Tasty n Alder (Portland, OR)

Tasty n Alder
580 SW 12th Ave
Portland, OR 97205
Dining date: 3/11/17

Brunch is supposedly a big deal in Portland on the weekends. Meeting up with an old friend, he suggested having brunch at this place, one of the most popular spots in town. Tasty n Alder is part of John and Renee Gorham’s restaurant group that owns and operates a number of concepts in town (Toro Bravo, Tasty n Sons). Even though we thought we got to the restaurant relatively early (9:30), our party of four still waited 90 minutes for a table (Heart Coffee Roasters across the street was a great place to kill some time).

Radicchio bacon lardons. manchego. six minute egg

Tasso Hash onion sour cream. over easy egg

Auntie Paula’s French Toast pear maple. whipped cream

Fries fried in washimi wagyu tallow

Duck…Duck….Steak! Allen Brothers Angus

Brunch was good here, although I definitely wouldn’t wait 90 minutes for this again. My favorite dish was probably the ‘Duck, Duck, Steak.’ All of the individual components were executed just right – juicy steak, crispy duck fat potatoes, and an oozing duck egg. Hard to wrong with that combination. The tasso hash was also another bright spot, with the tasso providing a flavorful base for the rest of the hash. The fries were the only real disappointment. Their slightly limp texture, reminiscent of In-N-Out, just didn’t do it for me. The wagyu beef fat provided some great flavor, but couldn’t make up for the texture.