Gravy for Breakfast

Gravy.

It was a long night, the need for a good brunch was obvious in the two of us.  We knew a wait was inevitable this saturday am. "Gravy", on N. Mississippi, fit the bill. 

As we expected adding ourselves to the list just inside the door implied a decent wait.  We strolled back up the street to get coffee at "Fresh Pot".  They brew Stumptown and my soy latte was extremely bitter.  We returned to loiter outside of Gravy and it turned out the wait was only 10 more minutes or so.  I drank my coffee and we talked about bikes (there is a shop next door). 

The menu is extensive.  I decided on a blue cheese (which they spell 'bleu'), onion, and mushroom omelette, and a side stack of blueberry pancakes.  They don't offer a single side pancake unless you replace your side potatoes with one. Jen had a scramble with cream cheese and scallions.  We also had the biscuit and veggie gravy and a side of hash-browns (on top of each of our egg's side of home fries).  Suffice it to say we had a ton of left-overs, which we brought home in their compost-able recycled-paper containers.

The omelette was fantastic, and of my own creation.  They have several to choose from but also offer the ala carte option with lots of ingredients, including veggie sausage (which is marvelous).  The scramble was great too, the eggs were nice and creamy and cooked well, and the combination of cream cheese and scallions was brilliant.

Gravy: pancakes, biscuit, gravy, fake syrup

The pancakes were disappointing.  They were a bit chewy, and if "Gravy" had real syrup, they didn't offer it.  However, the biscuit and gravy were amazing, as per usual.  The gravy is savory and complex.  I don't think i can go to this restaurant without getting a biscuit and gravy.  It tastes like the best parts of thanksgiving.

A word of caution and disappointment on the bloody marys: They contain anchovies and the mix is made ahead of time, so you can't order one without Worcestershire.  Maybe if enough of us ask, they'll use a veggie Worcestershire?

The home fries were great, with onions and seasoning.  The hash-browns were a nice and crunchy but a bit lack-luster in the flavor department.  I'm sure some people like their hashbrowns to-the-point. 

Gravy (0 to **** (stars), higher=better):

• Food Quality: * * (2 stars)
• Vegetarian menu: * * (it's breakfast, there better be lots of options)
• Vegan menu: * (eggs replaceable with tofu in scrambles)
• Service: * * * (very friendly, fast)
• Atmosphere * * (visible kitchen, open dining room, cheap chairs)
• Green: * * (cons: paper napkins, pros: recyclable to-go container)
• overall: * *