Papa Haydn

Papa Haydn is a restaurant that falls on the many different lists of "Top Portland Restaurants."  It's probably misleading because the food really isn't all that good.  I think the "must-try" eats at this restaurants is the desserts, which unfortunately isn't all that good either, unless you like cake.  I have a sweet tooth, but when it comes to cake, you'll get a *shrug* and an "eh" out of me.  I'll eat it, I'll probably enjoy it, but it's not something I usually seek out.


French Onion Soup herbed cruton cap, gratinee of asiago, parmesan, gruyere cheeses
I needed something hot and warm on this blustery gloomy Portland afternoon.  I've never really had an onion soup that I loved, but I went for it anyways.  The soup itself was pretty light despite all the caramelized onions.  The cheesy crouton baked on top wasn't too overwhelming.  Sadly, my soup was kind of lukewarm and somehow didn't all come together.

Croque Monsieur Black forest ham, imported Gruyere cheese and mustard-mayonnaise grilled on Parmesan coated bread, cucumber salad
Our waiter recommended this as one of their signature and most popular dishes.  It was just as described, a cheesy crispy mess of salty ham and cheese.  The bread was a bit too crispy.  The cucumber salad was in need of dressing.  Overall, I wasn't too impressed.

Chicken Sandwich poached breast, cherry preserves, smoked mozzarella, crispy Walla Walla 
onions, arugula, bacon aioli, rustic bun
Leave it to Dumpling Man to order something so ordinary as a chicken sandwich.  When asked how his sandwich was, he just shrugged.  Enough said.

Eggs Benedict house-made smoked pork loin, English muffin, poached eggs, hollandaise, home fries, mixed greens, champagne citrus vinaigrette
I didn't try any of this but Verde's girlfriend didn't seem impressed. 

Hamburger highland oaks natural beef grilled over hardwood and served on a rustic roll, tillamook cheddar
Verde's response was pretty similar to his girlfriend's response about her eggs benedict.

Chorizo Hash
This was my original choice, but Tae Bo ordered this instead.  She hardly ate much of it.

Boccone Dolce swiss meringues drizzled with semi-sweet chocolate, layered with fresh fruit and chantilly cream
So this was the real reason why we came here.  Verde's girlfriend lives in Houston, so this cake is a special treat for her when she comes to visit.  I'm not a huge fan of meringue, but it wasn't as airy and tasteless as I had feared.  Together with the cream and fruit, the cake was not overly sweet.  It was nice, but I wouldn't be jonesing for a slice anytime soon.

Berry Cobbler
I love tangy fruit baked with a layer of buttery crumble and served warm with a scoop of ice cream.  The ratio of fruit to crumble was too high.  Overall, it just didn't taste like the thing was made with love.  It was probably made some time ago and just reheated to order.  The fruits didn't taste very fresh.

Don't come to Papa Haydn for the food.  It seems like people love the desserts and cakes more than anything.  I suppose if I had some friends in town who were visiting and we were just looking to have some dessert, then maybe I'd come back.  I can't say much more than that.  Nothing was horribly offensive, but everything was just kinda whatever.

Papa Haydn
701 NW 23rd Ave 
Portland, OR 97210



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