Darla Neugebauer

Don’t Call it Brunch When you go to Darla’s Place (Marcy’s Diner) for a Hash-House Breakfast

August 8, 2016 / / Restaurants

There’s no kvelling over picture-perfect golden-yolked eggs with better provenance than your nearest relation.  Nor is savoring the artisanal loaves of buttered toast likely,  because there are none.  And no need to fret whether the bacon is nitrate free because it most assuredly isn’t. Instead, breakfast at Marcy’s Diner on a weekend or weekday morning (the earlier the better because you don’t want to wait) is a no-frills culinary epic where hash is slung with style and the crispiest hash browns around come from a Sysco container of pre-grated potatoes. (Oh but what she does to  make them regal is the queen’s magic touch.)

Darla Neugebauer, the Free Street entrance and outside signpost

Darla Neugebauer, the Free Street entrance and outside signpost

Read more…

Marcy’s Diner: After the fall Portland’s darling of the big dish– Darla–is riding high, slinging hash and enjoying all the attention

July 27, 2015 / / Discoveries, Restaurants

By now the world knows (even the seagulls steer clear) not to mess with Darla Neugebauer–aka Marcy’s Diner—the empress of the hash-house hootenanny starring an old toughie at the flat top, a crying baby and an oblivious millennial mommy, who collectively trounced the newswires and social media pages like a hailstorm of pebbles across the globe (well, maybe not mainland China).  The event has even inspired several new dishes on the menu like 3 Screaming Baby Pancakes and Liberal Parent Omelet (or Entitled Eggs Benedict?).

darla darla at the grill Darla clipping2

And, for better or worse, it’s made the diner and its proprietress instant stars (mom didn’t make the grade, coming off too arrogantly namby-pamby). Nearby Becky’s Diner may have been feeling the pinch, however, as tourists and uninitiated locals camped in front of the Oak Street digs instead for a look see.

Lovable greasy spoon diner is all the rage in Portland at Marcy's

Lovable greasy spoon diner is all the rage in Portland at Marcy’s

And for pure ridiculousness, offers have been pouring in for Neugebauer, from a TV cooking show to a reality sit-com.

Read more…