Friday, February 2, 2018

Portland Brunch: Proud Mary Coffee USA

What: Proud Mary Coffee USA
Where: 2012 NE Alberta St
When: Kitchen closes at 3pm
Honeys Heart: Most everything but the prices

Not to brag, but we’ve kinda been killing the brunch game lately. We found this gem out in SE and managed to get into this popular spot with zero wait.

To continue our streak, we decided to check out the much-buzzed-about Proud Mary Coffee USA.


More restaurant than counter-service coffee shop, Proud Mary is a Melbourne-based micro-chain and Portland is its first stateside location.


After a short wait for our party of 2, we kicked things off with some coffee. These people know their way around latte art, let me tell you!



Really taking things to the next level with the cocoa powder addition on the cappuccino. I thought this was just a British proclivity, but I'm happy to see the Australians are on board too.


With too many tasty-sounding options on the food menu, we turned to our server for support. He pointed to the hash as a customer favorite but said his personal pick would be the cauliflower dish. Done!

I don't think I've even seen a prettier Potato Hash ($16). Served with smoked bacon, a poached egg, kale salad, and bagna cauda (a traditional Italian sauce made with garlic, anchovies, and cream), this hash was just as rich and delicious as it looks.



The Cauli-Town ($14.5) also did not disappoint. With the exception of its sesame granola, this was certainly not your traditional brunch dish (outside of brunch at Tasty n Sons, I guess) but the spiced cauliflower, chickpea dahl puree, tahini, and crispy chickpeas made for a very tasty combo of flavors and textures. Plus, it provided a nice, light contrast to the heavier hash.


Overall, we were very happy with our visit. Yes, the dishes are on the pricier side, but if you skip brunch cocktails like we did in favor of coffee (#toohungoverforhairofthedog), the bill seemed on par with what we would expect for a nicer brunch.