Fernando’s Mundo Fiesta

January 29, 2010 by 17 Comments

Fernando'sLocation: SW 4th and College by PSU

The Story:

Fernando’s Mundo Fiesta is one of those carts that is always crowded at lunch time. With a menu that covers 3-4 poster size boards, you can understand they have something to satisfy even the most picky eater. I had initially thought it was a traditional Mexican taqueria, but to my surprise, I realized they do burgers, Philly cheese steaks, vegetarian sandwiches, wraps and more.

I was asked by friends to introduce them to some new food carts so we walked down to the cart pod at SW 4th and Hall by PSU. With 18 carts, I thought it would offer the best selection. Fernando’s was not busy that day and offered up burgers, something we all agreed upon wanting. It was actually challenging to choose which burger I wanted from the menu – they list 12 different burgers along with daily specials. Pineapple, hot peppers, ham, bacon, mushroom – most any topping you would want, you can get.
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Filed Under: Hamburgers, Lunch, Mexican, Sandwiches, SW 4th and College, Vegetarian Options

Whiffies and VENDRTV

January 27, 2010 by 1 Comment

Whiffies, Portland’s very own fried pie master is this week’s showcase for VENDRTV. Such a fun day that was back in June. Remember that storm?

To top it all off, Dan Delaney from VENDRTV is back in town this weekend for a quick visit to the Rose City. We’re having an EATup on Saturday night at Cartopia. Come one, Come all. 10pm. SE 12th and Hawthorne.

Filed Under: CART CULTURE, NEWS Tagged With:

Cart moves, Contest, Book

January 27, 2010 by 5 Comments

My friend and fellow cart fan Paul Gerald of Breakfast in Bridgetown is having a writing contest about your favorite breakfast. Partnering with Mindie Kniss who organizes the PDX Breakfast Club at Meetup.com, they want to to hear your story. I do too. See, I’m a guest judge, so maybe you have a wonderful story of breakfast at a cart on a cold winter day? Flavour Spot? The Big Egg? Parkers Waffles? BrunchBox? More details about the contest and the prizes can be found here. Deadline is January 29th.
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Stellas on Stark is moving. This new up and comer currently at SW 3rd and Stark will be closing for the month of February in order to fit out a new cart and move to SW 10th and Alder. This is your last week for awhile to enjoy some of their great food. Good luck guys.
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Speaking of moves, Caraquena Venezuelan has decided to relocate to North Portland at the burgeoning lot named Refuel North. As of last drive by, there are two carts open- Saucy BBQ and and Bob’s Roving Bakery. They are retrofitting the location for carts, so expect to see a quick growth up there in the near future. N Killingsworth and Greeley.
Garden State has moved its Sellwood location 1/2 block south of their former location. At 7907 SE 13th between the shops Tilde and Finds Old & New, directly across the street from Jade Tea House. They are still planning on opening at Mississippi Marketplace soon.

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Lastly, a food cart book is in the works. I, along with five other authors are partnering on a book about Portland’s food carts and the overall story with a photographer who has been roaming the streets of late. We’re in the early stages, so there aren’t too many details other than it is a great group of passionate food cart supporters and eaters. Watch for more details as they arise, including the opportunity to pre-order the book or maybe win a copy.

That’s it for now. Happy carting!

Filed Under: CART CULTURE, NEWS

Reusable Containers and the Law

January 25, 2010 by 27 Comments

In most cases it’s against the law to bring your own reusable food containers to food carts. Read on…

Many of you have asked why Food Carts Portland doesn’t encourage people to bring their own reusable containers to food carts, and why we never mention the idea of cart discounts for customers who bring their own containers. In fact, we’ve gotten a bit of flack over it recently on our Facebook page and through reader emails. Well, the answer is simple: we don’t want to get anyone in trouble. That is, did you know getting food from a food cart with your own reusable container is against health regulations? Sadly, in most cases, it is. It goes against both Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rules and subsequently, rules and laws Multnomah County must adhere to and enforce. It’s a lot of legalese and “governmentese” language to wade through but you can read the law here under Section 3-304.17.

Also, just to make sure we understood this clear and correctly, we called Multnomah County to get their take on it. They verified our findings in writing. Here’s the code the County provided to us in an email:

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Filed Under: CART CULTURE, NEWS, RESOURCES

Violetta

January 22, 2010 by 20 Comments

Rollin' EttaCLOSED

Location: 6238 SW Capitol Highway, Hillsdale Food Park

The Story:

You know how when you plan something, you have all intentions of sticking with a schedule and finishing on time and all that jazz? Then someone or something throws a monkey wrench at ya. Well, that is what has been happening with the new Violetta restaurant at Director Park. Over the last year, they have had their share of stumbling blocks including a kitchen explosion and fire that has delayed their opening until spring. So, what does one do? Turn lemons into lemonade. The owners of Violetta decided to take the restaurant to the streets and open the Rollin’ Etta, a food truck serving gourmet hamburgers, franks, fries and salads. The truck made its debut this week. Shiny.

When I first heard of the Rollin’ Etta a few weeks ago from a press release, I got a little excited. Gourmet hamburgers in a food truck? I’m a huge hamburger fan and have had the pleasure of tasting some of the best in the city, both at carts and at restaurants. Some are inexpensive but perfect gems. Others are rather expensive and again…perfect gems. They run the gamut. Hamburgers are something that can easily be screwed up though, so just by stating you offer gourmet hamburgers doesn’t mean they actually are. For Violetta though, I have to say they hit a home run. [Read more...]

Filed Under: CLOSED CARTS Tagged With: ,
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