I could smell the fire burning in the firepit as I drove up to the empty courtyard at Chow. It was indeed a warm welcome to know that I could get one of my favorite breakfasts during this time of the COVID-19 shutdown. Many restaurants that typically haven’t offered takeout are making their food available to those who want to come out and get it. Curbside pickup is available if you call when you get there. We must support the local restaurants so they can survive until we can get back to business as usual.

I started with breakfast. Many restaurants that offer takeout or grab-and-go are open during the shutdown and serving the same great food. Rockin’ Daves has a variety of house-made bagel sandwiches, breakfast burritos, and biscuits and gravy. Beyond the typical bacon, ham, or sausage choice, there is also pork belly. The thick, savory pork belly is crispy yet thick and moist and is rich and delicious in either a sandwich or wrap. Corned beef and pastrami are made on the grill in the parking lot. There are also vegetarian options.

Mother’s has closed both its downtown and Eastside locations. The Westside location is serving grab-and-go and a limited menu for takeout from their small kitchen. There are no cold-pressed juices, but smoothies are available.

Bakeries like Nancy P’s, Sparrow and Village Baker have their usual offerings available for take out. If you want a Nancy P’s quiche or frittata, consider calling the day before so they can have it available for you when you want to pick it up.

Sparrow is serving its full menu and may make one of the best breakfast sandwiches in town. A poached egg, thick-cut bacon and avocado are piled between a hand-rolled croissant that is smeared with arugula aioli and a bit of arugula. It has everything going for it, savory inside and a slight sweetness of the croissant on the outside. Sparrow is also offering a weekly bread subscription for customers to make sure the bread they want is available.

Village baker also has bread and pastries available for breakfast.

If there is a silver lining for foodies, it’s that we are getting to take out food that we never could before. Some chefs feel that their food won’t travel well, so they have altered their menu to ensure the same dine-in food quality experience.

Chow is one of those restaurants. You can find their take out menu on their Facebook page. I called to order the Huevos Rancheros with a soft, fresh corn tortilla piled with black beans and crowned with two fried eggs then topped with a smokey red roja and green verde sauce. Crumbles of queso fresco (cheese) and sliced avocado. The side of cheesy bacon grits cheered my spirit as I thought of the many times I’ve ordered that while having brunch with friends on Chow’s patio.

On the “sweet” side, I ordered the Hot Oats that came with raisins, brown sugar, and I added bananas. The healthy, yummy dish is easier than making the steel cut oats at home.

Many times I’ve wanted food from The Victorian Cafe, but didn’t want to wait for a table on a Saturday even though I could sip on one of the best Bloody Marys in town. While I can’t hang out at the restaurant with a Bloody Mary, I could get a Proud Mary Kit (for 2) that included a shrimp and meatball skewer, olives, pepperoncini, breadsticks and smokey salt for the rim.

While famous for their eggs benedicts, Chef John Nolan explained that the dish wouldn’t travel well. Instead, the takeout menu substitutes the benedicts with tasty, fat burritos. I chose the Harvest Burrito. This vegetarian burrito had shiitake mushrooms, sweet potatoes, asparagus, yellow squash, and zucchini, all sauteed in garlic. It’s served with pesto hollandaise, which has a mellow basil flavor.

“The Vic’s” French Toast is made from Big Ed’s Texas toast and was a welcome treat for my sweet tooth.

Note that you have to press “1” when you call to reach somebody and order. If you get a busy signal, call back in a couple of minutes.

The Lemon Tree also had a limited menu that includes quiche, a frittata, Avo Hash Smash, Shakshuka (by the quart) and Steak Benedict. I wanted a breakfast sandwich, which wasn’t on the menu on Facebook, but they accommodated me when I called it in. The thick, doughy herbed bun was piled with fluffy scrambled eggs and thick-cut bacon.

I also got the Steak Benedict. Tender grilled sous-vide tri-tip was served on crispy hash browns with “perfect poachers” and creamy hollandaise. I was glad that they replaced hash browns for the traditional Benedict’s English. A slight chimichurri flavor made the perfectly cooked meat a favorite in my household.

Sunday brunch was at Sintra Cafe in Bend. I got the Linguiça Scramble that included mushrooms, sautéed red onions, and fresh cilantro. The slight spice in the Linguiça sausage paired perfectly with the sweetness of the onions. Again, I tried french toast.

Thick slices of sourdough bread are dipped in a vanilla custard before cooking, which gave it a rich sweet flavor.

If I have to be stuck at home, there’s no better way to start my day than with one of these great breakfasts. I hope you’ll “join” me in supporting our local restaurants when they need it most.