One of Portland’s the best kept secrets—though not for long—is the Sunday brunch now being served at the spectacular Top of the East lounge that crowns the Westin Portland Harborview Hotel on High Street. It’s really not such a secret but rather the hotel has not yet publicized this new venue in its early phase. But you’ve read about it here first, and I urge you to see for yourself.
The Top of the East is a glorious space during the day
We’ve all reveled in the extreme makeover of this historic hotel and its rooftop lounge as seen after dark when the view takes in a galactic city nightscape 15 stories below.
But it’s during the day that the views are so crystal clear, even on this past Sunday when it was gloomy and gray outside. The room offers nearly a 360-degree vista of the ocean, the bay, the harbor, the mountains and the cityscape. And without the hubbub of the nighttime drinking crowd it’s a serene outpost in which to enjoy a leisurely Sunday brunch.
The dining room at Congress Squared; Chef Brian Anderson, back to camera, talking to guests at the press dinner
Of course you can’t help but ask why we don’t have more opportunities to enjoy these vistas up high in residential towers that take advantage of a peninsula city bounded by scenic waterways? But that’s another issue altogether.
But there’s more to this story than just another place for brunch. What’s newsworthy is a complete menu and foodservice makeover. I experienced it firsthand at a press dinner hosted by the hotel to introduce us to the new team in the kitchen; this is also where I learned about the new Sunday brunch menu in the lounge.
Room with a view everywhere
Executive Chef Brian Anderson and Chef de Cuisine Elisha (pronounced Elijah) Irland put on quite a show at that dinner. And it will be a forthcoming feature in Friday’s dining out review.
Both hail from hotels and restaurants from California to Boston. Anderson was with Alain Ducasse and Jean Jacques and Irland worked with a coterie of star chefs in California as well as being a contestant on the food network’s Chopped series.
Suffice it to say that the food service at the hotel’s Congress Squared restaurant and rooftop lounge is now a contender in a city nearly saturated with so many good dining establishments. The dishes served at dinner were unique and delicious, adding another dimension to new American cooking in our city and its emphasis on locally sourced food.
The bloody Mary is nearly a meal in itself with shrimp, candied bacon, celery stick, stuff olives and cucumber
At brunch we started off with the house bloody Mary, where you can add such items as pepperoncini, cheese cubes, stuffed blue cheese olives and more. We chose the cayenne brown sugar bacon and poached shrimp, great nibbles to accompany the cocktail. The bloody Mary mix is not overly spicy and all the extras add great flavor without being overwhelming. But the drink, with its accoutrements boldly displayed in a giant Mason jar, is truly a sight to see.
The menu features 8 entrees and various sides. There’s no Benedict dish per se but plenty of egg-themed dishes instead as well as the classic bagel and cream cheese with smoked salmon, fresh dill, capers, tomatoes and red onion.
My guest chose the Croque Madame: black forest ham layered with Gruyere cheese and basil, pan fried to melt the cheese and cloaked with a light béchamel.
The classic batter-dipped sandwich is layered with Gruyere, black forest ham and bechamel
The brunch flatbread, which I chose, was a fairly large piece of housemade flatbread topped with apple-wood smoked bacon, Gruyere, baby arugula and a pair of organic fried eggs. The bread was buttery and crisp like a thin-crust pizza and the simple layers of ingredients were delicious.
Flatbread with smoked bacon, Gruyere, arugula and organic fried egg
The Top of the East at brunch begs another question: will the hotel start to take advantage of this spectacular space during the day? It could be the place for power lunch, such as it is in our small city, or just a beautiful room in which to escape the city’s hustle-bustle below.
