At North Portland’s Nite Hawk, the Patty Melt Is Perfect Every Time

After Terrance Moses moved to Portland from Philadelphia in the mid-’90s, the Nite Hawk claimed a spot on the Friday date-night rotation with his wife, along with the Overlook, the North House, and Shari’s. Many of their old haunts have long since closed, but Moses still finds himself at the Nite Hawk several days a week in between check-ins with houseless Portlanders via his work with Friends of Ours, a nonprofit he founded in 2023. What keeps him coming back to the North Interstate landmark? Community, consistency, and Kenny. 

Home Base: The 59-year-old father of five doesn’t have a regular seat, but he tends to stick to the diner side of the Nite Hawk as opposed to the bar side, because he and his wife aren’t really “bar folks.” On either side, though, he’s among friends. “It’s the kind of community place that you long for, that neighborhood place that everybody can come to and they know your name,” Moses says. “This is a great hub for a lot of folks that just gather and hang out.”

The Usual: “If I come in for breakfast, I get my traditional scramble,” Moses says. “After lunchtime, I get my patty melt. And it’s made the same way every time…two beef patties, caramelized onions, cheddar cheese, in between two pieces of wheat toast. It’s really moist because of the caramelized onions. It’s really, really good. Not something you want to eat every day, though,” he adds as a health note, perhaps, “even though I tend to.”

Opposites Attract: While Moses says he’s a creature of habit, he reports that his wife has tried “everything” on the menu at the Nite Hawk over the years. The chicken-fried steak and rib eye have been among her favorites.

Comic Relief: At both the North House and the Overlook, Moses had been treated to tableside comedy routines from a particular server, Kenny D. When the jokester started picking up shifts at the Nite Hawk about 16 years ago, Moses says the restaurant became even more of a destination for him. (For his part, Kenny teasingly accuses his regular customer: “You always overlooked me at the Overlook!”)

Order of Operations: Moses saves what he calls “the main meal” for the end, eating every last french fry on his plate before starting in on the patty melt. At other meals, he’ll always eat his vegetables and sides first.

Special Occasion: For big nights like their anniversary, Moses and his wife go to Salty’s on the Columbia or venture as far as Sayler’s Old Country Kitchen near Mall 205. But for the day in day out, nothing beats the close-to-home standby.

Holiday Hero: In North Portland, Moses isn’t just a familiar face at the local diner. Since 2002, he’s turned his corner lot in Kenton into a one-house Peacock Lane, with Christmas lights, Santa-hatted penguins and corgis, reindeer, snowmen, candy canes, and countless other sparkling holiday decorations. Winter weather doesn’t keep Moses away from the Nite Hawk. Last time there was a big snow, he says, “I was able to drive up, get a couple of people unstuck, and then come sit and have my breakfast.”