Crispy Beef Tongue with Fennel - Big Ass Sandwiches, SW 3rd and Ash

OK, I admit it. Before today, I was a Big-Ass virgin. Despite glowing reviews, television plugs and appearances, and so on -- I'd never ordered my lunch from the famous Big-Ass Sandwiches cart on SW 3rd and Ash.

I had no clear idea what I wanted for lunch today, but figured I'd head back in that direction to see if there had been any changes to the carts on this corner.

Luckily for me, today was a special day at Big-Ass sandwiches, they had a guest chef on board for the day - Kevin Sandri (of Garden State fame) - serving up his own menu of sandwiches...

Which lead me to order the irresistibly described Crispy Beef Tongue with Sauce Gribiche and Fennel & Apple slaw.

There were already a few people lined up, and it did take a few minutes to get my food, but WOW - was it worth it!

Served on a toasted Ciabatta bun, the beef tongue had a light breading and was, as advertised, quite crispy. Very rich in flavor, the sauce and the fennel and apple slaw made a perfect flavor combination. This is only the second time I've eaten beef tongue, and can now say I am definitely a fan of the stuff.

I know this isn't their normal menu, but a good impression has been made and I'll be back to try some of their regular offerings in the future. (Besides, this place is one of the most positively reviewed food carts in the world... there must be something to that)

Check out their web site for their regular menu, links, etc.

.. oh, and did I mention how awesome this sandwich is? WOW. I feel like royalty eating this.

Skewed Concoctions on SW 3rd and Stark - Pork Satay

For today's adventure, I thought I'd try out Skewed Concoctions, which opened up in the spot of a former Thai cart on SW 3rd between Stark and Washington. I've seen it a few times while scouting out lunch, but nothing had jumped out at when casually strolling past...

I took a closer look at the menu this time -- They actually have a lot of offerings, for a variety of tastes. Chicken, Beef, and Pork Satay... Wings... Teriyaki -- all on sticks. (Those who prefer no sticks in their meat, they will kindly remove them after cooking if you'd like) - Pad Thai (veggie, even)- Papaya salad. Something for everybody.

You can order skewers of meat a la carte, or in a meal. I ordered the Pork Satay meal.

It was served with rice, a small cup of chopped up apples, cucumber, and onions, and what I thought was cole slaw - turns out it's served hot, and has broccoli in it. This was an unexpected and pleasant surprise. Very tasty, and perfect on a day like today where we had snow in the early morning and heavy rain following.

The eggroll was delicious - one of the more flavorful ones I've had (and there are plenty of eggrolls to be had from Portland food carts) - I didn't need to dip it in anything.

Same goes for the Pork Satay - it was wonderful all by itself, great flavor - then, I added the peanut sauce (of course) -- it had a very subtle smokey flavor to it that stood out - in fact, I almost want to guess there may be some coffee involved in its creation. HIGHLY recommended.

I kept eating rice just to add the peanut sauce, until it was all gone. Wow, that was good.

Try this place out. :D