Red Skinz - Indian Fry Bread - SW 3rd and Washington

A new cart ermerged from the now-defunct Burrito Box at SW 3rd and Washington.

Red Skinz Indian Fry Bread. This is their first week in operation, and today is a nice, sunny day in Portland.

Currently, the only menu items are Soda ($1), Fry Bread ($3), and, most importantly --
Fry Bread Taco ($7) - which is the fry bread, covered with chili, lettuce, cheese, and onions (and a generous helping of hot sauce on the side)

They provide a plentiful selection of sauces and such for those who go with the simple Fry Bread dish, to dress it up a little.

Having grown up mostly in Utah, this was known to me as "Navajo Tacos" - a dish I remember fondly and haven't encountered since moving away, until now.

The owner was very friendly, and explained he'd be working on some additional items based on customer suggestions and such as time goes on, including donuts
(in UtahSpeak, these fry breads were covered in cinnamon and sugar and referred to as 'scones,' I later learned that others refer to these as 'elephant ears' and that scones are a much, much different treat)

Coincidentally, he says everyone who says they've had these before are from Utah... Hmm.

I practically inhaled this thing when I got back to the office. Very tasty.
In our discussion, the guy mentioned he'd be working on getting rid of the styrofoam containers, as people complained... and he may be well served to offer a meatless chili option for the tacos, this *is* Portland, after all...

Good food, I know I'll be back to have this taco dish again, and see what else they have cooking.

Babylon Halal Food - SW 5th and Stark - Lamb over Rice

Today, I ventured up Stark to obtain funds-n-food, and was disappointed to learn that my latest reviewed cart, the Filipino-food-based Kula Kart, has closed and *might* return in the spring.

I continued on toward SW 5th, where a new Cuban cart, Havana Heaven, has emerged at the corner (A post about this cart is soon to follow, I just haven't typed it up yet) - then continued on to where El Cubo de Cuba once was, to find it replaced with Babylon Halal Food.

It's their second day, and the menu is still handwritten in marker.
Immediately, I was drawn to the Lamb over Rice dish, because I do love myself some lamb. They have hummus, gyros, salads, etc.
The guys inside were very friendly, and quick. I had my food about two minutes after placing the order. It was served with hummus, a fresh warm pita, salad, and tzatziki sauce. PLENTY of food. $8.

The lamb was cooked medium, and was very tasty. I took turns dipping bits of it in hummus and tzatziki as I shoveled it into my mouth. Really hit the spot. Good stuff.
I'd imagine they'll be solidifying the menu more as they become established (some of the menu had been crossed off and changed a bit) - good food, and quickly. That always helps at lunchtime.

Filipino Food - The Kula Kart - SW 2nd and Stark

** Update ** A sign on this cart today indicates that, due to family matters, the cart is closing and may return in the spring. **

I originally visited this cart the first day it showed up at this location, and was the first customer of the day. The owner was still setting up the propane tank when I arrived. I ordered my food, took it back, enjoyed it, and ... didn't have time to blog about it.
So I went back today, after running into a coworker waiting for his food. (He wasn't injured)

The Kula Kart had been a wandering cart, from what I understand, and is now trying out a downtown pod very near where the now departed Heart Cart sat.

The main offerings are pork and chicken Adobo, in plate or sandwich form, and pork or vegetable Sinigang. Bilo Bilo is on the menu, a tapioca and cococut cream treat with seasonal fruit, that I'll have to try some time.

I went for the pork Sinigang, which is served over rice and carrots and arugula, with a Lumpia, which is very much like an egg roll -- and a lemon wedge.

VERY tasty stuff, just bursting with flavor. Various sauces are provided, from sweet to super-spicy. Naturally, I loaded mine up with spiciness because I love to break out into a sweat while eating my meals. The Lumpia was delicious, crisp, and... I could see myself getting into trouble if more than one were offered.

This is good stuff. I'm not by any means an expert on Filipino food, but I very much enjoyed this and will certainly be back for more.

The People's Pig is BACK! SW 10th and Washington

With much excitement, I am able to report that it wasn't just a rumor --- Cliff Allen, the man behind one of my favorite food carts ever, The People's Pig - has reopened... as... The People's Pig! It's changed a tad, they're now offering beef, chicken, and pork sandwiches.

As I walked up, he was dishing out some grilled peaches and porchetta, which he gave me a sample of. Incredibly delicious combination I'd have never thought of.

I was a regular customer almost immediately when this cart appeared, originally at SW 2nd and Stark, and then moved to SW 9th and Alder. That location had been closed for a few months, and now they're located right next to the Eurotrash cart on the corner of SW 10th and Washington.

Here's Cliff,
working on some chicken and broccoli:

I tell you, this man is an artist.

Since I am very familiar with his extraordinary Porchetta sandwiches, he suggested I try the beef today, and I put up no argument.

