Rating / 5 out of 5 stars

Despite its name, Belmont Station Beer Store and Cafe actually sits one block north of Belmont Street in a sleepy residential neighbourhood on Stark Street. Portland appears to have a trifecta of obsessions: food, coffee and beer. Belmont Station, home to a 1000 (that’s right, 1000) beers is a temple dedicated to the latter — the worship of all things beer.

(Above: A bevy of taps on display at Belmont Station’s Bier Cafe.)

On the one side, there’s a Bier Cafe where you can sample a rotating tap of beers paired with a menu of snacks tailored specifically to whet the appetite for drinking beer. Unfortunately, the cafe wasn’t open when we arrived, so we had to settle for wading through a sea of beers instead.

(A small collection of beer from Oregon breweries Deschutes and Upright Brewing.)

Belmont Station is a deceptively small shop. It certainly doesn’t look like it could hold 1000+ variety of beer, but it does. What Belmont lacks in volume (don’t be expecting to grab a crate of Bud here), it makes up in spades with variety. Of course they carry a nice selection of Oregon beers, but that selection also extends across the world from Germany to Italy, Scotland to Belgium. We picked up a number of Oregon brews to bring home: Upright Brewing, Deschutes, Rogue and Pale Horse.

(An Oregon brew just begging to be cracked open.)

There’s a cash discount, so if you put away the plastic you’ll pay the lower of the two sticker prices displayed. The folks at Belmont Station are pretty chill people who like their beer, and enjoy talking about it. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of beers when you first step in, but take a moment to gain your composure. You’ll be alright.

Perfect for: Homer Simpson… and anyone else who enjoys beer.

The Details

4500 Southeast Stark Street, Portland
503.232.8538
belmont-station.com

Rating / 4 out of 5 stars

The line ups form early at Portland’s Tin Shed Garden Cafe, a hippie-like breakfast joint that boasts all the right, earth-friendly buzz words: organic, free range, local, and hormone-free. They even compost their own leftovers. All good qualities, but we suspect the customers line up for more than just the good will.

If the wait hasn’t completely spilled out into the sidewalk, put your name down — grab yourself a coffee and relax amongst all the other eager patrons. It’ll probably be another 1o to 15 minutes.

(Clockwise: 1. The Good Dog — potato cakes topped with a whole bunch of stuff. 2. Aardvark hot sauce. You see this stuff everywhere in Portland. 3. Homemade Biscuits.)

Inside, The Tin Shed is like a summer cabin with casual furnishings, cluttered tables and coffee served in mismatched novelty mugs. I got one bearing the Ace Hardware logo. The menu is composed of whimsically named breakfast items like Roll Over, Rosemary’s Gravy Baby, and Heartless Artichoke.

I had one of their potato cake stacks, the Good Dog: shredded potato cakes stacked with a mountain of sausage, jalapeno, bell pepper & onion scramble, and smothered with cheddar cheese, salsa fresca, sour cream and drenched in Tin Shed’s own chipolte sauce. It arrives looking like a messy pile, devoid of shape and reason — deceptively disastrous looking. But the fresh ingredients and flavourful sauce sing through the chaotic noise on the plate. Add a homemade biscuit on the side and you have yourself a remarkably hearty meal.

(Top to bottom: 1. All the fixings for a good oatmeal. 2. How could you not love a dish called the Tummy Warmer?)

Case wanted a reprieve from all the deliciously heavier meals we’ve been having on our Portland escapade, and noticed an oatmeal dish adorably named the Tummy Warmer. This is no run-of-the-mill oatmeal, though: piping hot and topped with fresh bananas, raisins, toasted pumpkin seeds, flax seed and served with a thing of brown sugar for you to sweeten as you like. It’s a surprisingly healthy, and tasty breakfast of champions amongst all of Portland’s more high-caloric offerings.

Our meal came to just under $28 including tips and two coffees. Everything about the Tin Shed speaks of humility — a friendliness and down-to-earthness that’s refreshing. That casualness doesn’t extend to the preparation of their meals, though. Humble they may look, but the hearty goodness on their plates will send your stomachs away happy.

Perfect for: some Karmatic loving for your tummy.

The Details

1438 Northeast Alberta Street, Portland
503.288.6966
tinshedgardencafe.com

Rating / 3 out of 5 stars

Commune Cafe is like a breath of fresh air amongst the forest of condominium skyscrapers on the edge of Yaletown. Sitting all by its lonesome on the corner of Seymour and Nelson, Commune serves up an array of sandwiches, salads, cheeses, local craft beer, and coffee.

Inside, a long communal table runs the length of the dining room, booths occupy the outer walls, while an outdoor patio awaits sun seekers (forecast pending). A long bar up front triples as a cafeteria-like ordering area, till and coffee bar all in one.

(Above: 1. Breakfast Sandwich, 2. Outdoor dining.)

Case and I ventured out early for breakfast — Case ordering a smoked salmon sandwich, while I opted for the breakfast. The smoked salmon sandwich had a collage of beautiful frisee, smoked salmon and cream cheese, served on a soft, sweet bun, which really reminded us of the type of dinner roll you’d get at a Hong Kong style cafe.

