Rikoson - Venezuelan - SW 3rd and Ash St. -- JUMBO Chili Dog...

Today was one of those days where I just wasn't sure what I was in the mood for, so I hit up an ATM and just walked around a few of the cart pods, hoping something would 'jump out at me' as inspiration for lunch.

I decided on Mexican after a bit, as it's been a while since I went to a Mexican food cart... so I headed to one of my standard Mexican stops -- turned the corner, and... they weren't open today. Oops.
(insert sad trombone sound here)

So much for that idea - off I headed a little further North than usual, toward Ash street. As I turned on to Ash, the cart in the former home of La Sangucheria (where I used to love the award-winning Chicharrons) was Rikoson, a Venezuelan cart. I'd walked by at a distance a few times, and from the photos of the menu items, I had assumed this was a hot dog/burger cart. Not so, I realized, as I got closer and was able to read the descriptions of the items in question.

Funny thing, though - for some reason, I saw the "Jumbo Chili Dog" on the menu - Ah HA! I never see chili dogs at food carts... and hey, it sounded kinda good today... So, I stepped up and ordered my chili dog - then started noticing... they had a board out advertising Arepas and Tostones, which weren't listed on their standard menu board. Oops. I love both of those things, I guess I'm going to have to come back and try the 'real' Venezuelan food after this.

My chili dog was quickly presented, and it was MASSIVE. It's a sausage inside, a good sized one, and the bread is the same as they use for their sandwiches.

A good helping of chili was inside, along with fries that are pretty much almost as thin as potato chips, nice and crispy, which add a nice touch to the whole package.
This was way more food than I was expecting to get. Sure, it said "Jumbo Chili Dog" on the menu, but figured that was just because it used sausage instead of an Oscar Meyer Wiener. The bread was fantastic, and didn't come apart when exposed to the chili. This is a big plus.

This thing hit the spot, and then some - I am stuffed to the gills at the moment, and I think I need a nap... and a wet-nap, as well, I managed to get a good amount of this on my hands and face.

So, my first try of this Venezuelan gem (5-star reviews all around on Yelp) and I have a chili dog, but hey, I'll be back to check out their less American themed offerings soon, because if they can do a chili dog this awesome, I'm certain their other foods are going to be amazing.

Haggis!! The Frying Scotsman - SW 9th and Alder

Today, I decided to go try out what has now become a full-time, regular menu item at The Frying Scotsman - the Haggis Supper.

This is a long-standing, and very much loved Fish and Chips cart run by a real Scotsman. He would do Haggis on special occasions, but has now added it to his regular rotation of offerings.

Located about halfway between Alder and Washington on SW 9th, featuring several varieties of Fish and Chips - Cod, Haddock, Halibut, Red Snapper and Mahi Mahi - plus add-ons: mushy peas, curry sauce... and a deep fried Mars Bar.

Now, on to the Haggis...

If you're not familiar, Haggis is traditionally made of sheep's liver, heart, and lungs - mixed with spices and onion and oatmeal and suet and such, encased in an animal stomach. (Sounds delicious, I know...)

This presentation is deep fried.

It comes with a container of tartar sauce, some very tasty cole slaw, and a generous helping of very tasty chips. The cart offers ketchup, malt vinegar, and HP sauce to help customize to your tastes. I opted for a small bit of malt vinegar for the Haggis, and HP sauce for my chips (a weakness of mine).
The Haggis went very well with both the tartar sauce and the HP sauce. By itself, it's a coarse and rich 'pudding' and the breading it's fried in a very crisp and tasty.

Good stuff. Give it a try if you're adventurous, or just like this kind of thing - I know it's not for everyone... but I can speak from experience, if you don't like the idea of Haggis, give them a try for the fantastic Fish and Chips offerings.

Asian Station - SW 2nd and Oak

Greetings! For today's lunch, I visited Asian Station - which has become a standard for me over the last couple of months they've been in operation.

This is located on the same stretch of SW 2nd Ave as Mama Chow's Kitchen, El Pijon, etc. I'm surprised I've not blogged it yet, as my punchcard toward a free meal is already at 9 out of 20, and... it's right by where I work.

The food here is well-portioned, reasonably priced, and most importantly - very fresh and tasty. It hasn't taken them long to gain a very loyal following - crowds are common, especially between noon and 1pm.

Offering salad rolls, fish rolls, fried tofu, your standard Thai rice dish combinations, some noodle dishes -- including Yakisoba -- and fantastic curry bowls you just have to try... everything I've had here has been top-notch.

Today, I had the Spicy Basil with Chicken, 'extra spicy' - it took them a week or three for me and a fellow coworker to chide them about the spice levels to where we were satisfied with the dripping-with-sweat results we wanted by ordering "extra spicy," - but they've got that formula down now. Don't worry, for those sane people out there, they do all levels from mild on up with no problem.

This particular dish uses ground chicken. Many of their chicken meals feature breaded chicken breast atop the meal, which is also amazing. Another thing I enjoy is that they use a single fried egg whenever a dish is listed with egg on it, so you can incorporate the egg into the dish however you see fit, or just eat it all at once if you prefer.
Nice to have the choice.
$6.00!!This is easily two meals worth of food, but it's so good I'll eat it all in one sitting, anyway.

The mother-daughter team working this cart are very friendly, and I can't stress enough how this is one of the best Thai carts in Portland.

Lower East Side Deli - SW 3rd and Stark, South Side -- Buffalo Chicken Wrap

A new sandwich shop has popped up in the former Hog Time cart, "Lower East Side Deli," featuring New York style Italian sandwiches of various sorts, and a collection of chicken wraps.
I walked by to take a peek at the menu, and saw they had a Boneless Buffalo Chicken Wrap, and I was in the mood for something spicy.. so I headed to the ATM to obtain funds and wandered back.

I ordered my wrap, then perused the menu, and started looking at the photos of all the different sandwich offerings. I began to wonder if I'd ordered the wrong thing, as every sandwich photo looked amazing...

I do believe I'll need to revisit this cart and order a sandwich next time instead of a wrap.

Now, mind you, this wrap is pretty tasty.

Fairly simple in ingredients, breaded white chicken breast with Buffalo sauce, bleu cheese dressing, lettuce and tomato, wrapped in a tortilla, cut in half and wrapped in foil. Very tasty. It was a little messy, but delicious.

I'll include a photo of the menu, which looks promising...
(Click to embiggen)

Yeah, I think I'll have to come back and check out some of the other sandwich offerings over the next few weeks...