Skip The Lines — In Portland, Go To Interurban For Brunch

Portland: The City That Brunches. It's not our name, but it certainly could be given our love for the mid-day weekend meal. Portland is famous for its numerous brunch spots, but most of them have an hour-long line on weekends. Luckily there are a number of excellent restaurants with lesser-known brunch menus; Interurban is one, and the menu is being expanded.

The new menu, built by chef John Henry, is full of affordable sweet and savory dishes, including "Grandpa's Fried Chicken"—smoke-fried half game hen & house made biscuit with jalapeño butter and bourbon coffee brown-sugar syrup ($11); "Boudin Blanc" (pictured) —pork & chicken sausage, poached egg, fried-grits cake, creamed kale, leeks ($12); and "Buttermilk Poppy-Seed Pancakes" with lemon curd and powered sugar ($6) among many others.

The food is designed to pair with bar manager Jeffrey Seymour's brunch cocktails. Eleven cocktails grace the menu, including morning classics such as the Corpse Reviver #2, a tantalizing mix of gin, lemon, Cocchi Americano, and Combier orange, with a touch of absinthe.

Brunch at Interurban is offered Saturday and Sunday, 11 AM – 2:30 PM. Dinner service begins at 3 PM and goes until 2 AM daily.