Checked Out: Food Carts
Danny Perez-Crouse
I love food carts, but I hate driving to downtown Portland. So I was happier than a kid in a candy store when I discovered the Rose City Food Park.
This food cart pod, located in Northeast Portland, is dedicated to delivering food with all-natural, farm-fresh ingredients and is the first pod to go 100 percent compostable. There is plenty of parking and an area for kids to play.
I have tried almost every fine establishment at the Park, and have yet to be disappointed. The Bridgetown Bagel Company will serve you a tasty bagel loaded with whatever savory delights you want. El Guero offers massive burritos that challenge the girth, taste and price of a Chipotle’s burrito (yes, they are that good). And if you want something that just screams Portland, try Moberi Smoothies. At this shack, all the smoothies and shakes are attached to a bicycle, and blended by your physical labor. This is just a taste of what’s available at the park.
For my last trip, I decided to check out Rockin’ Robyn’s Sassy Burger. I can understand why it’s called the Sassy Burger, because these sandwiches have some serious attitude. The patties will sock you right in the jaw with some vicious flavors, which are complemented by crisp veggies and toasted buns. I could eat the patty by itself because it is so loaded with flavor. The fries, also delicious, are thick but have a slight crunch and are seasoned to perfection.
What’s really special about this cart is the lady behind the counter. Robyn is a kind soul and is happy to serve you. She is one of the friendliest food cart owners I have met and she makes the eating experience that much better.
Robyn’s portions are huge, but can get pricey, so I recommend the amazing deal that is the cheap Sassy Basket. It comes with a good-sized burger, plenty of fries and a drink, for only $5. You’re not going to get quality burgers and fries with portions like this anywhere else. Oh, and her five-dollar shake is to die for (yes, it’s a “Pulp Fiction” reference).
You can find the Rose City Food Park located near Hollywood Fitness and the Bike Gallery on Northeast Sandy Boulevard, between 52nd and 53rd avenues.
Shelby Schwartz
Visiting food carts is a Portland pastime and in a city that claims to have several hundred carts with food of all varieties, you can find pretty much any type or combination to savor at these mobile Meccas.
Earlier this week I visited the Mississippi Marketplace food cart pod, in North Portland’s historic Mississippi neighborhood. When I arrived around 6 p.m., I was surprised to find that only one cart in the 10-cart pod was open. However, it was the “Homegrown Smoker” vegan barbeque cart.
As a vegetarian, eating at a vegan BBQ cart was A-okay with me. I felt only slightly disappointed that I didn’t have more carts to choose from or even a place to grab a sweet post-meal treat. But then I received my food — a barbeque sandwich topped with apple wood smoker soy curls, chipotle slaw and maple bourbon BBQ sauce, appropriately named the “SloSmoMoFo” — and ordered the mac-nocheese as my side. My meal was delicious, and for eight bucks it was a decent amount and a great price as vegan food tends to be a little on the pricey side.
Although none of the other carts were open, I’m happy with the meal I had. Among the other carts in the pod that I would have liked to try were “The Big Egg,” a vegetarian-friendly breakfast sandwich cart; “KOi Fusion,” a fun fusion of Korean BBQ and Mexican flavors; and the “Native Bowl,” a vegan-friendly cart specializing in healthy salad-style bowls. Even with those tantalizing options, there is an 80 percent chance that I still would have chosen to eat at the Homegrown Smoker, however.
A cool aspect of the Mississippi pod, despite it being pretty dead for a Tuesday night, is that the German pub next door, “Prost!” allows pod patrons to bring their food into the pub or onto the patio, with purchase of a drink.
Now, before sending you off on your own journey to find a great Portland pod, I offer a bit of advice on giving the food cart scene a try. Before you leave the house with your specific pod destination in mind, be sure to do a bit of research first. Check the website of the pod you’d like to try and look at the hours of each individual cart. If the cart you wanted to try is closed you might want to try another pod or pick another day or time of day to visit that pod.
Food carts are one of my new favorite Portland adventures and, for sure, I will be back to the Mississippi Marketplace soon to sample more of the Homegrown Smoker menu and to try several of the other carts.
The Mississippi Marketplace, closed on Mondays, is at 4233 N. Mississippi Ave. in Portland.
Jeff Hannig
Standing on the corner of Northeast 24th Avenue and Glisan Street and looking northeast, you can see “The Ocean” in its entirety. The Ocean is a great solution for when you and your friends/family can’t decide on one place for a meal.
My coworker first told me about The Ocean and described it as an old auto mechanic shop that had been turned into a few different restaurants. It is just that, and more. Each micro-restaurant has a wooden garage door and each sits fewer than 20 people but there is plenty of seating outside when it’s not raining. The shops share walls, a courtyard and are all about the size of a boutique gift shop.
On my first visit to The Ocean a month ago, I enjoyed the polenta + meatballs for $8 from 24th & Meatballs. I went with the classic Italian, the pork picante and the BOTD – that’s “Ball of the Day” – pork with tomato basil and a splash of “creamy cheesy.”
It was amazing.
It wasn’t heavy or greasy and, best of all, the balls were not dry or crumbly.
I went back to The Ocean this weekend hell-bent to try Basa Basa, a “black-and-white Korean fried chicken” spot, but, sadly, it was closed. I popped into Uno Mas, a taco shop, but couldn’t justify paying $2 for “street tacos” I could easily get at any taco truck for a dollar. Also, I’m a sucker for burgers, so I went to Slowburger.
Slowburger was fine, with kind of a bland patty and a little greasy, also for $8. And yet, when I asked if I could get my meal to go, because my friend was at the 24th & Meatballs, the server said she would bring it over to us. I also asked if we could take our cups over if we promised to bring them back, and she said “you can probably leave them there; (Meatballs) will bring them back to us.” Can’t knock that service.
The onion rings on my burger were great, but I couldn’t help but wish I were eating my friend’s meatball hero, instead.
That same friend, knowing I was writing a review, made me try a taco from Uno Mas. I had the tripe and it was tasty, a lot like calamari or rigatoni. I joked with the attendant that I was scared, but after eating it found I would be happy to order it again.
Around the corner there is a butcher shop, Tails and Trotters, that never seems to be open and the Pie Spot. The Pie Spot sells little “pie holes” that are incredibly addicting. My favorite is the chocolate hazelnut.
I got it to go, and had it with a cup of coffee when I got home – just the right way to top off an easy trip to “The Ocean.”
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