Sweden’s cultural impact is pretty much secure for the ages thanks to IKEA, but we were looking to dig deeper than Swedish meatballs and sofas, so we ventured to Broder, a charming Swedish cafe from Peter Bro that dates to 7/707, in Southeast Portland.

The blue-and-brick fronted restaurant features peel-back windows, wood flooring, and a diner-style kitchen with yellow stools at the counter.

Smoked Trout ($12) hash, known in Sweden as “pytt i panna,” appeared with walnut toast and complemented cubed potatoes, beets and photogenic fried eggs, all served in a cazuela.

Of course Matthew “Mattatouille” Kang opted for the Hamburgare a la Lindstrom ($11). They stuffed the burger fiend’s Swedish beef patty with tangy pickled red beets and capers. The burger appeared on a Grand brioche bun, topped with arugula, sweet onion marmalade and gritty stone ground mustard. The burger definitely arrived beyond my medium rare preference, but the accompaniments made for some unique bites.

Smorrebrod ($11) amounted to a trio of open faced sandwiches on Pearl Bakery brown bread. My picks were mayo-kissed Skagen shrimp, pickled beets with chevre, and silky gravlax. A choice of sides resulted in a hearty, herb-flecked cup of the Daily Soup, salmon chowder.

Pretty much every culture has some kind of hot dog, and apparently the Swedes are no exception. Broder’s Stockholm Hot Dog ($8) featured a beef frank wrapped in supple grilled potato flatbread, pickled onions and house-made mustard sauce. The menu provided the option to Add Skagen Shrimp Salad for $1 more, and Yeekai Lim took it.

It proved to be smart to add a side of potato pancake ($4) a crisp, buttery disc of hashed browns that they showered with chopped chives.

Scandinavia is getting plenty of play in the global food press, but for Denmark. Specifically, Copenhagen. More specifically, Noma. Broder doesn’t have nearly so much ambition, but the cafe’s built quite a Portland following, so there may still be hope for Stateside Swedes as well.