Out to Lunch- St Honore Boulangerie

Depending on where you are in your unemployment journey Monday can be just another day or one that evokes a lot of emotion. Great if you’re still in severance pay this-is-really-a-vacation mode but not so much if you’ve moved into sweet-Jesus-I-will–never-work-again mode. I’m somewhere in between and have labeled Monday as my ‘adventure’ day. What this means is I will get off my ass, put on a bra, and a modicum of makeup and go somewhere in Portland I’ve never been.

Today I ventured south of the city to the ritzy town of Lake Oswego (known to many as Lake Ego due to the wealthy, conservative, homogenous nature of its population). They have a very small old fashioned downtown area and I wanted to go to some shops and get lunch. All good except the shop I most wanted to visit had closed so I guess the recession is an equal opportunity depressant.

I was left with mostly a lunch outing but in that I was richly rewarded when I decided to go to St. Honoré Boulangerie. After minutes standing in front of the case (shown below) trying to decide which option to choose (they’re well known for the authenticity of their Croque Monsieur) I stopped drooling and went with the Brie Bartlett panini.

I can’t speak to the rest of their menu but this was sublime. When it arrived at the table the sun came out and in Portland that is a good omen. A sumptuous, gooey, crisp concoction of brie, prosciutto, arugula, caramelized pears and onions on a baguette. The only thing that stopped my chowfest for a minute was a woman at the pastry case wearing the most amazing boots. The kind of boots that I think would completely remake my image if I owned them. Still, it wasn’t enough to slow my enjoyment of this sandwich. Besides, I always feel as if approaching a woman in public is weird despite the fact that I am a woman and not likely to end up being a serial killer. 

I digress. It was a great ending to a little walk around morning. In addition to the wonderful food you can get at the boulangerie they also make amazing breads and pastries so you can load up and feast at home at your leisure. They have two locations so if you’re averse to leaving the city you can go to the oh-so-hip Nob Hill area and enjoy there.

315 1^st St, Lake Oswego

2335 NW Thurman St, Portland