ADDRESS 2921 NE Alberta St, Portland OR 97211 | PHONE: (503) 473-8657
HOURS Wednesday - Friday, 11:30AM - 9PM | Saturday 9AM - 9PM | Sunday 9AM - 4PM
HAPPY HOUR All Day Wednesday. Thursday - Saturday 4 - 6PM
A new flower has blossomed on Northeast Alberta Street: Suzette, a crêperie and dessert cart founded by accomplished pastry chef and native Portlander Jehnee Rains.
After earning her art degree at Reed College, Jehnee moved to the Bay Area to further study painting—but within 6 months she had jumped from canvas to kitchen. Jehnee became a 4 a.m. pie baker in 1994, and over the next 11 years she headed pastry departments at some of the Bay Area’s finest restaurants, including Chez Panisse in Berkeley and Quince restaurant in San Francisco. After returning to Portland in 2005, Jehnee created desserts for Ripe, Bluehour, and Clarklewis before opening Suzette.
Her time away from the kitchen is spent in the garden. She grows roses, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, elderberries and apples; lavender, rose geranium, lemon verbena, veggies and flowers. At home she is entertained by her two crazy cats, and makes cake, cookies, and ice cream for Adam, her faithful recipe tester, bartender, waiter, prep cook, dishwasher, electronics specialist and husband.
What about Suzette?
Our historic building was first a carriage house built for a dairy on Alberta St. in 1915. Now updated with a lovely planter-lined, umbrella-shaded patio, the carriage house became a dining room in 2004 for La Palabra art gallery and crêperie, with the addition of a 1972 Airstream trailer as a kitchen in the back. Now it is Suzette, named for the classic crêpe dessert.
When you arrive, walk down the path to the Airstream, and order through the window directly from the chefs. Choose from savory or sweet crêpes, soups, salads, specialty desserts and ice creams, all made from scratch.
After ordering, relax inside the cozy carriage house. Mini-pastries are available while you wait, perfect with our unique beverages. We make our own mulled cider, chai, hot cocoa, and lavender lemonade, in addition to champagne cocktails, wine, and beer.
Sunday mornings, brunch is brightened with live music from local musicians; Friday nights we screen French movies, and year-round we host rotating original art shows. In 2010 you’ll be able to visit our on-site garden, growing fresh produce for the crêpes and flowers for the tables.
It all adds up to the dream Jehnee has been creating all these years: mixing her experiences as 4 a.m. pie baker, pastry chef and organic gardener, Jehnee perfected the recipe for Suzette, born in September 2009.
