What: Bread and Ink Cafe
Where: SE Hawthorne & 36th
When: Mon - Sat 3:30 - 6:30pm HH, Sun 3:00 - 6:30 HH
Honeys Heart: Raspberry Lavender Lemon Drop
Last week I had back to back babysitting on the Eastside so Jen, Michael and Adam met me for HH on SE Hawthorne in between. Jen and I met at Bread and Ink Cafe at 4:30 (notice the empty restaurant photo above) and started our extended HH by sharing a Raspberry Lavender Lemon Drop ($6.50).
We sipped our cocktail, which was my favorite item we ordered, and perused the menu, ultimately deciding we would be happy to eat anything on it.
Adam arrived next and, being a sucker for anything that even resembles strawberry or raspberry lemonade, ordered the same drink. Since Jen and I had already been sitting there for half an hour, we ordered the Hummus Plate ($4.50) to share. It was fresh and the hummus was really good, but I always feel like I could do this at home, so why buy it?
Michael finally made it back to Portland after a day of work in Salem and we were able to really get started. Michael opted for a couple Mojitos ($6.50) which he somehow managed to finish before I was able to get a sip, but he claims they were really good.
For the rest of our dinner we shared the Black Bean Cakes ($4.50), two orders of the Bacon Provolone Basil Sandwich ($5.25) and some Cheesy Home Fries with Grilled Onions ($3.75).
Next to the drink, my favorite item was the bacon provolone basil sandwich. It was a normal size portion for HH prices and something I would be inspired to recreate at home with my panini maker.
The black bean cakes were slightly disappointing for both Jen and I, though Michael thought they were super tasty. We had hoped they would be a little chunkier and crunchier. Good flavor, but not totally impressed.
Still not completely satisfied, Michael tried to get another order of the black bean cakes, but we convinced him to go with something new. The cheesy home fries with grilled onions were definitely super cheesy! Honestly who isn't going to like potatoes and cheese, but once again I was left feeling like I could make this at home.
As we finished up the cheesy fries a table near us was getting their HH order and I realized we did this all wrong.
This is what we ordered:
Cheesy home fries with grilled onions ($3.75)
Bacon provolone basil sandwich ($5.25)
Black bean cakes ($4.50)
Hummus plate ($4.50)
But, by the end of the meal I decided that this is what we should have ordered:
Grilled asparagus with herbed chevre ($4.75)
Gnocchi verde ($5)
Five grilled Gulf shrimp ($4.75)
Curried chicken with cardamom rice ($5.75)
Well, maybe we could keep the bacon provolone basil sandwich, and of course the drinks, on the list. Everything we ordered was good, just simple, so if I return I would go with some different items. It was inexpensive, the service was great and overall a pleasant break between kids!