, we had to go fetch our own coffee from the back of the shop and the cups were little. But for a little breakfast joint that delivers the goods, this rates 4 1/2 stars.
Podnah’s Pit BBQ
1469 NE Prescott St
I'll try the biscuits and gravy next time I go, but I'll need some grits on the side – I love me some grits!
I had the pork ribs, which were good, but the pulled pork looked fantastic – I had second thoughts after I ordered.
The pulled pork sandwich is a winner in my book. Nice big chunks of pork, perfect bun, DIY saucing and absolutely delicious. I wouldn't recommend the vinegar slaw (Clay's is better) nor the cornbread (too dry for my liking) but I would recommend the lettuce wedge with homemade blue cheese and (though I didn't try it) the pecan pie looked delectable.
Yay! You're back. I was just cleaning up my bookmarks and decided to check the blog before deleting it and discovered several new posts. Keep posting and reviewing those breakfast joints. Maybe I can talk Ray into taking me out to breakfast one of these days. Posting the address of the restaurant of the week is a good thing, also. Hope you guys are good. Did you know we are moving to Beaverton? Just a stone's throw from your house. (If you have a good arm, that is.)