Hungary Stew with Nutty Rice - Vegan and Gluten-Free cart on SW 2nd and Stark

Yesterday while I was out scouting out lunch, I had obtained my food and was walking past one of the stranger looking carts around, located at the corner of SW 2nd and Stark - (Formerly The Spudlocker, Joclyn's Ciao Chow, and Healthy Corner) - there had been a yellow wooden heart that appeared on the sides of the cart in recent weeks...
and ... on this occasion, a friendly young lady with bright blue eyes and some taster cups.

I tried their Winter Spice Curry sample, as it was clear I already had a meal in my hands... and, let me tell you - this was a fine soup, indeed. I promised I would come back to the cart on a day I hadn't already obtained my lunch.

Today was the day. This cart offers only vegan and gluten-free soups and sides, and coconut milk to drink. $8 for the meals, $2 for the coconut milk.

I ordered the Hungary Stew with Nutty Rice as the side.

Lentils, carrots, onions, red peppers, ginger, and a generous helping of spices that give it a nice kick. Very tasty... and filling.

So far, their offerings are Winter Spice Curry, Bourbon Jambalaya, and Hungary Stew, with sides of rice or quinoa and coco-kale-something or other.

Another fine option to vegans in the land of food carts, regardless of my inability to quite recall the options for sides.

There was no catchy title listed anywhere on the cart, so I'm not sure if they have a name or if it's just 'vegan and gluten free' like at the top of the menu.
Maybe I should be more talkative next time.

Chicken Burrito with Spicy Chipotle sauce - The Burrito Box, SW 3rd and Washington

The Burrito Box is a bright yellow cart on the corner of SW 3rd and Washington. I've been there a few times, and enjoyed the food, yet hadn't been back since I started this blog.
(To be fair, this cart opens at 11:30 most days, and by then, I've already retrieved my lunch)

I was in search of the Wild West, which is their buffalo burrito. [Fantastic, by the way] - Unfortunately, their menu is somewhat rotational and this was not the day for buffalo. Not to worry, though, the mix of ingredients available at this cart give you some tasty non-traditional burrito options.

One clear point about The Burrito Box - This is *not* a Mexican food cart.

The owner/operator, Cameron, uses fresh local ingredients (which is a common theme here, of course) - throws your tortilla on the grill and whips up tasty burritos with mixtures of chicken, pork, tofu, red quinoa, hummus, rice, collard greens, pinto or black beans, etc. (and sometimes, buffalo!)

The portions are generous and the flavors are rich. You can also order a quesadilla, or soft tacos, if you've got a smaller appetite.

So, I had the chicken with spicy Chipotle sauce, and it was filling, delicious, and spicy enough to break a sweat. Perfect.

Chili Dog - Olympic Grill - SW 3rd and Ash

Chili dog. Despite there being several places to get hot dogs and sausages from food carts in Portland, surprisingly few of them offer chili dogs.

I wandered aimlessly today, not sure what I wanted, and came across Olympic Grill, just across the street from Ankeny's Well.

They feature Philly Cheesesteaks quite prominently, along with Chicago style hot dogs, chips, and soda.

It was about 11:30am, they were open, and I was third in line - the people ahead of me appeared to be regulars who had been here often.

We were admiring a green couch on the sidewalk in front of the cart that had mysteriously appeared overnight. The owner was friendly and talkative and very hard at work creating sandwiches for everyone, while discussing the fate of the mystery couch.

Everything on the menu looked good, and I will have to come back and try the cheesesteak options in the near future.

In the mean time - the chili dog was great - for $5, it was a satisfying meal, topped with chili, onions, and mustard. It's getting harder and harder to find a $5 lunch from carts, but I'd recommend this one if you're feeling like having a good chili dog.

Pork Leg Stew from SomTum Gai Yang - SW Stark between 2nd and 3rd

SumTum Gai Yang is the name of the signature dish served by this cart (a papaya salad with chicken or pork), and this particular location is is their 2nd (they have another cart at the pods between 9th & 10th on Alder)

Although it is their namesake, this is not what I ordered today.

