HAWTHORNE DELIGHTS – FRIED EGG I’M IN LOVE AND WAFFLE WINDOW

Some neighborhoods like Hawthorne have it all. Ample sidewalks, parking, and seemingly amenable landlords and affordable rents, and consequently restaurants and food trucks flock there.

Hawthorne has got Porque No? and Apizza Scholls on one end and Lardo and food trucks on another, with miles of food loving in betweeen.

No fair! In other neighborhoods, denizens wait and wait and wait for a good influx of grub providers to come into their hood. Like mine, the Hollywood area.

In my hood  we’ve got a couple places but we’ve got nothing near the goings on of North Portland or Southeast, and that’s just the way it is.

Come to Hollywood to grocery shop (we have Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, New Seasons and Discount Grocery), but if you want an array of inexpensive and tasty eating options, you’ll have to look elsewhere.

On yesterday’s visit to Hawthorne Street, that neighborhood however seemed particularly ripe with intriguing dining options.

First up for our girly four top (with three of my favorite eaters) was a food cart I’ve been wanting to try for some time.

Fried Egg I’m in Love, at 32nd and Hawthorne.

It’s impossible to miss the bright yolk-colored truck and it happens to sit next to one of my other all-time favorite food trucks, Carte Blanche.

It’s similarly impossible to not crack a smile at some of the food puns on the menu.

Back in Black Bean? Egg Zeppelin?

There were quite a few options here, but the guy at their window so strongly advocated for the Yolko Ono option that the three of us ordered the same thing.

We paid for our order, and then sat and played some cards at the sweet little patio while we waited for our order to be called. The patio set up was shaded and comfortable, and we waited no longer than five minutes for our sandwiches to be ready.

The menu describes the Yolko Ono thusly: “Our signature dish. Fried egg, homemade pesto, parmesan and a hand-pressed house sausage patty.”

It further explains that all “sandwiches are served on toasted sourdough bread from Portland French Bakery. Eggs are cooked over-medium and sprinkled with our special spice blend called Magic Egg Dust.”

Okay, FEIIL, let’s see what all the fuss is about and then I’ll tell you if you merit your nutty name.

I hate to admit it, but when I first saw my sandwich peeking out of the bag, I felt a sudden stab of disappointment. It was like a blind date showed up and despite the fantastic build-up, my first impression was meh, not so much.

The sandwich looked dry, boring and maybe even a little short on ingredients.

Boy was I wrong.

How can a single fried egg on sourdough be so phenomenal?

I think the hefty double-sided slather of rocking pesto goes a long way in explaining it, as does the addition of parmesan (an unusual cheese choice in the breakfast sandwich arena). I also think that the succulent thin sausage patty raised it to another level, but I wonder if the so-called MED (Magic Egg Dust) was the thing that sent it to the stratosphere.

Whatever MED is, I see they sell it and so I’m buying a package of it next time I go there. And I’m going for the Free Range Against the Machine – fried egg, avocado and Havarti. Doesn’t that sound delicious?

Next up on Hawthorne was another place I’ve been wanting to try — a place located in the back corner of the Bread and Ink cafe.

Welcome to the Waffle Window.

Clearly the waffle cognescenti have been spreading the word as the line consisted of about twenty high school students (but don’t let a line deter you, though — they’re making the waffles to order but they get them out to you quickly).

Difficult as it was to make a decision, we settled on a special of the day — an impeccable yeasted waffle topped with ganache, luscious caramel ice cream with more dark chocolate ganache, flecks of smoked salt on top with a cumulus cloud of whipped cream alongside (because it obviously wasn’t rich enough).

Where to begin?

I may have grown up with Eggos but I like to think that my quality waffle-deprived youth doesn’t mean I can’t recognize waffled excellence when I come across it. Put it this way — I don’t really even like waffles that much but the WW’s one was highly addictive and completely unlike one I have ever had.

Turns out it’s a Liege-style sugar waffle, and the co-owner of The Bread and Ink Cafe (and a pastry chef of thirty years) sent her college-aged boys to Europe for a summer vacation a while back and they came back raving about this ingredient-topped waffle they’d been enjoying in the streets throughout the area.

Intrigued, Mary set out to replicate and even improve upon the remembered snack, and a business out of the unused service entrance to their restaurant was born.

Seven years later, it’s still a hit and now they even have a second location up on Alberta.

The three of us sat there and watched Charlotte eat her dish with laser-like focus.

Suddenly I noticed that the box of  fancy doughnuts everyone is so excited about just sat there with us, an expensive but unappreciated dinner guest, largely untouched. We were enthralled by our much more compelling waffle guest (and I would venture a guess that in this rock/paper/scissors game, Waffle Window will beat fancy donuts every time).

Clearly balancing politeness with waffle greed, Charlotte saw us all staring at her magnificent concoction and offered us each a last bite. It was a testament to how she feels about Talia that my daughter gave her one of the very last bites carefully curated for maximum pleasure — the perfect bite of ganache, caramel ice cream, waffle, whip cream and a few flecks of salt.

I think Talia’s expression just sort of says it all, don’t you think?

Ah to love a food so much that you don’t even care how you look eating it.

That’s JOY, my friends.

Would some of the other waffles (perhaps the one topped with bacon and syrup or another with goat cheese and peach jam) elicit similar feelings of food lust?

I want — no, need-– to find out.

Two new food places for me, two giant home runs.

Furthermore, I love this trend of carts and restaurants focusing on just one thing and doing it well — fried egg sandwiches, Liege sugar waffles and the like. I like that they don’t try to do everything well; instead, they just take one well-loved thing and bang it out with both precision and passion.

Attention, Kline family, I think I am going to take a clue from this.

I suck at laundry, windows, mopping and cleaning dishes, so henceforth I’m dropping these responsibilities. While we’re at it, my ability to clean bathrooms or find lost school items also leaves a lot to be desired, so I will no longer be in charge of these items, either.

Instead, I am solely going to focus on what I do best around here.

I know your attention span is short, kids, so here’s the deal. You’ll be doing a lot more laundry and pick up around here, but there’s a silver lining.

You’ll never want for roast chicken or caramel bars.

http://www.friedegglove.com/

http://wafflewindow.com/