Dessert seems to be the specialty of Papa Haydn. Open until midnight on the weekend, the restaurant has earned a reputation for delicious sweets available from morning until late night. So when my ever-growing hunger was met by the convenient location of Papa Haydn, I gave up my plans to have a late dessert and instead be overly indulgent at lunch.
The restaurant itself is sweet, an unassuming building in Sellwood set away from any commercial area. It appears that Papa Haydn has plans to renovate into a larger space, but for now is split into two dining rooms. Although not heavily decorated, the restaurant has an extensive wine list and elegant-yet-unpretentious feel.
After receiving the menu, I eyed the dessert section with glee but remembered I had to eat normal food first. While waiting for our food to come, the waitress brought out the highlight of our meal: a bread basket filled with pastries. We looked around, unsure as to how we came upon such good fortune. It appeared that anyone ordering a regular lunch received a normal bread basket. Anyone ordering brunch received the pastry basket. With each pastry I tried (golden raisin scone, marbled chocolate cupcake, lemon-curd coffee cake--my favorite), I grew even more delighted with the fact they just served us a pastry basket. Three different delicious, delicious pastries! Before we ate anything else!
Luckily, the rest of the meal wasn't a letdown after such an incredible start. I split with my dining partner eggs benedict with crab cakes and a quiche of apple bacon and morels, both off the brunch specials. The quiche, although cooler than I would have liked, was light and tasty. It appeared as if egg whites were used instead of a whole egg. Whatever the mix, the quiche didn't suffer from the same saltiness and thickness other quiches do. The quiche was accompanied by a nice salad of mixed greens in a vinaigrette and a fruit salad finely chopped. The eggs benedict was near perfect, with some of the best, most balanced crab cakes I've had. The cakes were firm without being hard, flavorful without being fishy. The hollandaise accompanying the dish also was delightful, the lemon of the sauce nicely complimenting the crab. This dish was accompanied by some breakfast potatoes expertly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, as well as the finely chopped fruit salad from the former dish.
By the end of the meal, I was too full to even think about selecting one of the many, many delicious sounding desserts, but with the pastry-filled bread basket I couldn't really complain.
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