By Paul Gerald
September 12, 2008

Editor Note: Radio Room is no longer open for breakfast. Their new hours are 3:00PM to 2:00AM every day.

Radio Room
1101 NE Alberta St
Portland, OR 97211
503-287-2346

Type: Hip and modern diner with dual-level patios
Typical price range with coffee and tip: $11 - $13
Wait: None that I've seen or heard of


It's large, it's impressive, there seems to be a lot of money behind it, and there is no doubt that something serious is being attempted.

What is it? Well, we could be talking about NE Alberta Street, which continues to evolve from rough to hip to happening to...well, something else entirely.

Or we could be talking about the Radio Room, the newest bar and restaurant on said street. It would be impossible to drive past the intersection of NE 11th and Alberta and not notice the place; and it would be darn tough to do so and not think, "Man, that place is big!"

For anybody who's been paying attention to Alberta, there have been these "wow" moments: Just in the breakfast scene alone, it may have been when Vita Cafe opened, or the Tin Shed. For me, it was when Francis opened, and I knew something new was going on; I remember people coming back and saying, "There's a place on Alberta with white tablecloths!"

Well, now there's a place with two-level, sprawling patios; four pages of cocktails; an outdoor gas fireplace; and serving all three meals from 9:00am. to midnight every day. Between the Radio Room and the presence of the new Petite Provence location down at 18th Street, I think we can all be honest with ourselves and realize that the days of mom-and-pop, grass-roots businesses opening on Alberta Street are long gone. The Developers are Coming.

The vibe of the place is a little mixed, perhaps because they've just opened. It's got kind of a Doug Fir/retro feel, with black-and-tan booths. But the artwork is all over the place: movie posters, cowboys, sailors and so on.

I'm not a drinker, so I can't comment on the cocktails. And I haven't had dinner at Radio Room, because I am a breakfast guy. All I can do is report on two things: what I've seen and eaten, and what others have told me.

To wit: The first two things I heard about the Radio Room were from a dinner-eater who announced that Alberta had a new destination restaurant that just needed to work out some opening kinks. Another friend, who had brunch, said it was ... well, I think "terrible" was the word she used, though not the only one.

Going strictly on breakfast, and on my impressions after two visits, I don't see what either person is getting so worked up about. My take is that if somebody opened a massive "breakfast place" on Alberta and served only what the Radio Room is serving, hardly anybody would notice, aside from the kind of sociological observations I got into. (For example, look around for the press about Bar Carlo: most of it is about where it is, because frankly, the food ain't that exciting.)

It looks to these eyes like breakfast at Radio Room is mostly an afterthought, at least during the week. I have yet to see more than a couple tables occupied in the morning, and the quality of the food is just decent. But "decent" is obviously not what Radio Room is shooting for in other parts of the operation. They look, by the scale of their undertaking, like they're trying to take over the street. The place is huge, at least compared to all the other businesses on Alberta. My sense is that they do breakfast during the week either as an experiment or because they feel like they're supposed to.

The breakfast menu is pretty standard stuff: biscuits and gravy ($3), eggs benedict ($8), a standard egg-tater-meat plate called the Trucker Breakfast ($5.50, or $7.50 with bacon, or $10.75 with a steak), chicken fried steak ($7.75), hash and eggs ($8), plus a few omelets, French toast, granola and a scramble or two.

Look back on those prices — cheap, huh? It's a plus, as is the abundant parking and low crowds (they haven't even done a real grand opening yet, and might not). Again, it seems like they'll make their money on booze and dinner, so they can go cheap on breakfast. And based on what I've had, they're not investing a lot of innovation into the breakfast, either.

Both the Continental Omelet (pancetta, shallots, mushrooms, romas and goat cheese, $7.50) and the Hash and Eggs were kind of a shrug. A friend (who loves the place for dinner) had the Trucker, and we agreed the potatoes lacked interest, though the bacon was thick and done right. The coffee is Stumptown, which I could have told you at first sight of the place.

Obviously, we can give places time to come around and get their groove. I just feel like Radio Room's groove may never get going — until the late afternoon, at least.

Seating: Abundant, with plenty of vinyl booths and tables inside and out Large groups? Yes, plenty of room
Portion size: Reasonable, especially for what you pay Changes: Didn't ask
Coffee: Stumptown house blend or French Press Other drinks: Juices, hot chocolate, sodas and a bunch of cocktails
Feel-goods: None they brag about Health Options: Decent range of options for vegetarians
WiFi? No