Dear Liza,
While we were downtown, Auntie Bridgett and I had lunch at a place we had been eyeing for a long time. Maurice advertises itself as a French/ Scandinavian cafe, and the pastries in the front case looked amazing. So we stepped in.
We loved many things about Maurice. First, our friend Ruth, who manages the Blair Community Garden, works there.
It was fun to see her familiar face, and her colleague Megan was good at explaining everything in the menu to us.
Kristen is the owner and head chef, and runs a quiet, civilized space.
Once we ordered, we took some time to appreciate the simple and very European decor. Open shelving shows off the beauty of the baking utensils and allows the small place to feel open and spacious. Tiny carnations decorate each table.
And the food…. was….. gorgeous. My smorbrod (rye bread, crème frais and gravlax open-faced sandwich with shaved beets on top) was delicious and filling as well as being a work of art.
Auntie Bridgett had hot tea and I had iced tea, and the serving for each was unique, yummy, and lovely.
And dessert was just as wonderful. I had the Meyer Lemon pudding mousse cake, topped with a warm date.
We spent more than an hour in Maurice, enjoying the friendly service, delicious food, and charming decor, and were finally ready to move on with our day. As we paid the bill, Ruth brought us some cookies and a scone as a ‘thank you’.
You can bet we will be back at Maurice before too long. I’ll take you next time you’re in Portland.
Love,
Grandma Judy
Dear Liza 