Brunch at Woodsman Tavern Blows My Mind

While there's been many a times when I've enjoyed Portland's brunch offerings, I haven't yet been truly blow away until recently.  Visiting Woodsman Tavern last week for a business meeting, the restaurant happens to be a part of the Stumptown Coffee empire, owned by Duane Sorenson.  This was no doubt a great indicator of quality and needless to say, their brunch menu proved all sorts of enticing.

Atmosphere:
Located on the East end of Division Street on the corner of 45th Avenue, Woodsman is a bit removed from the popular eateries and businesses on the main drag.  However, being that it's right next to the Stumptown Coffee storefront gives it more curb appeal.

The restaurant itself is lovely and elegant with dark rich furnishings that have a touch of industrial and refurbished elements.  While some of it feels like a collection of different pieces, they all seem to go together nicely and make me think of the coveted things I admire at a store like Rejuvenation.  In terms of seating, I like that it's a combination of traditional two and four top tables, as well as communal seating and bar stools as well.  So basically, you can adapt your experience to anything you want.

Food:
Although Woodsman's brunch menu isn't huge, the items on it all look interesting and sophisticated.  While my week was spent eating lots of eggy dishes due to Passover, I decided to go for something different and chose the pancakes instead.

Woodfired Pineapple Pancake - I was surprised to see a non-traditional combination of pancakes and pineapples, which I haven't yet tried but that sounded delicious.  Made up of two very fluffy pancakes with thin slices of charred pineapple both in between them and on top, it turned ordinary pancakes on their ear, together with toppings such as prosciutto, pickled cherries and the piece-de-resistance, gouda butter.  I couldn't even imagine what the latter would taste like and sure enough it was an absolute standout with its creamy texture and slightly tangy flavor.  I let my dining companions try some and needless to say they were VERY impressed!

Other Dishes - Also very satisfied with their dishes, my dining companions went for savorier options including Woodsman's signature Eggs Benedict and a beautiful cured salmon plate.  Both things looked gorgeous and super fresh, especially the fiery red salmon, which I just may have to get next time.  I loved its rustic arrangement, together with fixins such as onions, capers and some bright herbs.

Service and Cost:

Indicative of its overall quality offering, the service here is also excellent.  The staff seems to have a lot of knowledge about the menu and on the whole we felt very well taken care of - not having to wait for anything for too long.  At the same time, when we were done with our meal, we didn't feel rushed.

Costs are on the expensive side but I'd return any day for such a stellar ambiance and exemplary food.  You can expect to shell out about $17-$20 per person together with a beverage such as coffee.

3 Mmmms

Woodsman Tavern - 4527 Division Street, Portland OR 97206
971.373.8264
woodsmantavern.com