The breakfast sandwich was a nicely seasoned turkey sausage patty with scrambled egg served similarly on that familiar soft, sweet dinner roll and grilled on a panini toaster. The food was good, but the small portions only amplified the loneliness of the sandwiches with no sides to be had.

(1. Above: Smoked Salmon Sandwich.)

At just over $20 including two coffees, taxes and tips, Commune felt a bit pricey. The flavours are certainly good, but I think it’s still too early to judge if we’d consider Commune a go to joint.

Perfect for: bumping into other Yaletowners attempting to avoid bumping into other Yaletowners.

The Details

1002 Seymour Street, Vancouver
604.681.2551
communecafe.ca

Rating / 5 out of 5 stars

No, Acme Cafe isn’t a fake cafe — part of an elaborate hoax by Wile E. Coyote to lure the unsuspecting Road Runner to certain doom. Acme Cafe is a new diner in the redeveloping East Hastings neighborhood (right next door to the old Save On Meats), serving up a menu of sandwiches, quiches and a large assortment of pies and baked goods, all in an open kitchen.

(Top to bottom: 1. Croque Monsieur. 2. Joe.)

Acme Cafe’s menu consists mostly of sandwiches, salads and baked goods, very few items that require a full kitchen to prepare. Most items seem familiar, but have a slight twist. I had the special of the day, the Croque Monsieur — generous slices of carved ham, turkey and cheese pressed together between two slices of multigrain toast. It was served with a thimble of fruit salad and a cup of endive salad and vinaigrette.

(Clockwise: 1. Shrimp Guacamole Sandwich. 2. Side of homemade chips and broccoli slaw. 3. Random shot of ugly doll.)

Case ordered the Shrimp Guacamole with a side of homemade chips and broccoli slaw. The guacamole mix of baby shrimp, avocado, corn, tomato, cilantro and cheese, was refreshingly light with a hint of curry (deja vu?). The roll it was served on, however, was a bit too thick and kept squeezing out that beautiful shrimp mixture each time a bite was taken — perhaps a softer bread would be a better choice. Two types of crunches were provided on the side from the thick, ridged, homemade chips and creamy broccoli slaw.

(Above: Homemade oreo cookie.)

Acme proudly displays their baked goods (in the middle at the rounded bar, and up front by the cashier). Scores of cookies and pies line the countertop. Even though it was only brunch, we couldn’t resist trying something. That something being the homemade oreo — a decadent creamy icing wedged between two, thick chocolate cookies.

Our meal came to a reasonable $33 with taxes and tips and two cups of unlimited refill coffee. The staff was upbeat and amiable;, the vibe was laid back, down to earth and kid friendly — a nice addition to the neighborhood.

Perfect for: Contemporary diner food with a dessert for chaser.

The Details

51 West Hastings Street, Vancouver
604.569.1022
acmecafe.ca

Rating / 3 out of 5 stars

Kam Do Restaurant & Bakery is a Hong Kong style cafe diner that is easy on the wallet with gi-normous portions. You can find the restaurant in Richmond, just a few doors down from Leisure Tea & Coffee.

Housed at the front entrance is Kam Do’s Bakery with all sorts of tasty goods you’d find at a typical Chinese Bakery. To the left and towards the back end is the rest of the restaurant. Large booth seating and walls are decked in a muted pinkish salmon color. Wear and tear is showing.

(Above: Mixed Grill — a mountain of meat.)

We were here with friends who forewarned us about the large portions. Tre and I ordered a Western style dish: Lamb shanks and spaghetti, which came with a drink, soup of the day, garlic bread and two appetizers of your choice from the menu. We chose a fruit salad and chicken wing. Our friends shared a mixed grill.

(Top to bottom: 1. Roasted Lamb Shank with Spaghetti 2. Borscht Soup.)

First up, Chinese style borscht soup with carrots and celery in a sweetened tomato broth. Then, garlic bread: a lightly buttered garlic spread on a lightly toasted piece of french white bread. Our appetizers, fruit salad and a fried chicken wing were up next. The sweetened potato salad were mixed with a few pieces of fruit. The fried chicken wing was good, but felt a bit lonely — it was literally one wing.

Our friends’ grilled mixed plate arrived first, and it was freaking huge. Layers of grilled meat (chicken, beef, pork) topped with a fried egg with grilled onions and gravy. The empty plate afterwards indicated our friends were satisfied with their dish.

Our dish took an unusually long time to arrive. 15 minutes after our friends’ main course arrived, two huge pieces of lamb shanks (although they were mostly bone) topped with gravy over spaghetti landed on our table. The lamb was perfectly cooked and fall apart tender. Our meals also came with mango jello for dessert. It was ok.

(Top to bottom: 1. Chicken Wing and Fruit Salad. 2. The Iced Lemon Tea is refillable.)

The bill, including taxes taxes and tips (plus free refill on drinks) came to $34, which is a great deal for a group of four. Lucky for us, dinner was on our friends (thanks guys). Overall, the food was okay and the service was spotty. It’s not a place we’d go out of our way to return. However, the meals are a great deal and perfect for sharing.

Perfect for: Feeding a small army.

The Details

8391 Alexandra Road, Richmond
604.231.9216