The James Logan Courier

By Iona Childers, Courier Foods Editor

Shari's Restaurant and Pie Bakery
19365 SW Martinazzi Ave
Tualatin, OR 97062

After having to wake up at 5 AM last Friday to catch a flight with my family
to Portland, Oregon, I have come to two conclusions. First of all, it is
obscene to make a human being get out of bed before the sun comes up
(especially a senior who is used to late arrival and getting to school
at 9:06 AM). Second of all, eat something before you get on the plane.
Chances are the mid‑flight snack of a beverage and a pack of two cookies
just won't cut it (I'm sure the flight attendants would appreciate it if you didn't end up gnawing on your seat cushion).

By the time we all got to the place we were staying in Tualatin, Oregon
(about a 15 or 20 minute drive from Portland), my family was ready to jump
at the first restaurant we saw. Luckily for us, that place just happened to
be Shari's Restaurant and Pie Bakery.

There were a couple of families already seated at tables around the
restaurant, but we were still seated promptly. As we followed our waitress
to the table, there was a large refrigerator case that had shelf after shelf
of perfect looking pies (apple, no sugar apple, banana cream, burst‑o berry,
cherry, chocolate cream, peanut butter chocolate, coconut cream, lemon
meringue, marionberry, no sugar marionberry, Oreo cream, S'mores, and
strawberry rhubarb). Talk about having a hard time choosing just one slice!

After we were seated, the waitress gave us our menus and asked if there was anything we would like to drink. My parents and I had water, while my two little brothers decided on chocolate hand‑dipped jumbo milkshakes.
Throughout the entire dining experience the waitress that seated us, as well
as other waitresses that happened to walk by, made sure we had everything we needed (great service overall)!

I might have entered the restaurant with a bit of Union City IHOP and
Baldie's 'elitism', but after looking at the wide range of food they offered
at Shari's, and not to mention finally getting to 'dig in', I must give
Tualatin's breakfast restaurant its due. I don't think I've ever been one
to struggle over the breakfast menu of a place I'm trying out for the first
time. I usually just order pancakes and figure it would be the hardest
thing for that place to mess up (but there are instances where I've been
wrong). For some reason, the picture of the flat iron steak and stuffed
hashbrowns platter had me hooked (you can probably call it a type of 'love
at first sight'). So while the rest of my family members ordered their
pancakes, I stuck to the hashbrown platter.

It didn't take too long for the food to arrive, and I must say that I was
very impressed. I'm sure that others have experienced the sinking feeling
you get when something you see in a picture doesn't quite match what you get when you order it. I must admit, the smell of the grilled steak and the
golden color of the hashbrowns was just beautiful. I looked over at the
pancakes of my youngest brother (he's usually the easiest one to grab food
from without much of a fight) and the triple stack looked very fluffy and
filling.

I grabbed hold of my two favorite weapons (a fork and knife of course) and
prepared to do battle with the hashbrown platter. The hashbrowns were a
perfect balance of a soft center and crispy exterior (not to the mention the
delicious filling of melted cheese and sour cream). There were three
scrambled eggs that were also cooked well (neither wet and gooey or burnt
and dry). Last but not least, I truly believe that the six ounce flat iron
steak was delicious enough to turn vegetarians in carnivores (or maybe just
an omnivore).

One of the biggest surprises had to be the check (and not in a bad way).
Having lived in Union City for most of my life, I'm used to stores tacking
on the 8.75% sales tax (Alameda County actually has the highest sales tax
rate in California). But in Oregon, there is no sales tax! So when the
menu says $4.99, you can expect to pay $4.99 (not $4.99 plus an additional
$0.44). The reason for this is probably because Oregon has a lottery, and
I'm not talking about the random gas station/supermarket kind we have around Union City. If you look at the picture of the Shari's sign closely, you'll
notice a hand with fingers crossed with "Oregon Lottery" written
underneath. I really wish I could have gotten a picture of the inside of
the restaurant, but it was the most amusing thing I've ever seen. To the
right of the cash register was a little room with a clear glass door and
inside was what appeared to be a slot machine and a table to seat four. Now that's what I call multi‑tasking!

After such a positive experience at Shari's, I was disappointed to see that
the nearest location in California was one in Sacramento. But if there is
any one that happens to be around that area, I definitely recommend a stop
at Shari's Restaurant and Pie Bakery!