May 20 2010
Slow and Low
Location: E Burnside at 7th
[Location updated July 2010]
The Story:
My neighborhood is getting more carts. How am I so lucky? And..I don’t live downtown. A new pod has sprouted up in a parking lot on N Albina at Blandena just south of Albina Press. The pod is only a few blocks north of Mississippi Marketplace. After riding my bike throughout the car-free streets of NE Portland on Sunday, I was hungry for a sandwich, so I decided to drop by Slow and Low to see what they had to offer.
Slow and Low is the work of Amber, Joel and Sam and has only been open for about a week when I arrived. In a shiny new NMK custom built cart, Slow and Low is focusing on slow cooked pork for their tasty sandwiches. The pig is from Carlton Farms, so you know they are sourcing local and from a trusted purveyor of meats. The pork is their labor of love and you can taste it in the cooking.
My post bike enjoyment was the Boston Braised pork butt sandwich. Braised pork shoulder that is slowly roasted until it falls apart. Slow and Low’s version is marinated in a chipotle/coconut milk sauce which gives it an extra creamy and spicy flavor profile. The chipotle spice isn’t in the front of the mouth, more a creeper heat once you have swallowed and enjoyed all the other complex flavors. Built on a Fleur de Lis ciabatta roll with a slaw of finely chipped carrots and daikons, the sandwich went perfect with a cold beer after my Sunday ride. I can’t wait to return to try the Cantonese inspired pork belly sandwich. Anywhere I see anything with Kimchi is a winner in my book.
Slow and Low is admittedly “working out the kinks.” That’s what happens in the first few weeks of opening. They are currently open daily except for Wednesday, 11-8, but those later hours will depend on customers and traffic. The menu may change, but not the spirit. Check back often to see what’s new. Amber and Joel were in the cart the day I visited and were kind and welcoming to a neighbor who was hungry. I’m glad to have more options for cart food within walking distance of my back porch. Head on up there is you are looking for a change from what is available at Mississippi Marketplace and let them know Food Carts Portland sent ya.
Sample Menu:
- Classic Pork Confit: housemade sauerkraut, crunchy red onion pickle, horseradish golden beet mustard and arugula – $8
- Braised Boston Butt: braised pork butt in chipotle coconut milk sauce with Vietnamese carrot daikon pickle and Thai basil – $8
- Olive Oil Roasted Portabella: Malbec braised red beet, tomatillo pumpkin seed romesco and arugula – $7
- Cantonese Inspired Hook roasted belly: pork belly served with housemade kimchi mayo, fennel pickle, cilantro and iceberg lettuce – $8
Hours: Daily, 11am-8pm except for Wednesday.
Website: SlowandLowPDX.com
Twitter: @SlowandLowPDX Facebook: SlowandLowPDX
You need to fix their website on your page here. It doesn’t work. This one does http://slowandlowpdx.blogspot.com/
I hope to visit them soon!
hey guys, website should be up later on today
slowandlowpdx.com
I need another food cart like I need fairy godmother and a beer. Which is to say, keep ‘em coming guys!
Hey Brett,
There’s a typo in the name of the catagory. Should be ‘Blandena’ instead of ‘Blandina’…FYI
~Grae
Err. I mean category. LOL
~Grae
Wow…that looks fantastic! I’ll have to give that one a try. anyone familiar with this food cart and got an opinion – “Addy’s” I read about it at the site listed above…sounded good
Joel, Amber and Sam are f*cking rad! It also helps that their sammies are packed full of flavor. The pork confit is a karate chop of porky goodness to your taste buds…melt in your mouth. I’ve also been the lucky recipient to sample the braised pork butt with chipotle coconut yum yum sauce, also very tender with a touch of heat and sweetness. Who doesn’t love perfectly cooked beets and roasted portabella mushrooms…paired with an inventive tomatillo pumpkin seed romesco. These guys are genuine to their craft and it shows. I look forward to sampling more of their wares and so should you!!
Welcome to the hood boys:)
xoxoxox!
i’ll have to try the confit, but i had a pork belly sandwich and it was just okay. the sauce way overshadowed the meat and the “meat” was all fat. yes, i know that’s what belly is, and why i like it, but even i have my limits. twice as much meat would make the sandwich taste better and make it worth the money too.
One of the owner’s came into my work a couple of day’s ago and left a card very nice individual. Food look’s great to!
Good luck and welcome to the business.
Mike
Curtis-Trailers
I love the fact that they’re open on Mondays. I tried the Braised Boston Butt a couple weeks ago and loved it. I tried the Confit today and I think I like it even more. You can tell they put a lot of love into every sandwich that they make. I highly recommend visiting this cart.
I had the pork belly sandwich and thought it was quite delicious. i am looking forward to trying some of the other sandwiches in the near future. the rolls were fresh baked and superb. i haven’t had much pork belly before but i thought this was juicy and smokey goodness. thanks again.
slow and low not there today. i hope they are just fixing the kitchen or something. this cart is about 500 feet from my house and i LOVE IT.
George,
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Slow and Low has moved to SE 7th and Burnside. Set to re-open on Friday, July 23.
Oh man, just saw this parked at the new spot on burnside. I am stoked!
Enjoyed a wonderful sandwich today along with one of their natural sodas. This cart offers a selection of a few really gourmet and unique sandwiches. The meat and veggies were excellent and so was the baguette. Service is good. I had the chance to look inside this cart and it is by far the cleanest cart that I have ever seen.