Behold, a very fine beef sandwich, indeed.
The roll was toasted and had a great texture, the beef had a slightly smokey flavor to it, and was cooked just right, with pink in all the right places. Tender, delicious, addictive. I keep trying to write this blog, but I have to stop and have another bite.

Check out The People's Pig. Hands down, one of the best carts in Portland, if you ask me.

Sometimes, you have a not-so-good experience at a food cart...

I've been accused at times of having nothing but good things to say about the food carts I visit. Admittedly, I am a picky eater in the first place, and I also tend to only want to talk about something that stands out, more often than not, in a positive light.

Since this is a blog about my experiences eating from carts, today I'll blog about BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE. Today's experience is nice and fresh in my mind.

It's even more irritating when it's from a cart you once gave a glowing review to.

Most of the Portland food cart pods are downtown. People who work here are their main customers. We have time constraints, we go to carts because you can pick your food up and get back to where you came from without the whole process or entering an establishment, waiting to be seated, ordering a drink while perusing the menu, you get the point. Carts are a convenience for those of us with short lunch breaks.

I don't care how good your food is,

DO NOT leave a potential customer sitting at your cart's window for 8 whole minutes without acknowledging their existence. 8 minutes without ONCE looking up from what you're doing to see what's going on, if you have a line, someone with a question, whatever.

I had raved about the gyro I had from Yo-Yo and Lefty's here: Yo-Yo and Lefty's.

They have a sign proclaiming "Good food takes time" -- perhaps it does, but 3 seconds of acknowledgement isn't much to ask, is it?

I ended up walking away in frustration, and getting my gyro fix from another cart.
~~
The cart is now called Nikki and Lefty's, I'm not sure what the story is behind the name and slight menu change, but I'll be getting my gyros elsewhere from this point.

Carts on Foster - The Last Word - Roast Beef on Weck

So today's blog is going to be a mixed bag of commentary and my experience with the food from one of the carts.

I don't often get to the cart pod on SE 52nd and Foster, despite it being pretty much in my neighborhood, since I work downtown. Typically, I'll be passing by on the way to or from work.

Over the last couple of years, I've watched many carts come and go from this pod, with only one or two hardy mainstays present from month to month... since this is in my neighborhood, and we want businesses to succeed here, I kept hoping the high turnover didn't mean doom for the pod.

They've added covered outdoor seating, an enclosed area with beer and hot dogs, etc. - in all respects, this seems like a pretty awesome pod.

I've often imagined they must have a crowd at lunchtime, but I'm never around to see it. Today, I had an appointment and was teleworking, so I decided to head down there and see what could be had. There was a BBQ cart that set up a while back and I thought that might be a strong possibility as I checked out the other offerings.

When I arrived, it was about 12:15. There was one person sitting down eating. Half the carts in the pod weren't even open, severely limiting my choices. A mother and daughter walked around looking at the menus from the available carts, then wandered off. Two more ladies showed up and did order food from carts, but that was it. Hardly the scene at the pods downtown at this hour.

Of the open pods (the BBQ joint and egg-themed cart were not open, for instance) - "The Last Word" had the most intriguing menu -- sandwiches and soups, and the descriptions were making my mouth water.

I ordered the Roast Beef on Weck, which was new to me -- sliced roast beef with horseradish on a Kimmelweck roll (kind of like a Kaiser roll, but with salt rocks and fennel seeds on top) - and served with a side of celaric root 'slaw' of sorts. It was an impressive sandwich, for sure -- and the 'slaw' ended up being scooped on top of the beef as part of the sandwich, and enjoyed after I'd finished the sandwich - a great flavor, good amount of kick - and a good amount of food. I'm satisfied.

In researching the cart, they do their own ice cream, roast the meat in the cart, and rotate the soups and sandwiches on a regular basis - an ever changing menu. If their food is as good as this sandwich was consistently, this sounds very promising. Check out The Last Word if you get a chance.

The Hope Kitcken - SW 3rd and Washington - Tamale Pie

Today I tried out a new cart at the pod on SW 3rd between Stark and Washington - The Hope Kitchen - they're on the Washington side, up against the Mama Mia's building.

This is a cart with a story, and a mission - it is run by people who lost a relative to colorectal cancer, and in his memory, they're making up dishes that contain no red meat as a healthier alternative to avoid dangers of excessive red meat consumption.

Chicken and Turkey are featured, as well as potato salad, collard greens, Quinoa, and cornbread.

I ordered the Tamale Pie meal. The pie is made with turkey, cornbread, onions, jalapeno, and tomato sauce.. with melted cheese - and the meal comes with leafy collard greens and potato salad.

I initially went straight for the collard greens, to give the tamale pie a moment to cool down. They were cooked just right, not soggy at all. Spicy and Delicious.

The Tamale Pie -- MMm, this is good stuff. A slight kick to it, with a slight sweet taste to the corn bread, it fits together nicely with the slightly browned cheese crust on top. Good sized portions, too.
Potato Salad - also memorable - a little more egg than I'm used to, which is fine by me.

I'll be back to this cart, for sure.