Stella's

Location: SW 3rd and Stark

Description:

Over the past three weeks, I have seen this new cart go from drab white with yellow splotches to bright green with awnings, wondering the entire time what the owners have in store for us. Last week, I got a glimpse at the menu posted in the windows and became excited. Stella’s on Stark is now open and serving up some tasty bites.

We arrived, not intentionally, on day one. Right there, through the window were Alan and Teresa, the owners, welcoming us for lunch. Stella’s offers an interesting mix of burgers, including a veggie burger and other sandwiches. Being Friday is “burger Friday” for me, I scanned the offerings and decided upon the NWCP. Not sure what NWCP stand for, but I think it should be named “everyone we have put on a burger and tasty….”

Stella's

The NWCP was a burger topped with caramelized onion, bacon, wild mountain mushrooms, provalone, cheddar and blue cheese. I kinda missed reading that all that was on there, so was surprised at how monster the meal was. I saw bacon and cheese and that is usually all I need to get me excited about a burger. When Alan handed me the meal in a large paper bag, he stated it was a “fork burger.” Having never heard that term,  I asked what he meant. All he said, with a wry smile…”you’ll see.”  The burger was great. Massive and unwielding, but great. The three cheeses were intense and the mushrooms, along with the burger were enough to feed a small army. While I did start out with the fork, I soon evaluated my napkin supply and dove in with both hands. One think that stood out was the bacon. First, a great choice of bacon and second, plenty of it. A good burger.

Stella’s on Stark is now open for lunch on the weekdays and is planning to be open late night on the weekends to sate the downtown bar crowd. Over the weekend, I did see some post on Twitter stating that they were actually open into the night and serving up their signature dishes. Check out Stella’s if you are hungry and want a new twist on a burger and tell them Food Carts Portland sent ya.

Sample Menu:

• All burgers 100% angus and served on grilled bun with garlic mustard aoli
• The Colbert Burger – tomato, onions, greens, cheddar cheese & pickle – $6
• Stella Blue – wild mountain mushrooms, caramelized fennel, bacon, fried egg and blue cheese – $6.50
• NWCP – caramelized onion, bacon, wild mountain mushrooms, provalone, cheddar, blue cheese – $6.50
• Garaj Mahal (veggie burger) – roasted fennel and chick pea burger, caramelized fennel, peppers, onions, tomato, and greens with curry aoli – $6
• Tony’s Dog – brat on hoagie topped with chicken enchilada chili, grilled onions, peppers, fried egg and provalone – $6

Hours: Monday through Friday, 11am-3pm, Friday and Saturday nights-  late night
Twitter: StellasonStark

The Spud Locker

Closed as of May 2010

Location: SW 2nd and Stark

Description: Remember the “baked potato bar” craze of the 1970s and 1980s? Shopping malls, all-you-can-eat buffets, and school cafeterias all seemed to bust out with some version or other. One could buy a pre-baked spud, then load up on toppings such as your standard butter and sour cream, goopey melted American Cheese, steamed broccoli, and “ethnic” offerings such as “Fiesta Mexica” (some seasoned beef taco filling and mild canned salsa) or “Pizza Italiano” (marinara sauce, pepperoni and mozzarella). Although the craze didn’t seem to quite become the Starbucks of its era, the baked potato remains a brilliant fast food idea and is perfect cart food since they are easy to prepare, infinitely customizable, quick to serve and fill the gullet on just a couple of bucks each.

The Spud Locker on the site of a former service station on Alberta St recently relocated from Alberta St. to downtown on SW 2nd. The owners have put a lot of effort and thought into the overall concept and design; a nice hand painted mural advertises the cart on the side of the building, . The cart itself is a quirky, tall one-and-a-half story affair, there are painted picnic tables under the covered awning, and everything is done up in shades of gray, orange and green.  Sadly, the awning and picnic tables at the Alberta location didn’t move with them to downtown, so there is no longer any covered seating. Still, it’s a cute and convenient cart for a takeaway lunch or snack.

As stating the obvious, the menu features baked potatoes. But these are no mere cafeteria spuds with processed food toppings. The Spud Locker takes the baked tuber into new territory with menu items such as the Aircraft Carrier ($5.50); a big burrito sized tater stuffed with peanut curry, mixed vegetables, cilantro, sour cream, peanuts and a slice of lime. Or there’s the dairy lover’s Cruiser; described as “Tex-Mex style cheese and broccoli sauce topped with more cheese, tomatoes and Fritos ($5.50).

