Jun 01 2009
Nuevo Mexico
Nuevo Mexico
Location: N Mississippi and Skidmore (Mississippi Marketplace)
Description:
You may think this is another taco cart review. Sure you jest. Nuevo Mexico is a food cart cuisine we have yet to discover in Portland. While the food does have Mexican influences, it is New Mexican. And with Jesse Sandoval, who worked in a food cart with his mom at the age of 12, in the kitchen, you know it is going to be tasty. Oh, and Jesse was the drummer for The Shins to boot.
I ventured down to Nuevo Mexico today at lunch, along with many others who have been awaiting its opening for a few weeks. I didn’t honestly know what I was in for. I new it wasn’t going to be traditional Mexican fare. The menu is pretty simple with only a few items on it. I like that because it makes deciding so much simpler. I sometimes wish I could walk up to a place and they would tell me what I was going to eat instead of me having to choose. While I waited to order, a group of people received their orders of Sopapillas. That is the first item on the menu and what I was going to order and just seeing it sold me. A sopapilla is made with pressed dough that is then deep fried until golden brown. It then puffs up, creating a perfect vessel for stuffing. The sopapilla I ordered was the carne adovada which is described as a “traditional New Mexican pork in adobo sauce.” Marinated Pork? Sold! This carne is served with some beans, lettuce and cheese to fill out the sopapilla. It was so good. I know adobo can sometimes be hot spicy, but in this case, the spiciness was more flavorful and not overpowering. The sopapilla pocket, while it is deep fried wasn’t greasy, but more light and fluffy. And Jesse was making them from scratch.
Normally I venture off to eat my lunch at a park or back at the office. Today I stuck around and listened to all the well wishers come by and welcome Nuevo Mexico to the neighborhood. Jesse hopes to eventually offer some breakfast burritos, so watch for those in the near future.
I love being introduced to new flavors and spices and other ways people prepare their food. Jesse grew up in an environment where cart food was paramount and worked with his mother and grandmother for years. Some of that expertise obviously rubbed off. Welcome to the neighborhood Nuevo Mexico.
Sample Menu:
- Carne Adovada Sopapilla – $5.50
- Sopapilla with beef, beans, green chilis – $5
- Carne Adovada Burrito – $5
- Beef beans and green chili burrito – $4.50
- Green chile chicken stew – $4
- Sweet Lunas (a small sopapilla with honey and powdered sugar) – $3
- Mexican Coca Cola – $2
Hours: Wednesday-Friday, 12pm-7pm; Saturday, 11am-7pm; Sunday, 11am-5pm
Contact: Nuevo Mexico on Facebook
Walked 13 blocks today only to find the cart closed, with no explanation.
Having grown up in northern New Mexico, this confirms for me that the cart is authentic New Mexican.
Manana, por la manana.
He’s up and running again. Good carne!
This is the food cart of former The Shins drummer Jesse Sandoval!
Just wanted to note there is also a vegetarian sopapilla option for $4.50 (as well as a veggie burrito). I got it on Friday – I think it came with pintos, salsa, chiles, lettuce, and cheese. I assume this could be easily made vegan without the cheese (but ask first).
I’d never had a sopapilla before, and I wasn’t sure quite what to expect. It was really tasty and fluffy – not greasy, like the review says. Good flavorful filling – a little kick of spice. Overall not too heavy, I was sated but not drowsy! Important factor for a workday meal.
Don’t go if you’re in a rush, as these are made to order (and so far, just Jesse working), there was a bit of a wait. Plus, many of the customers seemed to be friends of his, so lots of chatting going on.
Jesse gave me a sample of the sweet lunas – yum, reminded me of country fair food (in a good way!). A small triangle of sweet puffy pastry laced with honey & powdered sugar – like a bite size elephant ear. Topped it off with a Mexican Coke (in a bottle) – so refreshing.
Time to post some hours. I walked here on a Monday lunchtime and it was closed for no posted reason with no clue of when they are open.
If you can find out the hours, let me know and I’ll post them. Until then, and as I always advise people; if you really want to visit a specific cart it is always a good idea to call first to check if and when they are open from day to day. Carts often have volatile hours. I’ve learned this from experience.
Decent advice Cuisine Bonne Femme – if there was a posted phone number.
yeah, a phone number would help wouldn’t it? Anyone know?
I didn’t see a number, but I asked the guy today what the official hours were. The answer: 11 am – 4 pm every weekday as long as he doesn’t run out of dough. Apparently, he arrived to the cart yesterday to find that someone had unhooked his gas line and let all his fuel run out, so he couldn’t make anything.
Thanks for the update Kody. I think it is important to remember that it is sometimes hard for the carts – they are often one man or one woman operations with limited resources and extra challenges (like the above fuel line vandalism).
I ate there for the first time today….great sopapilla…but I’m always a bit fussy about “bare hands” handling all that stuff that I’m going to be eating…especially when those bare hands are touching so many other things,including money, etc.
I ate here for the first time today (lived in NM so always craving green chile!). I was very pleased with the QUALITY of the sopaipilla but not the QUANTITY. It seems like a snack rather than a whole lunch. I have been back to my desk for an hour and I’m already hungry again…
they were closed for friday lunch today? anybody know what’s up?
