From a suburb about 20 minutes south of Portland, I headed up to the city for brunch on my way to Tacoma for a visit with a dear friend of mine, Maggie. I decided on a bustling cafe on SE Hawthorne near 22nd St. on the (you guessed it) east side of Portland. Funky modern art brightens up the sand colored walls of Jam on Hawthorne, and the scuffed checkered floors tell of the many that have come before me over the years.

I first learned of Jam from a vegetarian friend who had visited a few months ago. His recommendation was echoed by Portland’s local alternative paper, The Mercury (think the Advocate, Westword, etc). Their menu would appeal to vegetarians and vegans, the average Joe – though I really couldn’t say if there are many of those living in this hip Pacific NW town, and everyone in between. Being a huge fan of breakfast, I have to say I didn’t even really look through the sandwich and other lunch options on the menu. I didn’t need to; I had a hard enough time just deciding between just the breakfasty offerings. Certified humane eggs or tofu can be used in a variety of scrambles or breakfast burritos, and the French toast sounded delicious. However, what really caught my eye, and spoke to my sweet tooth, were the Oatmeal Chai Blueberry (vegan and wheat-free) and Lemon Ricotta pancakes. I often like to ask the opinion of the wait staff when stuck on a culinary decision. My friendly waitress told me that although they have received recognition for the Lemon Ricotta, she preferred the Oatmeal Chai. I still couldn’t pick just one, which must be a fairly common problem, as both types of pancakes were offered in single servings as “side items”. My decision was made!

Jam on Hawthorne is not only vegetarian and vegan friendly, they also make their own jams (hence the name for the less quick among us) and use local ingredients when possible. Both pancakes make use of local blueberries; they are baked into the Oatmeal Chai pancakes, and served as a side of warm blueberry compote for the Lemon Ricotta variety. The Oatmeal Chai Blueberry pancakes are made with DragonFly Chai, brewed in Portland, and spelt flour, and are served with a side of Earth Balance vegan butter and real maple syrup. I *greatly* preferred the Oatmeal Chai Blueberry pancakes. Granted, I haven’t had vegan pancakes on very many occasions, but these were definitely the best I have ever had. They weren’t overly dense as can sometimes happen, and were very flavorful. To be fair, the Lemon Ricotta pancakes were good, but in my opinion, the blueberry compote really overwhelmed the light lemony flavor. Alas, I made the mistake of dumping the warm blueberry mixture onto the pancake before making this discovery. I would’ve liked them a lot more without the compote and served instead with the maple syrup.

Even on a Thursday, this place was packed, so be prepared to wait. In anticipation of this, the kind folks running this joint have set out a coffee station to help make the wait pass by in a little more comfort on those wet Portland mornings – or on the pleasant spring days like today. And yes, they have soy milk ready and waiting. Considering the location, the tasty food and the fact that there are only 11 tables in the place, its confusing why people seem to be shocked by the possibility of a line.

In closing, today I learned that the miraculous Tide pen won’t do shit when it comes to saving your favorite white shirt after its been splattered with blueberry compote…

***Update on the Tide pen***
I take it back, and apologize for blaspheming this little wonder of the modern world. I won’t leave home without one again. Note to readers: although the Tide pen does not claim to be effective against all stains, know that it will continue to work its magic even after you stop rubbing away at whatever mess you have made of your clothes. The blueberry marks are no more after a couple additional attacks!