There’s a lot of good corned beef hash served at Portland restaurants–especially those with brunch menus.  In fact, you can get hash on any day where breakfast is served—from hotel dining rooms to dives and everything else in between.

LFK’s delicious curried corned beef hash

Hot Suppa, Marcy’s, Becky’s, Local 188, Front Room, to name a few have admirable dishes of corned beef hash.

But the winner for the most unusual is cooked up at LFK.  The bar/restaurant follows an interesting concept of offering two plate sizes for many of its dishes.  Whatever size you choose you get a heaping helping of hash in the small ($9) or large ($16) portion size. Unless you’re feeling voracious the small  portion is  plenty big filling an 8-inch round dinner plate to the rim.

What’s unusual about the hash is that the large chunks of corned beef are smooshed up with heavily spiced curried vegetables.  These include diced  carrots, onions, cabbage and red peppers. Underneath it all are nicely browned and crisped potato cubes, and the whole is topped with an egg and served with two slices of thick whole wheat Scala  country style bread (baked by Rosemont) that’s nicely buttered.  My only quibble is that I’d have preferred the hash to have more crust; though it’s not a deal breaker.

For brunch, seating at the bar or tables, the scene is diverse and fun

Other hearty brunch dishes there include eggs Benny with Canadian bacon; thick slices of French toast made with Scala bread; tofu scramble; baked egg sandwich with meat and cheese; and LFK’s inimitable burger among the some of the choices

Have it all late in the morning and you can coast through the remainder of the day without another meal until dinnertime.

LFK, 188a State St., Portland, ME 207-899-3277  www.lfkportland.me

Brunch hash rating: 4 1/2 stars

Ambiance: artsy, hipster, all ages

Tables: no reservations and plenty of bar seating

Service: snappy

$$$: moderate; many dishes are priced large and small for great pricing options