Broder

Peter Bro's family of Scandinavian brunch havens grew this year with Broder Soder, a weekday lunch spot inside the Scandinavian Heritage Foundation out in unincorporated Washington County. The menu there is largely unchanged, and that's a good thing. Why mess with the sinfully thick bacon slices ($4.50), berry-speckled fritters ($4.50) and traditional ebelskiver orbs ($10) that draw lines out the door every weekend? Each sibling spot has its own aesthetic—Nord is the dark one, with Jenga blocklike wood walls and exposed bulbs dangling above the subway tile bar.

It's notable for doing dinner, including a chevre, pancetta and Sauvie Island melon platter ($9) with stick-to-your-ribs fried oysters ($9) and a 20-minute chicken ($16) that glistens with drippings. Southeast looks like an IKEA-decorated shoebox, with its tiny wooden tables in a row. And Soder is the ranch-style sibling, expansive and airy with Scandinavian couches that wouldn't be out of place on Mad Men. One bite of the iconic lost egg brunch ($13) or the Swedish meatballs ($12 brunch, $14 dinner) and we're married to this brood.

Pro tip: Nord offers the largest aquavit menu in town. It's worth tasting a few types of the traditional Nordic liqueur, known for its essence of dill and caraway.

GO: 2508 SE Clinton St., 736-3333; 2240 N Interstate Ave., Suite 160, 282-5555;

8800 SW Oleson Road, 971-373-8749; broderpdx.com. Southeast 8 am-3 pm daily; Nord 8 am-3 pm daily and 5-9 pm Wednesday-Saturday; Soder 9 am-3 pm Tuesday-Friday. $$.

Willamette Week