Tasty n Sons | North Portland

I know what you're thinking: You've lived in Portland for over 9 months, and you still haven't been to Tasty n Sons for brunch?

But after last weekend, I can now say I have. And I'm hoping to go back about 800 times.

Here's the thing: If I know that a restaurant typically has a long wait for brunch, I almost always never go (yes, even though I realize a wait means the food's probably pretty damn good). My morning hangriness is not to be trifled with, however, and a long wait usually means disaster for the Laheys. But for some reason, this past weekend, I was willing to take our chances with Tasty n Sons. I figured if the wait was longer than an hour, there's about a gazillion more restaurants we can go to instead if need be.

But luck was on our side last Saturday. The wait was only about 45 minutes (although, it ended up being even shorter), and Tasty n Sons takes your cell phone number so they can call you when your table's ready. No need to stand around and starve. So, while we waited for our table, we walked a few doors down to Tin Bucket for some early afternoon brews...naturally.

We hadn't even finished our beers before Tasty n Sons called, a welcome surprise for us hungry drinkers. 

We were seated at the counter overlooking the kitchen - a fun and entertaining place to sit! To start our meal off, I ordered a cup of coffee - Tasty n Sons brews Water Avenue, one of my favorite local coffee brands.

How cute is that creamer bottle, by the way?

And, of course, no brunch would be complete without a Bloody - and Tasty n Sons makes several different kinds. I went for the traditional Tasty Mary ($9), pictured, made with vodka, tomato, Worcestershire, horseradish, lemon, Sriracha, celery salt rim, and house pickles. Z opted for the Maiken Tasty ($9), made with Aquavit, tomato, Worcestershire, horseradish, lemon, dill, and house pickles. We loved both of them, but Z's version was delightfully refreshing - a nice, subtle spin on the typical Bloody Mary.

Tasty n Sons' dishes are meant to be shared - and come out as they're ready - so we ordered a few plates for the table. First up were the Potatoes Bravas ($5 for small; $8 for large, which is what we ordered). The perfectly fried, saucy potatoes were topped with an over easy egg and a silky smooth aioli.

We also shared the Cast Iron Frittata ($10), made with spicy stewed green beans, dry jack cheese, and micro greens. We loved how thin and delicate the frittata was, while also being incredibly flavorful - between the spices used and the jack cheese, this was one delicious dish. (Side note: both the Potatoes Bravas and this frittata are listed under "Smaller" plates on Tasty n Sons' brunch menu, but they were both the perfect size for two people).

Our third and final dish was the star of the show: the Summer Muffin board ($9), which consisted of an obviously homemade English muffin, piled high with heirloom tomato, pickled beet mayonnaise, Beecher's cheddar, summer greens, and a fried egg. (The sandwich didn't come cut in half...we did that, for sharing purposes).

Um, this sandwich was epic. Every single component was incredibly fresh and flavorful, and both of us easily could have eaten five more of these if we weren't already so full. 

Tasty n Sons is open daily for brunch from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (They're also open daily for dinner starting at 5 p.m., and have happy hour in the bar from 2:30 - 5 p.m.).

Aaaaand now I want to go back.