Eat Mobile 2009: All listings
Altengartz Bratwurst
This sausage truck, decorated with a red, black and gold silhouette of Germany, grills up authentic bratwurst made from local pork, with no additives. The brats are plump and juicy, spiced but not too spicy, with a pleasing snap in every bite. The rolls are fluffy and warm. The only toppings you should consider are the sauerkraut, which is more sweet than sour, and the Käse sauce of melted Swiss cheese, garlic and spices.
BEST BITE: Brat-topped sauerkraut and cheese, $6.50.
CHEAPEST BITE: See above.
Cafe Velo
Software marketer Rick Wilson has maneuvered his three-wheeled, 800-pound Dutch-made Bakfiets cargo bike to three of the Portland farmers markets each week since last spring. Once he sets “Cafe Vélo’s” emergency brake, which, considering the bike’s weight, actually resembles a car hand brake, Wilson unfolds the contraption to reveal a zinc-capped bar topped with porcelain filters that he uses to brew up to seven cups of coffee simultaneously on his handmade drip stand. For $2.50, you get a cup of Stumptown single-origin coffee, ground to order and brewed while you wait. There’s nothing else like it in the city. 8:30 am-2 pm Saturdays at the Portland Farmers Market at Portland State University.
DEEDA SCHROEDER. Portland Farmers Market. www.cafe-velo.com MapCLOSED Al Forno Ferruzza (cart)
Unless you’re a student at Portland State University, you’ll have to go a bit out of your way to try the pizza and Sicilian treats at this “purple people feeder” (their words, not ours). It’s worth the trek: Owner Stephen Ferruzza makes killer hand-tossed artisan pizzas, calzones ($5) and specials ($5 with bread) like eggplant Parmesan that rival some of the best Italian restaurants in town. Ferruzza, an affable dude in his early 20s, learned the dough trade (he also bakes and sells Italian breads for about $3 per loaf) from his Sicilian kinfolk and has some pretty impressive credentials: He cooked at Lake Placid Lodge in upstate New York. Pies are made in the traditional manner, with dough left to proof and mellow overnight and baked in an 800-degree oven. A large slice is $3, a nine-inch “personal pizza” is $6, and a whole pie goes for $14.
CUISINE BONNE FEMME. Southwest 4th Avenue and College Street. 315-523-3407. MapFat Kitty Falafel
A trip to Fat Kitty is good for two things: some of the best falafel in town and some of the weirdest stories. Owner Al Herre has been operating the cart since 2002, and on a recent visit he was in an especially jovial mood, telling me about the problems with his fryer and the time his car was hit by a huge, ’roided out dude with “Big Swede” on his vanity plate. Herre’s falafel sandwich ($5) rivals his big mouth, with four pieces of nutty, not-too-greasy falafel served with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and a tangy cilantro tahini.
BEST BITE: The first bit of the falafel after it comes out of the deep fryer.
CHEAPEST BITE: The $5 falafel!
Flavour Spot Lombard
One-handed consumption makes the Dutch taco (waffle “taco” with fillings) the most convenient brunch experience in town. Banish your hangover with sausage patties and maple syrup ($4.50), or get a gooey lunch with the ham and cheese ($4). Like all things, the wafflaco can be taken too far: God never meant smoked salmon ($6) to go on a Belgian waffle, as it did in a recent weekend special. But these are rare missteps. There’s a good reason why this corner gravel pit is crowded almost every day. (AS) North Lombard Street between Denver and Greeley Avenues.
AS. North Lombard Street between Denver and Greeley Avenues. 289-9866. flavourspot.com MapFlavour Spot Mississippi
One-handed consumption makes the Dutch taco (waffle “taco” with fillings) the most convenient brunch experience in town. Banish your hangover with sausage patties and maple syrup ($4.50), or get a gooey lunch with the ham and cheese ($4). Like all things, the wafflaco can be taken too far: God never meant smoked salmon ($6) to go on a Belgian waffle, as it did in a recent weekend special. But these are rare missteps. There’s a good reason why this corner gravel pit is crowded almost every day.
Mississippi: Breakfast and lunch daily, early dinner Monday-Friday.
ADRIENNE SO. Corner of North Mississippi Avenue and Fremont Street. 282-9866. flavourspot.com MapGarden State
This super-shiny metal trailer makes some of the best Sicilian-inspired mangiare in the city. Owner Kevin Sandri prepares classics like Italian sausage with grilled peppers on a ciabatta roll, a meatball sandwich, a wonderfully moist and smoky grilled chicken Diablo ($12 for a whole bird) big enough to serve two. The real specialty here, though, is the arancine ($6): four racquetball-sized fried orbs infused with heady saffron and stuffed with either molten mozzarella or a meat ragú that would make Nonna proud.
CUISINE BONNE FEMME. Southeast 13th Avenue and Lexington Street, across from the Sellwood Library. 705-5273. MapGrilled Cheese Grill
This new cart is set to open in late April on Northeast Alberta Street. We'll be interested to see what twist owner Matt Breslow puts on our favorite comfort food. Try 'em at Eat Mobile first! 1027 NE Alberta. Hours TBA.
