THE PEPPER BOX
I have returned from a long absence with a place worthy of high praise. A mere 10 minute stroll from the Crowne plaza in PDX, the Pepper Box is the real deal.
I had never overnighted in PDX, and I love breakfast. I did a quick search for "best breakfast Portland Oregon" and the Pepper box was the first on the list. As it was the closest place to the hotel I decided to give it a try.
Jim, the owner and chef at the Pepper Box, is from Albuquerque and knows his stuff. He specializes in breakfast tacos and they are some of the best tacos that I have ever had, period.
Now, I am jaded when it comes to Mexican food. I was introduced to "New Mexico" style many years ago and I love it. The ingredients are much the same as other Mexican food, but almost everything is smothered in either a red or green chile sauce. It's GOOD, very good. Finding it outside of New Mexico is definitely not easy. The Food that Jim makes is real New Mexico style.
I tried the "original". Eggs, skin-potatoes, house-made Chorizo and Cheddar all came nestled in a Tortilla that Jim makes fresh daily. Oh and of course I chose "green"
Now Jim calls this a "taco", but it's HUGE. It's definitely the size of a small burrito. The taco and a coffee came to $5. Amazing can't begin to describe the flavors. Cheap is an understatement. I probably shouldn't say that, Jim will raise the prices.
Even though I was quite full I decided to get another taco to bring with me on the redeye back to JFK. Jim had a special, smoked brisket stewed in green chile sauce, pinto beans and fresh crema.
I didn't make it out of my room. Ahhhhh, Mexican home cooking.
Check the pepper box out when you are in PDX. To get there, take a left out of the hotel and then a quick right onto N Weidler St. Go up to Martin Luther King Jr BLVD and make a left. The pepper box is just past Russel St on the left.
http://pepperboxpdx.com/
The pepper box is now the "pepper box cafe" and has a new brick and mortar location. I'm taking the half hour stroll to revisit after five years!
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