Khao Kha Moo, a dish I've never seen or heard of before -- sounded really good. Pork leg stew over sticky rice.

It smelled absolutely fantastic, and I couldn't wait to give it a try. The pork was tender and juicy, and practically fell apart when touched with a fork. It had a light sweetness to it, perhaps cinnamon or a similar spice. The meal was served with pickled mustard greens and half a boiled egg, and some chili oil. I can't emphasize enough how tender and tasty this pork is - you can tell it was cooked slow and low with lots of care.

This is another one of the 'not typical' Thai food carts - I had incorrectly assumed it was 'just another Thai cart,' as there are many, and many almost exactly alike, in every cart pod in town.

Reasonable prices, not-so-average choices, good stuff.

I am getting full and a quarter of my meal still remains... yet I don't know that I'd want to let this delicious pork go to waste... so I may just stuff myself and deal with it.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Wings - The Sausage Shack, SW 3rd and Stark

A cold, rainy day in Portland (imagine that) had me wanting to stay close to work for lunch. A cart I've passed just about every day but never bothered to stop at - The Sausage Shack - was open earlier than usual, so I figured I'd see what they had going on.

They have a large flatscreen in a window displaying various menu items, such as burgers, corn dogs, sausages, and the like - and proudly displayed in their window was a trophy claiming them winners of the "2011 Bacon Cup."

The screen faded in and out of various offerings, then, two of my favorite things in one dish: Bacon Wrapped Chicken Wings.

Now, how awesome could that be? I ordered half a dozen. They took about 10 minutes to cook, the sauce choices were "spicy, BBQ, or BBQ spicy" -- I went for the spicy, as I have a preference for savory over sweet.

This gave me ample time to stand watching the flatscreen display all the sinful, heart-attack inducing cuisine they have to offer.

Fries, curly fries, cheese fries, chili-cheese fries, bacon wrapped corndogs, and burgers of various configurations including their "Paul BrOnion Burger" - which features a full pound of meat (beef and bratwurst) - chili dogs, chili burgers... it's quite an extensive menu.

The wings wrapped in bacon were, indeed, a lovely combination. I personally prefer my spicy wings be hot enough to make my scalp sweat. These weren't that spicy, but still quite enjoyable (and I realize not everyone likes their wings as hot as I do) - The breading was subtle, which is always good, and wrapping it in bacon - truly inspired. Mmm. Very nice.

I'm sure I'll be back to try the chili dog or chili burger in the near future, other guilty pleasures I indulge in on occasion... though this seems to be more of a 'late' cart, in that they often aren't open when I go to lunch, but appear to be open in the evenings and late into night and early morning hours - unlike many carts in this pod.

Crispy Basil Tilapia - Thai Tea Clean Food Good Taste, SW 2nd and Oak

Definitely one of the lengthiest names for a food cart downtown, Thai Tea Clean Food Good Taste is located on SW 2nd Ave between Oak and Stark. This cart has been in this location a while now, and today I had a craving for their signature dish, the Crispy Basil Tilapia.

There are plenty of Thai carts in Portland, and you can expect your standard stir fry and curry dishes at just about any of them. It helps to have something to stand out, and this dish certainly qualifies.

The Tilapia is lightly breaded and pan fried while you wait, then served in a Thai sauce with onions, crispy basil leaves, green and red bell peppers, mushroom, and some rice on the side. Simply delicious, and has that extra "hey, this is good for me" feel to it. Not the first time I've had this dish, and each time it was excellent, the fish was cooked 'just right' and I ate every bite.

As for the rest of the menu, hey offer all your standard Thai favorites, along with potstickers, coconut shrimp, Thai iced tea, etc. Chicken, beef, shrimp and tofu can be selected with any dish.

It's good food, clean food, and tastes good - so the lengthy name is appropriate.
Mmmm..

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