We're not sure what to think of this unseasonably warm and sunny winter. On the one hand we love there's more sunshine than usual, but on the other hand we know sometimes there is a price to pay for this early spring jumpstart with a possible dreary wet spring ahead.
We decided not to dwell on the future and headed out to enjoy the sunny weather with brunch along the river. Brunch is big business in Portland and typically we avoid it all together due to the ridiculous long waits and hurried pace, but we heard Italian restaurant Aquariva's Sunday Brunch had a Bloody Mary and Mimosa Bar! Wait...what? Yes, a build your own Bloody Mary and Mimosa Bar!
Situated in the South Waterfront District of Portland right along the Willamette overlooking Ross Island, Aquariva's patio looked inviting and something we'll definitely be enjoying this summer with bloody marys in hand of course!
We were still busy saying hello and taking our coats off when the waitress asked if we wanted to start with anything, knowing of course we were here for the bloody mary and mimosa bar, which started with a pint glass, a spicy salted rim, ice and a nice slug of vodka. The mimosa was a simple flute of champagne and off we were to make our own beverages.
The bloody mary bar consisted of tomato juice, individual bottles of tabasco, ground chilis, celery salt, cayenne, pepper, horseradish, shrimp skewered with limes, celery stalks, pickled asparagus and pickled green beans. The mimosa bar consisted for 4 fresh juices: orange, grapefruit, cranberry and red current. We hear in the summer they have fresh passionfruit! We leisurely made our perfect bloody marys and mimosas and headed back to the table to order the rest of our brunch.
Between the three of us we ordered the Mortadella Fritti (Pan Fried Mortadella, Soft Scrambled Eggs, Grilled Bread, Arugula and Lemon Zest); the Crab, Roast Pepper and Herb Scramble; and the Aquariva Eggs Benedict.
The grilled mortadella was meaty and smokey, with a salad as the side it became a rather healthy brunch choice. The crab scramble was delicious with big flakey pieces of crab. The herby hollandaise on the eggs benedict was a hit. To be honest those bloody marys were pretty filling so the somewhat small portions of brunch were perfect, especially with the quality ingredients that went into each item.
Aquariva's brunch was a hit and we will definitely be back to enjoy more brunches and that bloody mary and mimosa bar!
Aquariva Italian Kitchen Sunday Brunch 0470 SW Hamilton Court Portland, Oregon 503.802.5850 www.aquarivaportland.com
1 comment:
What a fabulous looking place!!!
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