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When it comes time to fasten and secure your leftovers for transport, rarely do pizza places hand you an industrial-sized roll of aluminum foil. Rarer still is the feeling that this is an extension of goodwill, meant to make you feel at home on your first visit to their new place. The gesture could have been misunderstood—we did roll into Fillmore Coffee at 7:45 pm, just 15 minutes before close, after ordering ahead by phone—but the vibe inside this homey little corner shop gave it warmth.
Fillmore comes into a rapidly gentrifying stretch of Northeast Glisan Street. The room is open but the angle of the windows and the petite lighting fixtures leave it dim much of the day. Most seating is at large communal tables. The music comes from Cat Power and Arcade Fire.
As a coffee shop, I'm not that into it. My Americano was made with espresso poured from wee rim to large rim and kept almost no crema. A breakfast sandwich with olive oil, egg and a pile of raw basil on a salt bagel left a basil burn in my mouth for an hour. The barista forgot to bring my housemade pastry. Early on a Monday morning, with only one shot in me, I didn't have the energy to go up to the counter and interrupt a lively conversation to ask for it.
But as a pizza place, Fillmore is a lot better. Along with coffee and tea, they have beers like Gold Beach lager on tap. The menu is small; on our visit, there were just three pies and a satisfying arugula Caprese salad with little balls of mozzarella and a thick, fruity balsamic.
Made in a small oven behind the bar, these are true Neapolitan-style pies, soft and bendable, with a puffy outer ring and faint leopard spots on the bottom. I was especially taken with a white pie, which used fat globs of ricotta and a little truffle oil. A margherita had a half-dozen silver-dollar-sized pools of cheese and a lot of loudly sweet sauce. It was oddly light on basil—I'd hate to point fingers, but maybe the morning shift is using it up on the bagel sandwiches?
Order this: White pie, salad and Gold Beach lager.
EAT: Fillmore Coffee, 7201 NE Glisan St., 971-236-7411, fillmorepdx.com. 7 am-8 pm Monday-Friday, 8 am-8 pm Saturday, 8 am-3 pm Sunday.
WWeek 2015