Bloody Marys at Tasty n Alder
My first trip to Portland also marked my first time trying a Bloody Mary. It was at Tasty n Sons, a popular brunch spot in the east side. I remember stirring my straw around the bouquet of vegetables, gingerly picking at the celery stick, and running a finger across the salt-rimmed glass. The first sip was spicy, savory, and thick.
I disliked it, almost immediately. Still, I finished it, with the help of the greedy gulps of water I took between each sip.
Since then, I've grown to love a good Bloody Mary. It's salty and spicy, and it's the kind of drink that lasts throughout the entire meal, the kind of drink you can lounge around even after the plates are cleared from the table. Better yet, it solves the sweet-or-savory brunch dilemma (everyone has those, right?), serving as the perfect accompaniment to a plate of sugar-dusted French toast or syrupy sweet waffles. That's exactly what I did during my second trip to Portland, this time at Tasty n Alder—but this time around, I had no trouble finishing it at all.