Those with creative palates can simply choose their own toppings added to a basic baked potato ($3.00). The Float Your Boat section of the menu includes things like chicken or veggie sausage ($1.25 add on); pesto, guacamole, pico de gallo, or cheese (vegan or Tillamook cheddar) for $0.50 each; or other condiments such as avocado, tahini, sauer kraut, baco-bits, corn, onion, chives, etc. ($0.25 each). There are even a couple of sweet dessert varieties, including a sweet potato version with a cinnamon roll like topping.

Drinks are simply sodas or bottled water, but The Spud Locker does serve frozen pink lemonade (16 oz for $2.50) or rotating frozen fruit granitas (16 oz for $3.50).

Sample Menu:

• Aircraft Carrier – $5.50 – Mildly spicy peanut curry sauce, mixed veggies, topped with cilantro, sour cream. peanuts and a slice of lime
• Battleship – $5.50 – Three bean chili topped with cheddar cheese, sour cream and salsa
• Destroyer – $5.00 – Imported English baked beans, topped with cheddar, and vegetarian sausage
• Cruiser – $5.50 – Tex-Mex style cheese and broccoli sauce topped with more cheese, tomatoes, and fritos
• Submarine – $5.00 – Cottage Cheese mixed with seasonal fruits and pine nuts
• Patrol Boat – $3.50 – Sweet potato served dessert style (vegan cinnamon roll topping) or savory style with sour cream and nutritional yeast
• Float Your Boat (Basic Baked Potato with Butter and Your Choice of…)
• Admirals ($1.25 each) – Chicken or veggie sausage
• Officers ($0.50 each) – Pesto, Guacamole, Fritos, Pico de Gallo, Cheese (vegan or Tillamook)
• Crew ($0.25 each) – Avocado, Sour Cream, Tomatoes, Tahini, Nutritional Yeast, Sauer Kraut, Spicy Mayo, Baco-Bits, Olives, Onion, Corn, Chives

Sea Water
Frozen Fruit Granita – (16 0z. $3.50) – flavors vary
Frozen Lemonade – (16 oz. $2.50)
Soda – ($2.00)
Water ($1.00)

Hours: Monday through Friday, 11am-2:30pm
Email: info@spudlocker.com
Website: www.spudlocker.com
Twitter: @SpudLocker Facebook: SpudLocker

Asaase Ital Palace

[Updated July 2010: Closed]

Location: SW 5th and College

Description:

I didn’t realize that what Portland’s food cartopia sorely needed was African-Caribbean specialties until I made a visit to the Asaase Ital Palace by PSU’s cart cluster.  It’s only about two months old, and my previous attempts to sample its wares were foiled by random closures. At least, they appeared random. So today when I noticed from two blocks away that a small crowd was gathered ’round, I made a beeline.

Where do I start? It’s vegan and vegetarian. That means there’s jerk “chicken” and “fish”, and a tofu scramble, but most everything else eschews the ersatz and sticks to real rice, beans and vegetables. The pretty extensive menu is divided up into Starters, with the prize being the Samosa-like Sambusas ($2.00) but with fry bread (4 pieces for $3.00) and plaintains (5 pieces for $4.00) as other choices;  Meals, consisting mostly of rice and greens cooked with spicy oil, or coconut milk, or tomato sauce with a side of fried or boiled plantains; and Soup, apparently called “Sip” in the islands ($6.00).  You can try the Groundnut Sip or the Palm Nut Sip. I tried the Jollof Rice Special, touted as a “real African favorite”, and whatever the origin I can say it was very satisfying: moist red rice mixed up with black eyed peas, a little onion and cabbage topped with slices of cucumber.

Jollof Rice

If you are a fan of coconut, you’ll have to give the Ites Gold and Green Plate a try. How can anyone resist a taste of the tropics with these southern staples? Red beans on yellow rice cooked with tomato and coconut milk with a small side of boiled collard-like greens and cabbage could hardly be improved upon.

Ites Gold and Green Plate

Assaase Ital Palace can up that with Asaase’s fresh smoothies. This cart is all about health, nutrition and feeling good and these fruit drinks deliver ($2.50 each).  I had the Blue Monday even though it was Wednesday: blueberry, banana and a shot of vitamin C powder. I perked right up.  A patron ordering a Sun Splash of Mango, Strawberry, Banana and Orange meant the remains at the bottom of the blender became taste tests and happily I indulged. There was no dairy in these drinks to dilute the flavor. Asaase opens at 9am. Breakfast smoothies anyone?

Oh, about those random closings. The cart owner’s husband is a reggae musician and sometimes they have to play.

