Biscuits Café
Bottomless Coffee and One for the Road
Buttermilk Pancakes and Thick Cut French Toast
Cinnamon Roll
Buttermilk Biscuits
Chicken and Sweet Potato Waffles
The only local location of a small chain out of Oregon City, Biscuits Café had long been on my breakfast ‘to-do’ list and with a $5 voucher arriving via E-mail for my birthday I finally decided to play the West Sahara Breakfast and Lunch venue a visit, a seven o’clock arrival finding a few customers already present with the staff bright-eyed and bushy-tailed to say the very least.
Larger in size than one would anticipate from outside, the space easily capable of seating a hundred with at least half that present when I finally departed at 8:15, it was literally as I was being walked to my table that my drink order was taken and by the time I’d actually sat down a full cup of coffee was present, a glass of water joining later and both kept brimming without once requiring reminder or request.
Using their own proprietary batters, as well as coffee from Oregon’s Edenway and Sunfresh Organic Jam, but for some reason taking the low-road with artificial syrup where 100% Maple would have been a far more logical choice given the otherwise high commitment to quality, the menu at Biscuits Café does little to reinvent the wheel but with many options for customization including the “Keeping It Simple” Pick 3 it was with little effort that a large order was crafted – the total still less than $30 before coupon, tax, or tip.
Beginning with the eponymous biscuits, a small and fluffy duo rife with buttermilk that somehow became even more poignant with the addition of butter and raspberry jam, it was these same tangy notes that highlighted a pair of fluffy hotcakes served alongside two pieces of golden-griddled bread, and as much as the custard soaked slices from Wheat Montana Farms and Bakery were indeed delicious beneath butter and Maple Syrup brought from home it was in fact the pillowy pancakes that stole the show, each bite rivaling those at DuPar’s for the best ‘plain Jane’ Buttermilk in town.
Moving next to the Chicken and Waffles, a quartet of peppery hand-breaded tenderloins served over a crispy Belgian Waffle made with Sweet Potato batter for only $9.99, both the chicken and the waffles proved to be far better than one would have assumed for the price and with good brining to the bird plus the aforementioned spice all of the flavors really ‘popped,’ the savory notes a much needed departure from all the sweetness of the pancakes and waffles, not to mention the nearly 12oz Cinnamon Roll that makes the one at Mr. Mama’s seem pale in comparison, the cream cheese frosting spread so thick that some simply had to be set aside to prevent it from being ‘too’ rich.
FOUR AND A HALF STARS: Setting aside the syrup ‘issue’ that seems to mar nearly every breakfast joint of this ilk nowadays Biscuits Café is one of those rare chains that feels entirely home grown and ‘mom n’ pop’ in all the right ways. Great food at a great price, smiley service that never leaves the diner for want, and a menu that executes the basics with ease while offering diners any number of ways to customize to tastes – that’s a breakfast worth going out for any day of the week, not to mention the free Wi-Fi and the fact that they were playing Pearl Jam and Soundgarden while I dined.
RECOMMENDED: Buttermilk Pancakes, Cinnamon Roll.
AVOID: Artificial Maple Syrup.
TIP: Featuring an online fan-club with birthday and anniversary coupons, a points system for every dollar spent, plus free coffee just for the first time visitor, those interested in visiting Biscuits Café are encouraged to sign up.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor
