Medley Tea House Cafe

As promised, I'm back to feature another one of the treasures to be found in Multnomah Village, SW Portland. Every time my husband and I make the 10 minute walk from our house to the Village we're charmed at how bustling and lively it is, and have come to truly rely on many of the businesses there several times in a week. Our bank (local to the Pacific NW) is there, as is our doctor's office, as well as the holistic pet food store where we buy kitty food, the card shop which is often helpful for special occasions, a great little book store, a fantastic toy store for our nephew and niece, and, of course, the many really excellent restaurants that we've come to love.

Today's post focuses on Medley Tea House Cafe - so much more than just tea! The first time we stopped in there for brunch was because Fat City Cafe (see previous post) was too busy and we didn't want to wait for a table. This cozy, low-ceilinged restaurant would be right at home in a rural English village - and not in a cloying way at all. Decorated with all kinds of teapots, it's sunny, each table is different, and you can choose just the one that suits you. You can relax there with a cup of tea or coffee, or you can order food from their tantalizing and varied menu.

I love their Fediezeldicker Breakfast Plate with genuinely silken scrambled eggs...I wish I knew how they got them like that! Served with bacon, rosemary home fries and toast, it's the perfect breakfast. Julio's Breakfast Bowl is also delicious, with garlic and onion infused rosemary potatoes, chunks of bacon, spinach and sun dried tomatoes, topped with two fried eggs. There are also health smoothies on the menu, crepes, a breakfast sandwich, bagels and more. And since I'm usually traveling in the company of gluten-free diners, Medley is perfect because they have a truly delectable selection of gluten-free scones, both savory and sweet, as well as other pastries and desserts, both vegan and otherwise. Lunch, served from 11:00 every weekday, features soups, salads and sandwiches, and brunch from 9-2:00 on weekends offers a variety of Eggs Benedict dishes, Chocolate French Toast and other delights. Some day, I'm determined to stop in for afternoon tea between 2 and 5 when they offer, besides their other yummy scones and pastries, finger sandwiches, crepes, and afternoon tea platters with an assortment of the above. I'm sure that no matter how proper I might feel partaking, the experience will still have that wonderful, relaxed Portland vibe about it which Medley seems to accomplish so perfectly.

To me, one of the funnest things about Medley is that, if you order tea from their vast tea menu, you get to choose your own pot and cup! This may sound a little girly, but even my rock-musician son was excited about it.

The service is friendly and attentive and the prices just right. We now make Medley a destination, rather than an over-flow spot. If you're looking for both charm and flavor, this is the place!

Evaluation: 
Very sincere

7881 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland, OR 97219
medleytea.com

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Fat City Cafe

Well folks, Jon and I have made quite the shift in lifestyle. We up and moved out of NYC, all the way across the country to Portland, OR! This is a spectacular place to live, we're finding, and so full of sincere establishments we've been too overwhelmed to single a particular one out for this blog. However, since we've been here now a couple of months, it's time to start sharing with you the many amazing businesses in this beautiful, Pacific NW town. Jon did a post yesterday, which you'll see below, and here's my first of what I'm sure will be many:

The morning after we arrived at our new home in Portland, we headed out to breakfast at Fat City Cafe, in the adorable Multnomah (pronounced: mult-NOH-mah) Village, which is a pleasant 15 minute walk from our house. Multnomah Village (MV) resides in the southwest area of Portland, the outer-lying environs of which are perhaps not highest on the Portland hipness scale, yet MV, along with the nearby community of Hillsdale, are actually kind of magnets for the hip set, not only because they're just so darn quaint (which hipsters ironically rather like) but because of the exceptional restaurants and pubs that abound.

When checking out the area during our house search a couple of months before, Fat City Cafe had called to us among those many eateries, so we had been looking forward to trying it. It's a cozy spot, serving breakfast, brunch and lunch only, with maybe ten or so tables, and seats at the counter. The walls are covered with license plates from around the country as well as other photos and bric-a-brac, but it manages to not be annoyingly kitchy. The servers are super friendly and made us feel warm and welcome right away. The day of our first visit, we both ordered a basic breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast (gluten free for Jon), and were delighted by how delicious it all was. The prices are amazing too, especially because Jon, being an oldster, had the same bacon and eggs under the heading of "Geezer Grub," so it was cheaper still.

We've eaten there a handful of times since and have loved everything we've tried, though we haven't done lunch yet, only breakfast. As a matter of fact, lunch gets pretty crowded there, as does brunch on the weekends so we mainly just go during the week so as to not have to wait. On that first day we went, we noticed that by 11:30 the place was already filling up with bearded, man-bunned types and their goth girlfriends. If the crowd prevents you from getting a table, however, don't hesitate to try one of the other great brunch spots in the village, none of which have disappointed yet. I'll get to those eventually, but for now, there's no doubt that I rate Fat City Cafe: Extraordinarily sincere!

FatCityCafe.Org
7820 SW Capital Hwy, Multnomah Village
SouthWest Portland, OR
503-245-5457

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