Tin Shed
503.288.6966
1438 NE Alberta St.
Portland, OR 97211

Busy Alberta Artsy Eatery

An acquaintance that owns the local Java Mama coffee shop recommended the dog friendly Tin Shed last week when I stopped by for an early morning Americano after sharing with them that I had begun this breakfast blog project. Sunday morning we set off around 11 am expecting to get in between the Breakfast & Lunch rush but even so still managed to have a 35 minute wait upon arrival which was fine since my cousin Mark and his wife Ellen were meeting up with us. Upon first entering the Shed portion of “Tin Shed” you feel the warmth of the overhead heaters and see the large brick fireplace at the back end surrounded by wooden benches with metal chairs. We all grabbed a cup of coffee from the self service bar and hung around catching up until we were seated at one of the older red wooden benches next to the main “indoor” heated building. The menu contained many whimsical names some after famous people “The Tim Curry” some with canine inspiration “Stay”, “Fetch”, “Roll Over” but the bottom two options under breakfast are what captured our attention “Everything Naughty” & “Everything Nice” while Mark & Ellen opted for past favorites a Pesto Burrito with cheesy grits & the Monte Cristo with fruit. We spent the next 12 minutes or so talking about our upcoming summer plans and shivering now and then as the wooden double doors to the street swang open and closed every few minutes with new arrivals, fortunately they offer a phone booth filled with blankets to help offset the winter chills

The plates of food that arrived were completely covered by our selections and I could smell the sausage & mushroom gravy the instant it came though the door. It’s been quite awhile since I enjoyed such a massive amount of homemade biscuits smothered by rich gravy and my first few bites barely had time to be savored before the scolding voice of my father crept in. Carly got a sampling of the Sweet Potato french toast with a crisp potato cake & sausage patty served with fruit to take the edge off. I was quite satisfied with my scrambled eggs and perfectly crisp bacon which helped offset the smokey heaviness of the gravy(s) just a bit. But Carly wasn’t as enamored with the sweet potato french toast which while tasty wasn’t nearly as firm as she/we would have hoped for. Ellen shared a bite of her french toast Monte Cristo with me which while tasty was not nearly as satisfying as the gut buster I had in front of me and I didnt attempt to grab any of cousin Marks meal while he munched away. Post breakfast we sat a bit longer with our coffee & tea and chatted as a slowing stream of patrons drifted in and out. I’d like to return and try some of their lunch offerings but from the size of the menu ti seems that at least a dozen return trips would be in order just to decide what a favorite might be.

GALLERY