Neighborhood Notes

North Portland has received the coveted prize that every school age child longs for- a shiny new little red bike. Our Little Red Bike is much more palatable though, as a sweet lil' café parked in the small space that NoPo Coffeehouse used to occupy. A fresh coat of paint, some retro furnishings and of course, a little red bike atop the building greets neighbors with the smell of fresh brewed Courier coffee, fried egg sandwiches and homemade ice cream.

Little Red Bike Café started as the post collegiate dream of Evan Dohrmann and his new bride, Ali Jepson. After traveling around Europe the duo, who are self-confessed foodies, decided to pool their talents (he bakes- she cooks- both eat) and create their own restaurant. As family members counseled them on the hard work involved, Ali and Evan pursued their dream starting sensibly small in a booth at Portland Farmer's Market as Green and Green Salad Company. Soon word of mouth got out at the market about their delicious homemade soups, savory bread puddings and signature salads and a loyal following was born. As demand for their goodies grew Evan and Ali decided it was time to make their move and began searching for the right space- little did they know that the perfect location was awaiting them in their own hood.

This Wunderkind couple even utilized the power of the blog to create a loyal following of devotees that not only come for the food but that get online to see what Evan & Ali are cooking up at home or where they go to eat out.

Staffed entirely with good friends and serving freshly made breakfast and lunch creations (Ali does the cooking while Evan Baristas) the vibe here is open and friendly with touches of updated 50's diner flair. Food selection is simple with a twist- for breakfast they offer your choice of three different fried egg sandwiches served on Fleur de Lis Bakery's moist yet chewy ciabatta with flavor pairings such as on the Messenger- fried egg, applewood smoked bacon, gorgonzola spread and homemade apple butter ($6- smoky bacon with a tangy bite of gorgonzola and the spiced sweetness of apple butter- to die for!) or if you crave something less sweet with more heat try the fried egg, Monterey jack, caramelized onions and Poblano Aioli on the ZooBomb ($5). Breakfast also sees an assortment of daily specials and pastries from Fleur de Lis and Dovetail bakeries (baked and picked up fresh each morning) as well as VooDoo Donuts.

Lunch here is primarily sandwich fare and runs the gamut from turkey, tuna, roast beef and bacon all the way to curried Tempeh my friends. The sandwiches are $4-$6.50 and come with a pickle spear and your choice of kettle chips or mixed greens. But the real star of the show is the grilled cheese- whether you do it Old School (kiddie style for $4- American cheese on Texas Toast) or New School (definitely adult-$5- three cheeses melted together, gruyere, chedder and brie to form a triad of cheesiness enhanced by the sweet apple butter and savory musk of white truffle oil on multi-grain bread-Yum!)
The kids will love lunch here too- besides the grilled cheese, Ali and Evan serve peanut butter and banana ($4.50) and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches ($4) along with organic fruit.

But the most compelling reason to visit Little Red Bike- besides the friendly demeanor of Ali and Evan, is their homemade ice cream, shakes, malts, root beer floats and sundaes. With decadent seasonally rotating flavors like "Andes" mint, raspberry buttermilk, chocolate pudding, salted caramel, roasted brown sugar banana, blueberry-lemon and sweet cream with Oregon marionberry swirl its no wonder that their bike thru window (you can walk thru too) stays hustling for a couple hours after the café closes at 2pm. (Now serving pie too!)

Little Red Bike Cafe

4823 N Lombard

8am-2pm Tues-Sun, Closed Mondays

www.littleredbikecafe.com or LBRC Blog