Gary the Foodie Okazaki Loves Portland Diner My Father’s Place | Eater Portland

"When I’m looking for a budget-friendly dinner, I often revisit a Portland stalwart on Southeast Grand Avenue that’s been a diner-meets-dive bar since 1978: My Father’s Place. It feels like a true diner to me despite its dive-bar qualities — long diner counter, vinyl-lined booths, heavy white mugs, and plastic salt-and-pepper shakers — and is frequented by the city’s artists, lifelong residents, musicians, and chefs because of its hours and price point. Open from 7 a.m. to 2:30 a.m., breakfast is available morning to evening with classics like corned beef hash, chicken-fried steak and eggs, and short stacks of pancakes, while the pool tables, pinball machines, and jukebox get more play at night as the diner counter fills with regulars sipping coffee in the early hours. I appreciate that it has hundreds of options under $20 — I don’t know if anything is above $20 — and I tend to order pork chop dinners ($15.50), top sirloins ($17), and, notably, liver and onions, which I grew to like for its iron-y flavor. There’s also a memorable bar-side tradition: I once set myself on fire trying to drop a shot glass into a pint for a Flaming Dr Pepper, so now I let the bartender do it for me." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden