REVIEW
We fancy ourselves pretty fair home cooks, but superlative biscuits have always eluded us (as well as, in our experience, our Northern compatriots). This is too bad because we really love biscuits. Our cravings have, until now, been satisfied in Dixie, where folks are apparently born with the talent. So how did quality biscuits find their way to Oregon?
Ayers Creek Farm, out of Gaston, Oregon, is the source for Pine State’s extraordinarily rich and creamy grits.
Pine State Biscuits is a minuscule eatery in Portland where you’ll find biscuits plain and fancy. You can have yours with some local honey or marionberry jam, and that sounds just fine to us, but we especially love the sandwich extravaganzas. The signature Reggie Deluxe fills the biscuit halves with juicy fried chicken, bacon, a fried egg, sausage gravy, and cheese, and it’s as deliriously good to eat as it sounds.
The scratch-made hash browns are a true bargain at $4.
Other sandwiches include things like house-made apple butter, fried green tomatoes, and braised collard greens (not on the same sandwich!), and there’s shiitake mushroom gravy for sausage-frowners. Sides include crispy, real hash browns, black-eyed peas, and over-the-top creamy grits grown in Oregon. There’s even a corn dog made with Otto’s Kitchen andouille. Coffee is by Stumptown, the OJ is organic, and the chocolate milk comes from a local chocolatier.
In addition to Stumptown coffee, Foxfire tea, sweet tea, Columbia Gorge organic OJ, and chocolate milk from Portland’s Xocolatl de David, beverages include some classic old and new sodas.
Pine State Biscuits was born as a stand at the Portland Farmers Market a few years ago. They still operate there on Saturdays, and now there are two sit-down restaurants. You should be prepared to wait in line, perhaps a long time, unless you arrive early in the morning. The Alberta store is larger but you’ll probably wait there, too.
Biscuits can be enjoyed simply, with butter, honey, or jams, or as multi-ingredient sandwich extravaganzas stuffed with good things like smoked pork, collards, or fried green tomatoes.
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