Jerk Chicken and Pork Belly Banh Bao - BaoPDX - SW 9th and Alder

Today I rode the Max up to Pioneer Courthouse Square, then wandered over to the pods on SW 9th and 10th, as it's been a while (again) since I visited the carts here.

A new one stuck out, with a brightly colored cart and a very neat set of food photos and graphics.

BaoPDX - Serving up some interesting takes on Banh Bao, including Jerk Chicken, BBQ beef, Spam, and even a tofu version.

Since they are smaller sandwiches, the prices are set to match, $3 each, or a combo of two sandwiches, a drink, and chips for $7.50. I opted for the combo, so I could try out at least two of the varieties of sandwich.

The people in the cart were friendly and talkative, greeting people who were walking by (this trick works really well, I've noticed -- people 'on the fence' as they walk by will stop and order when greeted directly, I watched this happen three times while I was standing there)

Now, on to the food... the pillow-like buns were soft and sponge-like (in a very good way), and generously stuffed with ingredients. The jerk chicken sandwich I ordered was so good, I didn't pause once from start to finish.

The pork belly sandwich was also quite good, my only complaint would be that mine was about half fat -- considering the cut, that's to be expected here and there.

Two sandwiches and chips definitely left me full to the brim, I may skip the combo and just get two sandwiches next time. One might be enough, if you had a decent breakfast, but I'd recommend two.

I'll be back to this place, for sure -- I can't stress enough how good the buns were.

BBQ Pork with Rice and Kimchi - A Taste of Korea - SW 3rd and Stark

It's a very rainy day today, and I didn't want to travel far, yet I also wanted to try a cart I've not been to. There is a Korean cart, "A Taste of Korea" - conveniently located in the pod on SW 3rd between Stark and Washington.

All their dishes are displayed with full color photographs, which is helpful, but can also leave you standing there drooling on yourself for a good ten minutes before placing your order.

Spicy BBQ Pork for me today, please. Looks delicious.
Within 5 minutes, I was handed an extremely heavy container of rice, BBQ pork, noodles, and Kimchi (or gimchi, kimchee, or kim chee, depending on who you talk to) - plus a small salad with dressing.

$6, and definitely enough food for two meals.

Spicy, flavorful, delicious - all of it. If it weren't for the fact that there was SO much food, I'd have been upset that I ran out of Kimchi so quickly, as this was the best I've had, ever... cleverly hidden in a small condiment cup alongside the other items. Mmm. I even poured the remaining 'juices' over my noodles to keep the flavor train running.

I'm impressed. Good stuff, good prices, friendly service... and another cart I can say "wow, I can't believe I didn't try this out sooner..."

Green Curry with Duck and Avocado - Bangkok Duck and Chicken - SW 10th & Alder

I went for a walk today at lunch, up to the cart pods on SW 9th and 10th off of Alder. This is by far the most populous encampment of Portland food carts, and is home to some of the most successful of the bunch.

Imagine my surprise when I came across Bangkok Duck and Chicken.
If you have duck on the menu, I'm interested. This stopped me dead in my tracks as I looked over the menu of what appears to be a fairly standard Thai/Curry setup -- only, with duck. - Curry *and* duck... and this dish, #6 on the menu, the Green Curry with Duck and Avocado. No need to look any further, folks. This was where I was getting lunch today.

Served with a VERY generous portion of rice, the curry and other ingredients were placed in a separate container. Definitely enough for two meals.

While waiting on the food, I chatted with the owner a bit, who didn't hesitate to tell me this was the best curry around. I asked how long he'd been there, and, much to my surprise -- the answer was "two years" - and that he had, in fact, changed the appearance of the cart a tad recently.

At least 100 times, I must have walked right by this cart and never noticed. I reviewed the cart right next to it as one of my first posts to this blog. Yet, here I was, waiting on my food from what I thought was a relatively new cart... WITH DUCK. How could I have missed it?

My love affair with duck has only occurred over the last year or two -- before then, I'd never had it, to my knowledge. Now, if there's duck on the menu, I'll often order it, as I'm enjoying all the duck dishes.

This curry is no exception - this is AWESOME. The curry is, indeed, delicious - and may be one of the best curries in Portland, as the owner claims. A *lot* of duck meat, alongside crisp bell peppers, avocado chunks, and cashews. As much as I want to eat the whole thing, this is really enough food for two and there's no way I will finish it all at the moment, despite that urge that good spicy Thai food gives me to just keep shoveling it in until there's nothing left.

Bangkok Duck and Chicken, SW 10th and Alder.

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.