Logo
ISSUE #33.17 • FOOD & DRINK •

The Side Door


Come in for a casual bite—hold the fries.

Recently in "Food & Drink"

July 1st, 2009
Little Hippie Italy | Al Forno Ferruzza goes brick-and-mortar.3 comments

June 24th, 2009
Big Catch | Kurata is Lake O’s best-kept secret.0 comments

June 17th, 2009
Kraków Cafe & Pub | Poland and Prince Pucklers—just south of the Alibi.0 comments

June 10th, 2009
Pie Champ0 comments

May 27th, 2009
Counter Reformation | Barista steams up Portland’s coffee scene.0 comments

May 20th, 2009
Pot Odds | Drown your sorrows in two new gumbo joints.0 comments

May 20th, 2009
Drink Guide 20091 comment

May 6th, 2009
Dan Bravin Will Destroy Your Lawn* | *and replace it with tasty vegetables.3 comments

April 29th, 2009
American Tofu | Thanh Son (and cousins) has your Vietnamese snacks.3 comments

April 22nd, 2009
Black Sheep Bakery | A bakery that’s for vegans—and everybody else, too.0 comments



IMAGE: mrubenstein.com
BY SHOSHANNA COHEN | scohen at wweek dot com

[March 7th, 2007] There's nothing wrong with a plate of greasy fried shrimp. OK, maybe there is. Linda Moles, owner of inner Southeast's seedy trans-fat emporium My Father's Place, seems to understand that just because you want to eat cheap, it doesn't mean you want to feel cheap. Her spinoff project the Side Door, just around the corner from Father's, provides square meals containing actual nutrients, while leaving plenty in your pocket for bottom-shelf booze.

The Side Door has the all-purpose ease of a neighborhood diner: It's an equally appropriate destination for a morning bagel, spaghetti dinner or afternoon latte-and-laptop session (yes, there's free wi-fi). Mercifully low prices bring relief from the gentrifying east side's rising cost of living, as the toasty-warm dining room, decked with glossy wood and exposed brick, offers respite from a cold, yucky day. The servers are friendly, unpretentious and don't give you the once-over. Gazing out at the rain while Pavement plays on the stereo recalls visions of a Portland gone by, when we didn't try to pretend it was L.A.














icon Story continues below

advertisement

advertisement

For breakfast, be healthy and smug with yogurt and granola ($4.75) topped with fresh apple, banana and raisins. Bagels ($1-$5.75) come with everything from veggies and hummus to ham, egg and cheese, although the eggs are hard-boiled and that's kind of weird.

For lunch and dinner, choose from a selection of hot and cold sandwiches, like the non-greasy Stark Dip ($6.50), loaded with roast beef, melty Swiss, horseradish aioli and sweet caramelized onions. Don't pass up the homestyle pasta dishes: The spaghetti with meatballs ($6.50) is decent, but the vegetarian lasagna ($6.25), bursting with succulent zucchini, red peppers and mushrooms, is the star. The huge plates of pasta come with pesto crostini, and you can add an enormous green salad for a buck. Save room for housemade cookies—sometimes only 50 cents each!

Sometimes you want a fancy meal, sometimes you want a bucket of Crisco, but sometimes you just need to eat. The Side Door is nothing fancy, but it turns the cheap, easy meal-as-chore into a simple delight. SHOSHANNA COHEN.

The Side Door, 425 SE Washington St., 233-8553. 7 am-midnight Monday-Friday, 7:30 am-midnight Saturday, 9 am-midnight Sunday. $ Inexpensive.

 

Rate This Story
5 average/1 vote

 
read all 2 comments | add your comment
 

RECENT COMMENTS ON “The Side Door”

1

The idea of eating anything even vaguely related to MY Fathers Place is off putting. I'm getting the runs just thinking about it.

Tommy Lovebottom, Mar 7th, 2007 10:19am
2

I adore this place- and I too am scared of the grub at MFP. The review doesn't mention the soups, which are homemade, change daily and are wonderful. They make a carrot soup that makes me forget why I...

tara, Apr 28th, 2007 11:16am
 
 
 






Ad

Ad

Ad

Sponsored Links: WW Personals
Musician's Market
Snowboard Jackets
Legal Tips


Recently in Willamette Week
December 31st 1969Washington State | The Canada of Oregon has it all—a Stonehenge replica, a longboarder's concrete wet dream and dark, damp underground lava caves. Vive les rocks.
December 31st 1969Oregon's Outer Edges | Crater Lake. Hell's Canyon. Wallowa and Steens mountain ranges. Hell, yeah.
December 31st 1969Central Oregon/High Desert | No rain, plenty of snow, obsidian flows and great local beer. The folks from the real eastside know how to unbend outside.
December 31st 1969Great Cascades/Columbia Gorge | With plenty of room to roam—and hot springs for your weary feet—it's the place to ramble and relax for the weekend.
December 31st 1969Willamette Valley | Monks, tracks, tubing and wine make the fertile strip a virile place to play.
December 31st 1969Stumptown | Tons of public parks, an extinct volcano and nude beach volleyball to keep you jolly. Get out and collect those merit badges, without leaving the city.
December 31st 1969The Coast | The beaches are public. You own them. Go play—hike in the old-growth forests.
December 31st 1969Cycle Tour 101: Your on-bike guide to Highway 101 | To ride the greatest bike route in Oregon, you need to get out of Portland.
December 31st 1969Doggin' It | What happens when a Portland running club jogs with pooches from the pound?
December 31st 1969Over the Edge | Sam Drevo will paddle yr ass.