3524 SE 52nd (south of Powell)
503.774.1164
Open seven days
8 am – 10 pm
The effervescent Ransdell sisters, Monica and Jennifer, have opened a wonderful new diner located midway between the river and the outskirts in between Powell and Foster, at 52nd & SE Lafayette. Hence the name Midpoint.
Midpoint is Monica’s third restaurant and the second for the sister team. She owned Dot’s on Clinton, for twenty years then together they opened Junior’s on SE 12th. Since Dot’s had a nightclub atmosphere and Junior’s was for breakfast, they decided they wanted a place open all day, 8 am – 10 pm, with an atmosphere that encouraged people in the community to drop-in, eat, drink and stay awhile.
The decor is detailed, charming and friendly, a reflection of the proprietresses, especially since much of it came from their own collections. The booth and table seating is comfortable, so staying to catch up on work, emails or conversation is easy and encouraged.
Monica describes the food as, “fresh, familiar and comfortable breakfast, lunch and pub style dinners.” Soup is one of the sisters favorite foods so they make a couple of fresh soups everyday along with the staple vegetarian chili with soyrizo for the meat texture. The delicious salads are made with house dressings of honey mustard, blue cheese, ranch and balsamic vinegar.
Sandwiches, burgers and hot dogs are finely-crafted and served in a variety of ways. The hot dogs and burgers can be meat or vegetarian. When asked about foods for the gluten intolerant, Monica said, “We’d love to say yes to everything, but the reality is we have many things a gluten intolerant person can eat, we just don’t specifically serve gluten free food.” The flourless chocolate cake is a yummy-looking dessert possibility.
They’ve had fun naming items on the Midpoint menu. There’s the Mount St. Helen’s: hash-brown or fork-mashed potatoes topped with cheddar, chopped bacon, green onion, red gravy and an over medium or scrambled egg. This one’s getting great reviews.
The Midpoint Meatloaf Plate is served with their special red gravy over mashed potatoes and a small salad. They can substitute a veggie patty and the gravy is meat-free. The Reservoir Dog is served with grilled mushrooms, onions and red gravy.
Happy hour is 4 pm until closing. There’s a tasty, reasonable menu available as well as beer, wine and well drinks.
The sisters were raised here in SE Portland, attending Sunnyside Elementary School, Mt. Tabor Middle School and Cleveland. “We ‘ve known this area forever so when we pow-wowed about opening a new restaurant we came up with Midpoint, a hidden gem in the middle of the southeast,” Monica said.
They commented on their excellent staff who have made it possible for them to keep Midpoint open all day, seven days a week.
Midpoint is a reliable, comfortable place that’s open and waiting for you to enjoy good food.