KELLY CLARKE. 1027 NE Alberta St. MapJunior Ambassadors
Many carts are built around one individual’s ideal of the perfect food, from french fries to hot wings. Rudy Speerschneider has been obsessed with the cold stuff ever since the former BridgePort Brewing Co. pizza cook found an old wooden ice-cream maker and churned up his own batch of vegan coconut-curry ice cream in 2004. These days he churns up new, amazing odd-ball flavors all the time, from maple and corn to smoked salmon—as well as serving tasty "pan-wiches" at his cart. Open most days in the open lot next to 4734 North Albina Street.
KELLY CLARKE. 4734 North Albina St. 880-0851. uniorambassadors.com MapLeroy's Familiar Vittles
Let us talk for a moment about collard greens. Cooked indifferently, they’re disgusting, barely an improvement on boiled spinach. Prepared right, they’d blow Popeye’s head off—the vegetable keeps its crisp pop even when soaked through with hambone brine. LeRoy’s makes the best collards in Portland. Serve these to small children, and the kids will grow up to demand roughage at every meal. They will become strong enough to defeat Bluto in mortal combat. They will be virile, and sire generations of plant appreciators. These collards are made of Southern magic. Oh, right: LeRoy’s also serves a mean barbecue.
AARON MESH. Southeast 12th Avenue and Division St. 442-7241. MapLos Gorditos
Reasons to love this heavily accessorized taco truck: the wild, pink-and-blue mural, the covered deck, vegan tacos. That’s right, Los Gorditos has tapped Portland’s underfed soytotalers with a menu that offers tofu, soyrizo and grilled veggies alongside the carnal delights of carne asada, pastor and cabeza. The truck has an all-vegan cousin at Southeast 8th Avenue and Ankeny Street.
BEST BITE: Carne deshebrada burrito, $4.50.
CHEAPEST BITE: Tacos, $1.50.
Lulu's Confections
Lisa DeGrace of Lulu’s Confections says she enjoys giving her cookies away more than keeping them. After tasting her peanut-butter-and-jelly cookies, you’ll understand why. Meltingly tender and wickedly rich from plenty of butter, DeGrace’s peanut-butter shortbreads are nothing if not divine. She delivers lemon-ginger shortbreads, raspberry thumbprints ($1-$2) and even “couture cookies”—like Parmesan-and-pine-nut—on her pink $1,300 custom bike made by Pennsylvania-based Haley Tricycles. DEEDA SCHROEDER. Visit lulusconfections.blogspot.com or call 757-0212 to find out where Lulu's will be rolling to next.
DEEDA SCHROEDER. Portland. 503.757.0212. lulusconfections.blogspot.com MapMoxie Rx
Getting a fizz on a hot summer afternoon has become a Mississippi neighborhood tradition. Tucked onto a small lot beside Mississippi Records, the quaint, steel-sided cart would look equally at home on a dusty Alabama roadside, but the food is fresh, delicious and totally Northwestern. Owner Nancye Benson bakes all of the rolls and pastries every day. Try the maple steamer (milk and syrup, $3).
BEST BITE: The eggs and greens ($7) with bits of wild salmon.
CHEAPEST BITE: Blueberry fizz ($2.75).
Sip
Brian Heck’s 1967 trailer serves up delicious, organic, vegan juices and smoothies year-round, plus vegan “milkshakes” in warmer months. Whole boxes of fruits and vegetables disappear into his blender, emerging as colorful and filling concoctions poured into tall quart jars. The Tropical Greens smoothie contains kale, spinach, orange, pineapple, coconut oil, agave and ice in one smooth and cooling quaffer.
BEST BITE: The Standard, a sweet and spicy blend of apple, lemon, ginger and carrot, $4.50-$5.50.
CHEAPEST BITE: Hot chocolate, $1.75.
Soup Cycle
Soup from a can sucks. Luckily, PDX’s got local “souper” heroes Jed Lazar and Shauna Lambert from Soup Cycle, who deliver soup to your door weekly via bicycle. It’s almost as good as having your mom there. Unfortunately, they won’t hug you or rub your back...but you can try. LAURA SHINN. Quart of soup that serves two, $9 veggie/vegan, $10 meat. soupcycle.com.
LAURA SHINN. Portland. www.soupcycle.com MapTabor Authentic Czech Eatery
Affable couple running the cart with speedy service? Czech. Tasty food and plentiful servings? Czech. Silly puns? Czech. But really, when the cart has a sign that reads “Czech out Czech food,” how can you resist? Devour Tábor’s signature Schnitzelwich, a $6.50 mouth-stuffer of seasoned pork loin or chicken breast jammed into a Grand Central Bakery ciabatta roll with a wonderful breath-killing mix of paprika, sautéed onions and horseradish. Also filling is a 10-inch Bramborak: a potato pancake fried in olive oil. Uh, Czech it out.
BEST BITE: The Schnitzelwich.
CHEAPEST BITE: Bramborak, $4.
Todbott's Triangles
A long time fixture at the People's Co-op Farmer's Market, Todbott's Triangles serves what is traditionally known as o-nigiri—Japanese rice balls packed with stuffings and seasonings from salmon to honey (not in the same triangle, though). They're only $2 a piece! Available vegetarian and vegan. People’s Coop Farmer’s Market, 3029 SE 21st Avenue. Nearly every Wednesday 3-7 pm.
KELLY CLARKE. 2827 NE Alberta St. 971-344-9548. MapA to Z
Food
