Cheap Eats 2011: Genies Cafe

Every Sunday, a line of bleary-eyed young people snakes along Southeast Division Street. They’re tired, cold, hungover or possibly still drunk, and yet they wait, patiently, for a table at Genies. For therein lies the answer to all of their problems: a tall, stiff, face-burning Bloody Mary ($6.75), stuffed with a farmers market of fresh vegetables and kicked up with house-infused vodkas like habanero, horseradish, basil and bacon. For those who can stomach them, solids are equally restorative. This is Portland Brunch 101—big plates of scrambles, omelettes and hashes made with local ingredients in myriad vegetarian and meaty variations—and almost everything rates a solid B+. Benedicts ($9-$9.25) come with large free-range eggs and a textbook hollandaise. Hefty biscuits are flecked with rosemary and topped with a comforting, creamy gravy ($8.25). And the French toast ($7.75) is made with slices of house-baked brioche so big and soft, you’ll want to curl up on top of it and sleep off the rest of your Saturday night.