P's & Q's Market — Restaurant in Portland

Tasted great. But I got violently ill with in an hour of eating it, cramping started at the table. Not all food poisoning takes hours. Depending on the cause, you can get sick right away. Brisket was tough as leather, rubbery. There was bacon/ pork meat and fat in my dish, though not on the menu. Asked for no jalapeno sauce- they served it with that anyway, there were Surprise Pumpkin seeds, not on the menu- I'm allergic. There were no knives on our table setting. It was 2 forks on 2 paper napkins. My friend kept touching them.

When the food arrived I asked for a new fork and napkin. The waiter said, oh yes, and a knife. She did not bring me a knife when serving the long thin1/8" thick brisket 8" slices. The server comes back 2 more times, still no knife. I poke at everything that is not the brisket. Finally I ask for a knife again. She hands me a huge steak knife with her fingers on the blade, handle towards me, level with my face. Like she was scared to be holding it this way, leaning all the way over the table with her arm over all the food. I am a chef. I very carefully and gently gripped the knife handle. And held perfectly still, holding the knife with out moving, very carefully, as she let go of the blade end. It was weird. I just trusted that if she's touching the food part of my silverware, she has clean hands.

Why can't a knife or silverware be brought to a table held by the by handles, and set on the table? Or better yet on a napkin or plate, and set down on the table? It was awkward. I felt like she was new to food service. I was nice while I was there. But when they made me sick,their inexperience becomes important.

I think the brisket and the vegetables were all leftovers, left out, and reheated, served lukewarm, not hot, fresh from the fridge? The name on the menu was Midnight Snack bowl. I did not think they were actually serving me left overs--- because that 's against Oregon food handling and food safety laws. The Brussels spouts were OLD, yellowed, pale, white limp, and one was stale and tart as horse radish.

Either the gigantic steak knife was dull? or the steak was just too tough to cut? ( should have brought leather working tools). Perhaps she didn't bring me a knife because knives are useless against their rubbery brisket? I like meat. I like animal fat. I did NOT enjoy the surprise bacon fat, and surprise pork/ bacon in my dish, not listed on the menu, and equally rubbery/ under cooked. A vegan complained about " Surprise Meat Chunks", and I think that is a better name for this restaurant. Had to pull over and find emergency restroom on the way home. The food made me sick...

Like a couple of recent reviewers, I’ve been a long-time fan of P’s & Q’s. For years, brunch was a weekly ritual with my housemates until COVID hit; even then, we kept going for take-out when possible. Their brunch and sandwiches were just always a hit. Their breakfast burrito was one of our favorites in the city. I also loved their biscuits and tomato gravy (something I rarely see anywhere else), their classic bacon and brisket hash, and thin, crispy fries. Not to mention they had some of the thickest cuts of bacon I’ve ever seen. The market side of the business was always hit-or-miss; they had what felt like a very random assortment of some staples and some specialty items, with other staples bafflingly missing. I gave up trying to shop there early on, but as a deli and brunch spot, they were superb, which is why writing this review is so painful.

Unfortunately, as mentioned, P’s & Q’s was recently sold to new owners. The previous owners mentioned that they sold to a couple of folks who had “enthusiasm for keeping P’s & Q’s going just as you’ve loved it and making it even better.” That last bit scared me somewhat (“better” is subjective) but I maintained hope that the other half of that sentiment meant they would at least leave the classics alone.

The breakfast burritos have lost what made them so special and are generally just a lot less flavorful. The slaw is different and there’s much less of it (though somehow the burrito has managed to be wetter than before), replaced with too much cheese and sour cream. The fries used to stay a little crispy in the burrito, but because of how wet it now is, they’re just soggy potatoes.

The stellar tomato gravy is gone, replaced by the much more common country sausage gravy. The bacon is now your standard ultra-thin, subpar strip. The brisket is as dry and overcooked as it’s ever been. The fun, rotating, nightly specials are gone, as are the days where the owners would actually post their specials on instagram so you could have a peek before you went in. They post maybe once a week now, just to remind people they’re open.

Long story short, P’s & Q’s has lost much of what made them special. The food isn’t necessarily bad, but it’s also not great anymore, and there are fewer good options. I waited several months to write this, to give the new owners a chance to find their footing… But it seems clear now that those early changes were purposeful and are here to stay, likely with more on...

Hot day in the city of mystical yard sales and chance meetings with marvelous people, I am exhausted and feel like I’ve been mugged and left in a ditch. What I need to rescue me from a complete meltdown is something simple, somewhere safe, with kind people… and thus I literally stagger into P’s & Q’s market. I want to tell them I am not drunk, I am just old and tired. I admit I find the menu a little confusing, it was not what I saw on line and although I did not see french fries, when I asked if they had them, they said yes. Perhaps there is a secret menu I think? But let us move on! The staff were kind to me and that goes a long way, hot out of the starting gate. I was confused, my hearing aids were acting up, and I was so tired that I was probably not making much sense. And they were patient with me. I passed on the fancier stuff and just got a basic hamburger with American cheese (classic and simple) fries and a ginger lemon strawberry drink that was pretty spectacular!

The guts of the burger, the meat was perfect! Obviously high quality and hand shaped, I loved the fresh arugula and the melty cheese along with the pickles which conspired to become a burger greater than the sum of its parts. Simple yet perfect! A zen hamburger! The hamburger waiting for you at the top of the mountain. And the fries, the perfect crunch, not burned, not floppy, piping hot, a respectable crisp shell and soft in the inside. A little like my heart as youth. Now it’s old and dry and withered.

The place itself might be just the tiniest bit contrived. It is not really a country store. But if you relax and unfocus your eyes a bit, you can imagine. And I’ll tell you, I grew up in the country and the food at the local store wasn’t this good. And they certainly didn’t have such a great outdoor eating area! And here’s the thing… it’s important. It’s a restaurant (and store) that is actively striving to a part of the community. I love the sign on the front door that says, “Be nice or leave” This is a philosophy that I can stand behind. It’s how I run my own business. What I see sitting there munching away is locals and staff being nice to each other. I hear laughter and happy voices, people coming and going in a comfortable easy way, made to feel welcome, just like I was made to...