Sample Menu:

• Jollof Rice – small $6, large $9
• Starters: Jerk veggie fish – $2
• see description for more information

Hours: Monday through Friday 9am-6pm; Saturday 1-6pm
Phone: 503 851 2511
Website: unknown

[CLOSED February 2010]

Location: SW 3rd and Ash [updated 9/09]

Description:

Up on the west side of 10th ave some new carts have sprung up – Nong’s, Savor Soup house and now The Limp Noodle.  I chuckled when I first saw the name – pretty cheeky and a good play on words. You cannot miss this cart as it is bright and shiny – a fire engine red cart standing out on the lot. [Update 09/09 - Limp Noodle has moved their cart down to SW 3rd and Ash]

The Limp Noodle is a pasta cart. I think it may be the only one in town that focuses specifically on pasta dishes. They offer a few different types of noodles and your choice of sauces. Whenever trying something new, I always go for a favorite of my own, so when I visited, I picked up penne with meatballs and marinara. The amount of food I received was more than I expected. The flavor was just what I expected – a marinara sauce with meatballs. Usually, sauces are either missing something or have too much of something.  This sauce was spot on and didn’t have that acidic quality that sometimes happens with tomato sauces. While I was eating it, someone walked up and inquired as to where I had gotten such a great looking meal. I’m pretty sure that’s a good sign.

The Limp Noodle also gets props for keeping it mobile. While they are permanently parked on 10th and Alder, they broke away recently to serve up their plates at the recent Sunday Parkways event in North Portland. They are listed as one of the food vendors all summer, so if you are out this month in NE or in August in SE, say hi and pick up some pasta to replenish the calories you burned while riding your bike around without cars.

Sample Menu:

• Soup – Tomato Basil – $2.50
• Salads: Caesar – $4.50; Chicken Caesar – $6.50
• Pasta – choose from Spaghetti, Fettuccine or Penne; Tortellini or Ravioli add $1
• Sauces:
  • Marinara – $4.50
  • Meatballs with Marinara – $6.50
  • Alfredo – $5.75
  • Chicken Alfredo – $7.50
  • Creamy Clam – $5.75

Hours: Lunchtime, Monday through Friday
Contact: 503 780 0519
Twitter: TheLimpNoodle

Po'Town Vittles

[Updated 3/2010 - cart no longer at this location - unknown whereabouts.]

Location: SW Moody and Abernathy in South Waterfront

Description:

Vittles. Love that word. Vittles. I think I actually use it more in casual conversation than I am aware of. When I heard there was a cart named Po’ Town Vittles, I knew I had to check it out. It was worth it.

Po’ Town Vittles had a great menu of sandwiches and salads. I was drawn there by the lure of fish and chips. I’m a huge fan of good fish and I haven’t discovered a cart yet that offered it. The fish is creole seasoned tilapia and the chips are double fried for extra tastiness. When we arrived and eyed the menu and specials, I almost changed my mind. Wow, some of the best sounding sandwiches I have seen offered. They even offer a muffuletta which makes my mouth water just thinking about it. The special of the day when we were down there was a Carolina Sand Lapper pulled pork sandwich. My buddy who foodcarts with me daily ordered that and in his words – it was one of the best he’d tasted.

My other foodcart friend ordered a Spring Chicken Dijon salad with cherry tomatoes, currants, blue cheese and tender fried chicken pieces on a bed of fresh salad greens. We were all pretty jealous of his meal. I almost abandoned my tilapia to go order the salad. Wow, what generous portions.

Po’ Town Vittles is located in South Waterfront, the area down south of the Marquam bridge where the new condo towers are going up. You can get down there by car, but it is challenging. I would suggest taking the streetcar or riding your bike. An added bonus would be riding the tram up to OHSU on a sunny day.

Sample Menu:

• Fish and Chips – $5
• Seafood basket – seasoned tilapia, shrimp and oysters – $6
• Spring Chicken dijon salad – $6
• Muffuletta – salami, mortodella, olive spread – $5
• Fried Chicken – spicy chicken breast with comeback sauce – $5.50
• Fries – old school twice cooked fries – $1.50 and $2.50

Hours: Lunchtime weekdays
Contact: Unknown
Website: Unknown

Update: May, 2009

Location: SE 12th and Hawthorne

This charming little cart relocated from SW 9th and Alder to SE 12th and Hawthorne, but sadly closed in early 2009.

However, the equally charming owner wanted to let everyone what’s been happening in her fine cooking universe.

