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.

The Fix - new Empanada cart on Oak and SW 5th

A new cart has taken over the former Sabria cart, the nearest-to-the-building spot along Oak street just East of SW 5th Ave, thus renamed "The Fix" - featuring many types of empanadas. Yesterday was apparently their opening day, and I was one of the first people to arrive today.

I ordered the Fiery Bird, which is a chicken and jalapeno empanada, and a side of black bean and corn ceviche. $5 for the empanada and a side.
Things were a little rocky, they're just getting the routine down, and surely that's to be expected when you're a brand new food cart.
A few of the items from the prior day's menu weren't currently available, which disappointed a few people stopping by to check it out...
Sweet and Savory empanadas are offered, at $3 each. After having one empanada and a side, I can see where ordering two might be preferred for a meal... yet this cart could cater to those just looking to snack just as easily as those seeking a full meal.
There were options including goat cheese and sweet fillings, some with asparagus, some with meat, some chocolate and banana - a wide variety of choices.
Now, for my take on the food...

A richly flavorful sauce was served with the empanada, and I used it all dipping my chicken-jalapeno filled empanada into it. It was delicious.

The black bean and corn ceviche was also delightful, and went down quickly. I'd order two empanadas next time, though, as I am still a bit hungry after downing it all.
The two guys running the place were super friendly, and apologized for not having everything up and running fully, promising they'd get the hang of it shortly. To be fair, it wasn't noon yet, either.
I see potential here, I'd love to see them succeed as they have more time to get up and running.

Burgers on a Stick! Skewed Concoctions, revisited

Yesterday, I obtained my lunch from Skewed Concoctions, and ranted about their peanut sauce. They warned me of their next special item, "cheesy burgers" - on a skewer... with the cheese IN the burger.

Well, I couldn't help myself - same cart, two days in a row - I had to try these.

At $5, they are quite the food cart bargain. Two cheesy burgers (the cheese is IN the burger patty!) - with onion and yellow pepper, skewered on a stick. (burgers included) Tasty, flavorful, tender, and great for a lunch appetite.

Although tempting, I didn't go for the deep fried brownie rolls they were offering (2 for $2) Great food, good folks, and two of my cart posts in a row... really, I do like this cart.

Skewed Concoctions on SW 3rd - Try their peanut sauce!

Work has kept me very busy lately and I've not been able to get away to try very many new carts and blog about them.
This is a cart I've blogged about before, here:
Skewed Concoctions

I'm doing it again, because it bears repeating.

Not only is their food fantastic, but... they have the BEST peanut sauce EVER.

Sure, you may say something like "I walked by that cart and saw all sorts of meat on a stick and I'm a vegetarian..." -- Well, they serve vegetarian dishes, too... - namely, Pad Thai -- and if you've never had Pad Thai with peanut sauce from this cart -- you owe it to yourself to try it out.

Myself, I'm addicted to the Pork Satay, and had that for today's meal. Again, very satisfying.

The owners pointed out a new concept they'll be starting tomorrow, which is basically a cheeseburger deconstructed on to a skewer, with the cheese INSIDE the burger. I don't typically go to the same cart twice in one week, but I am very curious to check this out tomorrow.

oh, yeah, and 'deep fried brownie rolls' were mentioned, as well. uh-oh.

Beef Schawarma Plate - Pita Express - SW 3rd and Stark

Today, I did my walk down the SW 3rd Ave pod, and noticed two new carts... a new Thai cart, and -- where the beloved and sorely missed Happy Grillmore cart was, a new Pita/Lebanese establishment. Same cart, different occupants.

Naturally, I can't resist trying out a new cart when it arrives on the scene, and though I miss Happy Grillmore terribly (they have experienced great success serving Microsoft employees at the Redmond campus as of late) - I didn't hold it against them that they took over one of my favorites.

Offering Falafel, Beef/Chicken Schawarma, hummus, lebneh, batata, etc. - in both sandwich and plated forms - stuff for meat eaters and vegetarians alike.
They offer baklava for dessert, along with bananas and Nutella.

I ordered the Beef Schawarma plate, which came with salad, hummus, the beef schawarma (over rice), and a toasted pita. This is PLENTY of food.

The schwarama had a sweetness to it, and a definite fennel flavor, more than I can detect in most dishes from other establishments. Unique, and tasty. The rice was cooked perfectly, very flavorful and a nice accompaniment to the beef.

This is good stuff. Veggie pitas are $5, meat $6, and plates $7. I would venture to guess that a plate is for a super-sized appetite, and the smaller servings are more than enough for most, as I am not going to be able to finish this in one sitting.