Dave Knows Portland

Archives for November 2008

Portland Hidden Gem: breakfast sandwich at Fehrenbacher Hof

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Behind the Goose Hollow Inn, about a quarter of the way up the steepish slope of SW 19th, one can find the best corned beef with reuben sauce breakfast sandwich in town, at the Fehrenbacher Hof Coffee House (1125 SW 19th).

Fehrenbacher Hof also makes available the typical assortment of pastries, and prepares above average espresso concoctions, but I’m talking about the breakfast sandwiches; You can also get it with veggie sausage or ham, in lieu of corned beef.

It’s cooked in some sort of salamander broiler or pizza oven; I’m not sure. But the delicious sandwiches come out toasty and hot with the cheese melted and crispy around the edges, kinda like a homemade Cheez-it. The reuben sauce (and in all likelihood the corned beef) is the same used in the planet-famous Goose Hollow Inn reubens; as I understand it the two businesses are both part of the Bud Clark empire.

Bonus apple slices!

Observations from a Blazer win, 10-31-2008

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Blazer LogoThe Portland Trailblazers beat (barely) San Antonio on Halloween, 100-99. The win was a long time coming; the Spurs had won the last 12 match ups going back to 2005. I was at the game and made a few observations . . .

  • Nicolas Batum is a damn good player.  I deliberately avoided paying much attention during the summer league and preseason, as they are seldom harbingers of things to come in the NBA.  I had heard the preseason chatter about Batum, so I did expect hustle and defense, but knowing he was a 19 year old rookie I just assumed that’s all he brought to the table.  Judging from his play last night, however, he also has a pretty shot, great all-around skills, and high basketball intelligence.  He’s ready to go now; no question he’d be a starter on the Blazers circa 2005-6.  For a rookie he makes remarkably few mistakes on either the offensive or defensive end.  And I, and Brandon Roy, love how he gets out on the fast break and finishes.
  • Duncan in unstoppable, but the refs help him out anyway.  He doesn’t need the refs’ help, though of course this is the NBA so he gets plenty of it for large chunks of the game. (entire first half in this case)
  • The Blazers have to come up with a new song snippet for LaMarcus Aldridge.  When LA does something impressive a snippet of Randy Newman’s I Love L.A. is blared out over the PA in the Rose Garden.  I cannot abide Lakers fans inside the Rose Garden, and I cannot abide that damn song being associated with a Portland Trailbazer.