Sydney’s

• Sydney’s website

• Location: Pearl district

• Price for coffee for two: About $10

Had a client meeting this morning in the fun part of the Pearl (where all the artists and creative agencies hang out, mid-teens and end-of-alphabet streets), and was a bit early so I stopped into a little place called  for a bagel. I’d call it the quintessential Portland coffee house…for gadget freaks.

Really nicely decorated, good view of the bridge and sorta the river beyond. Then there’s this bonsai/box of rocks thing going on in one table and good lighting over each individual table so you can actually work while you do breakfast or lunch (they’re not open for dinner). The food is nicely done, tasty…but there’s a BeoSound on the wall (serious sound, guys), flat panels on the other walls, and it’s obviously designed for people who sip joe and work on a laptop. 

Only did the bagel (and true to non-NewYawkers these dudes think that whitebread thing that looks like a donut is a bagel (yeah, right) but at least it was well-toasted), but I’ll definitely be back to try lunch. The soup they were simmering for the lunch crowd smelled wonderful.