Sweedeedee

Sweedeedee
5202 N. Albina Ave.
Portland, OR 97217
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Yelp

Decidedly Undecided and I attempted to brunch it at one of my favorite spots, Tasty & Alder, but of course the wait was ridiculous so we skedaddled from the shiny part of Downtown Portland over to the more grungy Northwest Portland.  I had never heard of Sweedeedee, but Zhu Zhu Hamster suggested it and Decidedly Undecided gave it two thumbs up.  My friends are wary of sending bad food recommendations my way because they know about my discerning palate and high standards.  The restaurant itself is so typically Portland.  It basically looks like a shack from the outside and very quaint on the inside.  When I lived here, I would have turned my nose at this place or at least rolled my eyes and sighed "Oh, Portland..."  Now, I can really see the charm.  The place is just simple, and that is reflected in the food.  I wish I had taken a picture of the kitchen.  It didn't really look like a kitchen, more like a room with people cooking in it.  It was more wood than stainless steel.

The setup is a bit unusual.  You place your order at the counter, and when a table opens up, you are seated.  So we probably waited maybe 20 minutes?  In the meantime, we ogled at the baked goodies behind the glass.

Salted Honey Pie

I favor fruit pies, and find all other pies weird.  Decidedly Undecided assured me this was THE pie to get.  She was right.

On the outset, it just looks like any ole gloopy pie, but it was actually a rich, buttery, honey kissed custard baked in flakey pie crust with a gentle sprinkle of flakey sea salts.  Now that's a pie to write home about.  Yums!

Honey Whiskey Pie

A lot of Yelpers posted about this one, but it was not as spectacular as the pie.  I liked the hint of whiskey, since I never tasted that in a bread before.  I wouldn't feel a need to order this one again.  I would like to order two slices of the salted honey pie though.

Potato Plate baked egg, house smoked trout, salsa verde, toast
The salsa verde was a bright and welcome addition to the smokey trout and heart potatoes.

Corncakes baked eggs, bacon, braised greens, maple syrup

I saw corncakes and had to have them.  I just find them to be more substantial than regular pancakes and I love that extra texture from cornmeal.  The bacon was thick and crispy.  The braised greens were unremarkable.

Sweedeedee Breakfast Plate egg, farm greens, brioche toast, preserves, bacon, cheese, seasonal fruit

Everything on this plate is pretty much everything you'd find in any ole breakfast plate, but they somehow do it different.  The ingredients just seem high quality, fresh, and still simple.  Everything on that plate adds a little something.

Bakers Breakfast vollhornbrat toast, avocado, radish, mung bean, egg

Avocado toast seems to be all the rage these days.  I can't say their version is my favorite.  The mung beans and radishes were a little too raw and vegetal for me.  I did however like that toast with the buttery smooth avocado mash.  It had a lot of grains and texture.

Heirloom Tomatoes

This was a seasonal item that Decidedly Undecided threw in there.  I was quite happy she did that because it really brightened up the breakfast.  The tomatoes were totally sweet, meaty, juicy, and dressed with just a little salt and pepper.  LOVE!

Sweedeedee makes breakfast seem like an easy meal to conquer.  They just throw together the usual suspects, eggs, potatoes, bacon, pancakes, syrup, breads/toast, and pull off something special.  I can't say its the best breakfast I've had in Portland, but it's just awesomely simple.  I probably wouldn't wait an hour for this place, not that you have to, but if I were in the hood looking for something homey for a first meal, I would come here.  If I wanted something sweet, I would just come for that darn pie.

10 - You NEED to eat here  

9 - Awesome! 

8 - Very good
7 - Good 

6 - OK

5 - Average
4 - Not bad

3 - Not good

2 - Terrible

1 - Do NOT eat here