Proud Mary

I'm still not exactly sure how Portland has a transplanted coffee shop from Melbourne, Australia, but I'm glad that we do.  Even though I don't drink coffee, the food at Proud Mary is really beautiful and tasty.

Yes, it is a coffee shop, and it was obvious that they were set up to make coffee, but I was there for the food.

I wasn't really sure what to expect when I ordered the Avocado Succotash, but it sounded interesting and it really was and colorful too.  I definitely ate my rainbow.  I guess it qualifies as a version of avocado toast, because there is bread on the bottom there, along with romesco and then avocado, corn succotash, tomatoes, and zucchini piled on top.

The pastry case at the exit is small, but I couldn't resist the lemon tea cake on my way out.  It was super moist, but not that lemony.

And... I had to go back to try the potato hash, which was also pretty amazing looking.  The potatoes were shredded finely and formed into a cake and crisped on the edges.  Then there was bacon and a poached egg and a green salad piled on top, along with a pretty anchovy forward bagna cauda on the plate that went really well with everything else.

On a recent lunch at Proud Mary, I noticed a new selection on their menu - savory french toast - which sounded very interesting. As with every meal I’ve eaten there, I never know quite what to expect, but it’s always beautiful and colorful. My mind is still a little boggled with it all, but it was pretty good. Brioche french toast with paprika crumble, smoked ricotta, portobello mushroom and egg, and chipotle.