Great story on them in the latest MIX: http://www.oregonlive.com/mix/index.ssf/2009/07/how_to_open_and_run_your_own_food_cart.html … but … I tried to go there last Tuesday (July 14) and they weren’t open then either. I wish Jesse would at least post a sign explaining why the cart’s closed.
Just got back from trying a stuffed sopaipilla from this cart, and all I can say is FINALLY! Finally, a tiny oasis of New Mexico flavor in this town. As a native New Mexican, I have tried and been sorely disappointed with the two restaurants who have tried their hands at New Mexico cooking, The Adobe Rose in Sellwood and Encanto in North Portland. The thing they never got right was the GREEN CHILE. This new cart got everything right, from the flavor and hot spiciness of their green chile sauce, to the flavor and texture of the beans, to the light crispiness of the sopaipilla. I am a New Mexican transplant who goes to great lengths to get my green chile from Hatch every year and roasts and freezes it so that I can have my chile throughout the year. I have often wondered why no one has opened a restaurant serving the soul food of New Mexico and can only surmise that obtaining the right ingredients from the food service companies in town would be a deterrent. Where are they getting their chiles? The only complaint that I have is that there needs to be more items to choose from, like maybe blue corn green chile enchiladas with a fried egg on top, or some posole! I realize these might surpass the capabilities of a small cart, but a girl can dream can’t she? I have a good feeling that they could do these dishes justice. So, KUDOS and THANK YOU, to the Nuevo Mexico cart, you got it right!!! — Your new regular customer
Just ate at Nuevo Mexico. The hungry man that I am ate two lunches. I ordered the carne adovada sopapilla first. It was slow roasted, shredded seasoned pork with pintos, tomato, cheese, and lettuce in a fried, crispy flour tortilla. Delicious but I was still hungry and wanted to try another item I ordered the green chile chicken stew. This was SPICY! Had pintos, green chiles, tomatoes, chicken chunks, and potatoes. Topped with cheddar cheese. My mouth is still cooling down 15 mins later. I am nourished & satisfied. Spent $9.50 on lunch though.
[...] movement. Nor do I, but I do really want a HUGE PART of whatever he’s cookin’ up in that truck of his. And I ain’t lyin’. Share and [...]
Ummm….went today and the cart was closed once again. Really disappointed because I was in the mood for some sopapillas. There is a note stating that he is moving the cart soon. Does anyone have any information about this??
yeah, it was on OregonLive today…both him and a new Sugar Cube are moving to that new cart pod on Mississippi. Should open in September per the article.
http://www.oregonlive.com/dining/index.ssf/2009/08/sugar_cube_and_nuevo_mexico_he.html
Over all I enjoyed the food. It mostly new to me, I enjoy it though. Growing up around families of Latin and Native backgrouonds this food seemed familiar to me. The sopapias (yummy) are basically indian fry bread and the “adovada” is just like the very tasty Mexican beef “adobada”. Seems like they just changed the letter in the Southwest.
I think this place is great to start for those wanting to explore new foods and this can be a bridge to being more experimental with traditional Mexican and Native American food.
Give yourself some time when going. Sometimes it can be busy or people just visiting and hanging around. Oh and these are not normal business hours. Make sure to check before you go.
[...] current food cart tenants of the marketplace are Nuevo Mexico, The Big Egg, Native Bowl, Magic Bean, SW Pizza, Ruby Dragon, Dogfeathers, Sushi Tree, Patty’s [...]
Jesse’s mom’s Carne Adovada is legendary in Albuquerque, NM so I can imagine that it is delicious. I am dooling just Thinking about it. Way to go Jesse.
[...] the rest here: Food Carts Portland » Nuevo Mexico Share and [...]
is this cart even open any more?? what is the story?
not to gripe, but i was by today (wednesday) at 2pm and it was closed. i live about 4 blocks away and it *seems* like i barely ever see it open.
i understand its winter and all, and food carts can have, um, less than reliable schedule… but places like koi fusion have set the bar high with keeping in touch with “the people”. nuevo mexico website is still devoid of info (and says they are downtown), their facebook page hasnt been touched since before xmas (and that was by fans, not them) and still says they are open wednesdays (not today), and, probably most frustrating, there is never so much as a hand-scrawled note on the cart.
where is the love??! i just wanna eat some yummy food? or a little note somewhere about wassup….
Stopped by the cart POD on Mississippi today looking to try Nuevo Mexico. No luck, closed. In looking at all of these comments, it sounds like its closed more often than not. Too bad, as it seems impossible to figure out when its actually open. Not knocking the vegan thing, but when you’re itching for carne and all that is available at the POD across 4 carts is vegan food, its kind of depressing.
Every site has different hours posted for this cart. I’ve been by several times when it claims to be open but what do you know, closed.
I work during the week til 5 ( shocker, I know ), even if I try and swing by on they way home, CLOSED! Every weekend, CLOSED!
Am I going to have to wait for summer for you to be open???
Jesse, if you’re reading this, open your damn cart!!!