“Dear CBF,

I wanted to update everyone about my situation. I know I am listed in the closed cart section, and was wondering if you could post a little update for me. I obviously closed Brown Bag Bunny in March. The Hawthorne location never produced enough for me. I wish I could have stayed downtown. I am going to put the cart up for sale in the next week or so. I have found a new home baking my pies at Guapo Comics and Coffee on Foster. I will be making some of my signature salads, potato salad, almond cranberry chicken salad, and homemade pie daily. I also will be providing delivery for Guapo. Guapo is located at 6350 SE Foster. 503 772-3638. I would love it if you came by sometime and tried some of my pie, and Guapo’s delicious coffee. Thank you, for your consideration, ~Bunny.”

Good hearing from you Bunny! We’ll be sure to stop by and grab some of your wonderful treats. Keep us posted!

Location: SW 9th and Stark (9th and Alder parking lot)

Description:

I was looking for something different for lunch on this beautiful sunny spring day.  One of Portland’s first of the year.  I had seen that some new carts had sprung up in the 9th and Alder parking lot further down 9th.  We opted to try out DNA Thai food – we were drawn in by the Mango and Cashew nut dish.  There were a couple people there, so that was a good sign – people waiting for their food.  I opted for Basil fried rice (my Thai fave) with Tofu and spicy.  I was so glad they offered spicy.  After I paid $5.50, the young woman offered me my free drink.  Wait, I get food and a drink for $5.50?  Wow, what a deal.

The Basil Fried Rice with Tofu was excellent.  It was a pretty hearty portion with plenty of fresh veggies and some great spice.  I dove in and actually had to slow myself down.  It was that good.  The rice and tofu, mixed perfectly with onions, carrots, peppers, mushrooms and basil made my day.  My lunchmates also picked up DNA Thai.  One enjoyed the Mango/Cashew dish and commented that it was well made and was glad for the large portion of mango chuncks.  My other friend had one of the curry’s.  I think we all enjoyed our lunch more than we ever expected.

If you want some yummy Thai at a great price, check out DNA Thai.

Sample Menu:

• Pad Thai (Tofu or Chicken) Thin rice noodle stir fried with egg, green onions and bean sprouts. $5.50
• Pad Kee Mao (tofu or Chicken)Stir fried wide noodle with bell peppers, egg, onion, tomatoes,mushroom and basil leave. $5.50
• Pad See Eaw (Tofu or Chicken) Stir fried wide noodles with broccoli, egg, carrots, cabbages and sweet soy sauce. $5.50
• Red Curry Noodle (Tofu or Chicken) Red curry in coconut milk with,bamboo shoot,bell pepper,eggplant and basil with noodle$5.50
• Green Curry Noodle( Tofu Or chicken) Green curry in coconut milk with bamboo shoot,bell pepper,eggplant and basil with noodle $5.50
• Fried Rice ( Tofu or Chicken) Fried rice with egg, onion, peas, carrot and tomatoes. $5.50
• Basil Fried Rice(Tofu or Chicken) Fried rice with egg, onion,bell pepper, mushroom,tomatoes, crushed fresh Thai chili and basil$5.50
• Pine Apple Fried rice(Tofu or chicken) Fried rice with egg,onion, pea& carrot, pineapple and cashew nut. $5.50
• Mussaman Curry(Tofu or Chicken) Mussaman curry in coconut milk with potato, carrot, onion and peanut. $5.50
• Yellow Curry(Tofu or Chicken)yellow curry in coconut milk with potato,carrot,onion and bell pepper. $5.50
• Green Curry (Tofu or Chicken) green curry in coconut milk with bamboo shoot,bell pepper, eggplant and basil. $5.50
• Red Curry(Tofu or Chicken) Red curry in coconut milk with bamboo shoot, bell pepper, eggplant and basil. $5.50
  

Hours: Lunchtime weekdays

Phone: (503)750-8604. (503)887-5935

Website: http://dnathaifood.com/

I was down by the 5th and Stark pod and ran into JD Khar of Fork ‘N’ Spoon Delivery, a new food cart delivery service downtown.  This group of guys will utilize their feet and bikes to delivery your favorite food cart lunch direct to your home or office (downtown only right now.)  I think this is a fantastic idea.  There are so many carts and we all have our favorites, but sometimes just can’t get away from our desk to go get it.  Also, on these spring days when the weather is sunny one minute and torrential downpour the next, let someone else brave the puddles.

Fork ‘N’ Spoon is a weekday service and takes the orders via phone (503 568 0004).  They have some menus on their site, but you could probably check out our list of great carts and they’ll go pick up your order within their designated zone.  They are currently only delivering from the SW 5th and Stark food cart pod according to their website.  I wish the guys at Fork ‘N’ Spook great success.  Hopefully they can expand east because there are some carts on the eastside I just can’t get to for lunch.

Fork ‘N’ Spoon Delivery

Hours: Monday through Friday – orders taken between 10:30am and 2:30pm; delivery 11am to 3pm.

