May 06 2009
Caraquena
[Update January 2010 - Caraquena is closed and is moving to North Portland to re-open in February at new locastion]
Location: On the move
Description:
Caraquena is the newest cart on the scene, only 4 days old. On the side of the cart and on the menu, Caraquena is listed as Michelle’s Amazing Venezuelan Kitchen and today I enjoyed the first of what I believe will be amazing lunches.
I’m not sure I can describe what Venezuelan food is, so I won’t try. I suggest you go peruse the menu and head on down with your questions. What I do know is that Michelle makes her signature dishes from scratch. When I arrived around 12:40, you could tell she had been busy and she confirmed that. I wasn’t sure what to order from the pretty sizable menu, so she started describing items and making recommendations. She offered up empanadas and or arepas, describing the differences. I opted for Arepas which turned out to be sandwich like instead of a pocket like the empanada. They have an arepa special that gets you 2 arepas and 2 sides. While I stood around chatting with another patron, Michelle began to prepare my meal. She pulled out a Tupperware container of dough that she kneaded into a ball to make the arepa corn flour patty. Right there, she made it. I was floored. She then moved on to her cutting board to pound out freshly cut sweet plantains for plantain chips – just for me. I felt so special. The meal I ate consisted of 2 arepas – one of chicken and one of pork along with black beans and plantain chips with her signature sauces.
Arepa Especial
The food was excellent. Flavorful and a plenty. There was a lot there, so be prepared. I’m glad I stopped by.
As stated, Michelle has been open only 4 days and admittedly is still working out new cart kinks. Trust me, it is worth the wait. Welcome the neighborhood Michelle and Caraquena.
Sample Menu:
- Cruzado – Traditional Venezuelan stew – belly warming stew made with beef shank, chicken, exotic jungle roots, corn, potatoes, carrots, scallions and cilantro – $5.50
- Pabellon – Traditional Venezuelan plate – shredded cumin and sweet peppers, beef with house rice, black beans, sweet plantains and iceberg salad with house vinaigrette – $5.50
- Plantains – fried with choice of toppings – between $3.50 and $5
- Empanadas – fried corn flour turnovers – choice of chicken, beef, cheese or black bean – $4
- Arepas – corn flour patty sandwich – choice of beef and black bean, ham and cheese, beef with herbs, chicken, veggie – $4.50
- Combination plates for Empanadas or Arepas add 2 sides – between $5.50 and $6
- assorted drinks available
Phone: unknown
Email: unknown
Website: unknown
Hours: Lunchtime weekdays, including Saturday
Stoked. Excited to try this cart and am so happy with the proliferation of new amazing carts in Portland. This city keeps getting better and better on the food front.
Thanks for the write-up!
I happened across this cart today as well, after passing it by but never seeing it open for a week or more. I was so glad I stopped to read the menu.
I had the empanadas special, and for $6, got more food than I could handle. The empanadas were freshly made and fried, and that perfect combination of light and crispy. I had the cumin chicken one and the “domino” — black beans and a light, white cheese — though I preferred the chicken (“mechada”?). A side of white rice topped with more of that cheese, plus a side of fried plantains with two tasty sauces (one of which she described as a “horseradish aioli”) rounded out the meal.
Not the lightest or healthiest fare, but really good, and very unique, to my taste. I definitely need to go back and try the arepas.
Michelle is a great cook (she previously worked at the nearby, rarely open Golden Saigon cart on 5th) and very nice to talk to. She was a little slow today, but I think she’s still working out the process, and for food that fresh, it was worth the wait.
I’ve already eaten here twice! Everything I’ve had has been fantastic, and Michelle is the best- not only does she make amazing Venezuelan food to order, she also found and returned my wallet that I had dropped near her cart.
Highly recommended!
oh my, I am really excited for this one. I love arepas so much and usually only get them when I visit new york. too bad I just had lunch!
Oh, so good! I had:
*2 arepas – one w/beans and one w/the special for today – chicken pineapple
*plaintains – which were not squashed flat like the photo, but more like little cubes of bananas with cheese crumbled over
*beet salad
*Michelle also gave me a lovely little plate of red beans & rice to tide me over as I had to wait for a little while (there was a mad rush all at once!).
The beet salad was more like a cabbage slaw with little slivers of beets and peas (?), I think. Slightly sweet, crunchy, and a refreshing touch after the hefty arepas. Everything was flavored just right – not too bland or too salty, for my taste. The arepas (new to me) were really enjoyable – they were more crunchy than I expected and a nice change from the usual bread.
I also liked that she served my food with a paper plate w/foil on top. I love eating at the carts, but I always feel bad tossing the giant plastic take-out containers afterwards.
I will be back there soon! Just be patient, as she is the main cook, so don’t be in a rush.
I just tried this cart for the first time today. I was somewhat disappointed. I had the plate of the day which was one arepa, one empanada, coleslaw, white rice, and black beans. It was $8!!!! I wish I would have asked how much it was before ordering it (the prices were not listed on the board).
The bacon-something empanada was delicious although the size of a potsticker. The maple pork arepa was amazing and slightly bigger than the empanada. The scoop of coleslaw was bland and the rice and beans that filled half the plate were, well, rice and beans (I only ate a couple bites).
$8 should fill my belly but it didn’t and I’m not a huge eater. I feel like a sucker having paid that much for so little but at least I can say I tried a new (to me) cart.
I love this place! Michelle’s food is flavored perfectly, not too spicy but still savory and unique. The arepas are like a cornmeal “sandwich” filled with different meats depending on the day. Michelle is always gracious and fun. I have never been charged more than $6.50 a plate and have plenty leftover. Have no idea what the previous poster is talking about!!!! The imported sodas are $1.50 maybe the last woman got a drink along with her meal? Regardless if you’ve never tried Venezuelan food you’ve GOT TO DO IT!! Like Cuban but MEJOR!