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Portland loves its pop-ups. But we have never seen one quite like Little Stinky’s Trash Palace, a celebration of “gourmet trash” cuisine. Lil Stinky’s, as it is commonly known (not to be confused with Lil Stinky, the local septic tank service), is fronted by a snarly-looking cartoon opossum peering from a garbage can wearing a golden crown and holding a scepter. Despite some trepidation about the theme and probable digestive downside to dining here, Lil Stinky’s rose to the top of my must-try list for novelty value alone.
Lil Stinky’s is led by Nick Numkena-Anderson, 32, an accidental chef whose long experience in the food service industry had primarily been on the front-of-house side, including managerial roles with Submarine Hospitality Group and ChefStable, eventually moving to the kitchen at Sammich sandwich shop. There, he became acquainted with his decade-younger Lil Stinky’s associates: Kyle Robertson, a onetime Safeway butcher and current sous chef; Jayden Nix, a Florida refugee; and Holden “Malone” Martin, who began at Sammich right out of high school.
Although Lil Stinky’s rotating menu of edible absurdities is a group effort, Numkena-Anderson insists that Nix and Martin deserve credit for the wilder ideas that have drawn a small but enthusiastic following. According to Numkena-Anderson, the two would enthusiastically consume all manner of “nasty junk food” on breaks at Sammich. This might include “whole Costco size bags of Takis, everything covered in some sort of sauce, flamin’ hot everything, energy drinks, and insane amounts of American cheese.”
The dishes that inspired the menu at Lil Stinky’s are comparatively refined: chile relleno corn dogs, smoked poblano beer Philly cheesesteaks, Funyuns fried onion rings, Doritos chilaquiles, smoked brisket cheesy hot Cheeto balls, and so forth. Also popular with the Lil Stinky’s crew are riffs on fast food joints or old cartoons such as the “McStinkys Breakfast.” What’s not to like?
In candor, when I first glimpsed Lil Stinky’s royal opossum logo (designed by Numkena-Anderson) and menu a few months ago, I was simultaneously attracted and repelled. There was an echo of arriving at a Las Vegas all-you-can-eat buffet, with its threat-promise of wretched excess. Suffice it to say, I have attended my fair share of Vegas buffets and, for that matter, am no stranger to heinous junk food. (Who says the weed wasn’t strong in the ‘80s?)
Though a visit to Lil Stinky’s was inevitable, I kept missing the occasional pop-up dates as the summer months sprinted by. Finally, I was able to check it out on Sept. 14 at Mayfly taproom, millennial sidekick in tow to expand available capacity.
The verdict on Lil Stinky’s: solid elevated junk food, thoughtfully conceived and well executed, delicious in its own demented way. It is the kind of stuff that pairs perfectly with televised sports, day drinking or whenever the brain demands a pause from moderation.
We started with ranch dressing powder-enhanced tempura dill pickle slices served with a ramekin of “stank sauce,” a ubiquitous condiment comprising the holy trinity of ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise, plus puréed peppers ($4.99). From there, the highlights included gluten-free “Doritos tamales locos flamas,” with cheese and crushed corn chips stuffed into masa dough topped with nacho cheese sauce, ground beef, Mama Lil’s peppers, a ribbon of sour cream, a scatter of herbs, and a few Flamin’ Hot Cheetos crowning the ensemble ($11.99); a happily grease-free “hash sando” featuring hashbrown slabs as a bun encasing abundant boar bacon, scrambled egg, American cheese, and more stank sauce ($11.99); and a Frito pie “trash bag”-style, which relies on the chip bag to hold its burden of Fritos (or choice of other snack crackers) plus mostly the same toppings that come with the tamale along with more boar bacon ($9.99). Overall, flavors were surprisingly restrained and well-balanced. It was a worthwhile adventure on a dying summer afternoon with no trashy aftereffects.
Check it out for yourself. Lil Stinky and friends will appreciate you.
SEE IT: Check out Little Stinky’s next pop up at Gigantic Brewing, 4343 SE Hawthorne Blvd., @lilstinkys.trashpalace. Noon–7 pm Sunday, Sept. 22.