Current delivery area: Delivering from SW 5th and Stark food carts;  Delivery zone from SW Oak to SW Salmon and SW 1st to SW Broadway

Website: Fork ‘N’ Spoon

http://www.forkandspoondelivery.bravehost.com/

Phone: 503 568 0004

Location:  SW 5th and Morrison and SW 10th and Yamhill

Spring is here and with spring comes baseball.  With baseball comes dogs.  Not little pooches, but hotdogs and sausages.  A few weeks ago, a new dog cart appeared on SW 5th and Morrison across from the remodeled Meier and Frank building and the entrance to the shishi Nines Hotel.  I can only imagine what the manager thought the first time he saw a food cart out his door.  This area, the brick sidewalk surrounding the venerable old Pioneer Courthouse is home to some great fountains, a burrito cart and a soup cart.  Now, dogs.

Pirate Dog is a father and son business with, well, a pirate theme.  Their motto is “Eat ad Pirate Dog or DIE!!!”  I don’t think they will really run out and cut you with a cutlass if you walk by, but…  They offer numerous dogs ranging from an all beef hot dog to specialty sausages like brats and Louisiana hots.  Instead of offering just a dog and some condiments, they have a full menu with different options already put together.  I had the “Fire in the Hole” – a Louisiana Red-Hot.  I added some mustard (which you always should do with sausages) and sauerkraut for a pretty good tasting dog.  Even the beaver in the fountain liked it.

Most of the dogs range from $3-5 with extras running around 50c.  The cart is pretty nice with a great umbrella, so if it is sprinkling, you can hunker inside while they prepare your lunch.  Head on down some day and try a Pirate Dog.

Sample Menu:

• Pirate Dog – all beef frank – $2.50
• Grog Dog – bier sausage – $3.50
• Shanghai Smokey – double smoked sausage – $3.50
• The Land “Lover” – Vegetarian dog – $4
• East Coast Pirate – all beef frank topped with cole slaw and deli mustard – $4
• Long John Silver – 1/2 lb beef and pork frank with chili and cheese – $7

• Condiments include Sauerkraut, tomatoes, pickles, jalapenos, chili, cheese, and cole slaw and range from 25c to $1.

Hours: Weekdays at lunchtime (though they hope to also be open evenings in the bar districts.)
Phone: SW 5th and Morrison Cart – 503 313 2498; SW 10th and Yamhill cart – 503 312 8560
Email: eatordie@piratedogpdx.com
Website: www.piratedogpdx.com

Location: SW 5th between Oak and Stark Streets

Sometimes I feel like eating at the many Portland food carts scattered about town is like being on a gourmet version of the It’s a Small World After All ride at Disneyland without all the freaky dancing, singing robot puppets and Saccharine headache inducing  music.

Today’s stop on the world cuisine express: Kazakhstan! Hold the Borat jokes please.

This shiny, shiny new cart  is a welcome addition to the SW 5th Ave. “Cart Row” and so far has a teeny-tiny menu, but it looks quite promising. Even though “BofK” is only offering about 7 different menu items right now, most of them are vegan, making them a terrific alternative to all the heavy meat offerings found at most carts.  And you may not know I’m a lover of all things okra (yes, I know okra, love it or loathe it), so I’m happy to report Best of Kazakstan is serving one of my favorite stews found all over the Middle East: the okra and tomato spice laden Bomae (sometimes spelled Bayme or Baymia). It’s like a middle eastern version of vegetarian gumbo and is certainly akin to Kazakh soul food.

Other menu items include fresh made to order grilled shish-kebab, beef kofta and the spicy vegetable noodle soup known as Lagman. Most entrees come with a generous portion of rice and a salad. Drinks are limited to a few soft drinks for $1 each.

With the demise of the wonderful Arabic King of Rice cart near Portland State University, I’m happy Best of Kazakstan is filling the rice cuisine inspired void in cart land. Welcome to the Portland cart scene!

Sample Menu:

• Chicken Shish Kebob with rice and salad – $5.25
• Kofta seasoned grilled beef with rice and salad – $5.25
• Salad of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and seasoning – $2.95
• Lagman vegetable noodle soup with lagman spices and red pepper – $5.00
• Gulpi (cauliflower stew with tomatoes, onions and spices) served with rice and salad – $5.25
• Lubyo rice, red beans, vegetables and seasonings – $5.25
• Bomae okra and tomato stew with salad and rice – $5.25

The Seasoned Okra and Tomato Stew Known as Bomae

Hours: Lunch hours Mon-Fri

Phone: Unknown

Email: Unknown

Website: Unknown