Hog and Hen Acadian Kitchen

Location: SW 4th and College
Hours: Weekdays 11am-3pm

The Story:

In a cart that looks more like a little bungalow with a piqued roof, you’ll find a chef creating dishes out of a the rich Cajun and French country tradition. Hog and Hen Acadian Kitchen is open to serve you a different dish every time you return.

As a child, Meghann White was a fixture in her parents kitchen doing those tasks that kids love to do – grating cheese and slicing olives. This exposure to food and a family tradition to have Cajun dishes during special occasions shaped Meghann to the point when at the age of 14, she asked for and received a hand-crank pasta machine. When I was 14, all I could think about was the next Duran Duran cassette. One culinary memory Meghann shared with me was how she learned to catch yeast to make her own sourdough starter from the PBS show Breaking Bread with Father Dominic. Her mother is still feeding that starter to this day. While becoming a chef wasn’t part of Meghann’s initial plan, she continued to build these passions and skills in the kitchen and broaden her tastes into adulthood to eventually have friends to her home for regular dinner parties. The cart was the next step.

Beer Chicken Chili

Hog and Hen has an ever changing menu with two to three items available any given day. Meghann admits her food and style are influenced by Cajun cooking, yet she doesn’t want to be defined as a Cajun cart as that pigeonholes her to a few specific dishes in the minds of many. Since Cajun is truly a mix of different cultural culinary traditions that have morphed over centuries, it continues to evolve. Mix with that some of the French country flavors Meghann has embraced and you get some great dishes. On one of the wettest days of the year, I visited the cart for the Beer Chicken Chili. Tender chunks of chicken are simmered in beer with white beans, tomatoes and peppers to create a unique flavor mashup. Served in a large cup over white rice, this is a hearty dish for a cold day. The added bonus is the cornbread, a large chunk of southern goodness you will not want to put down. I normally enjoy my bread throughout a meal dipping and nibbling along the way. I was sad when I finished Meghann’s cornbread before I even was half way through the chili. Some excellent nosh.

Hog and Hen is open weekdays from 11-3 unless she runs out of food, which happens more often than not. As stated, the menu does change, so visit often for variety. Meghann was there with a smile to greet me on the worst day of the year weather wise and I appreciate that. Walk on down, get some cornbread and let her know Food Carts Portland sent ya.

Sample Menu:

• Beer Chicken Chili: chicken simmered in beer, white beans, tomatoes and peppers served over rice with cornbread – sm, $4; lg, $6
• Jalapeno Mac ‘n Cheese Casserole: mac and cheese with a spicy twist, topped with a golden crust of bread crumbs and served with an apple – sm, $4; lg, $6

Hours: Weekdays, 11-3pm
Website: Hog and Hen
Twitter: HogandHen

Location: Q19 Food Pod – NW 19th and Quimby [Updated 10/2011]

The Story:

Catfish po’boy. Need I say more? North NW Portland for me has always been a place to find good southern style food. Now, with the opening of North Station Q19, we have Saucy’s doing up some amazing BBQ ribs and now Savvy J’s which is serving up southern and Cajun cuisine, including kick-ass catfish po’boys.

The po’boy is a southern staple and has been around since the streetcar strikes in New Orleans in 1929. According to the New Orleans Po’boy Preservation Festival, the original “Poor Boy” sandwiches were offered free to striking workers who were supported by the community at large at that time. What made them unique was their size – 15″ or 20″ – rather large for the depression era. These days, a standard po’boy here in Portland isn’t more than a 10″ long. Can you imagine? If you were a paying customer, the price would have been 10c in the ’30′s.

Savvy J’s po’boy was a great sandwich. I ordered the catfish so I could share with a non meat eater and it was huge. The loaf itself wasn’t any larger han a normal 8″ sandwich, but it was overflowing with chopped lettuce, some tomato, pickles, tarter sauce and the perfectly lightly breaded and fried catfish pieces. I picked at it first, nibbling on pieces of catfish before I dove in and wrapped my paws around the entire sandwich in order to eat it. The catfish with the sharp pickles was a wonderful match and since the fish was lightly breaded, you were able to taste it instead of breading. My non meat eater love it also proclaiming that it may be the best catfish po’boy she’d ever eaten.

Savvy J’s offers po’boys with chicken, fish, shrimp and even oyster from that great truck. You can also get different sandwiches and even jamabalaya. The prices are reasonalble and when I was there, a nice young man took my order and even brought me my food instead of passing it through the window. Nice! Head on up to the latest pod to grace the city and visit Savvy J’s along with the other carts and let them know Food Carts Portland sent ya.

[Update 10/2011 - Savvy J's has moved to NW 19th and Quimby]

Sample Menu:

• Po’boy: lettuce, pickles, tomato, creole mayor or tartar sauce – chicken or fish – $6; shrimp or oyster – $7
• Bubba’s southern style pulled pork sandwich – $6
• Tuna melt – $5
• Grilled cheese – $3
• PB & J – $3
• Southern style chicken wing basket with fries – $6
• Frito Pie $3

Hours:

Lunch- Monday through Saturday: 11am-2pm
Dinner: Monday through Thursday: 4-9pm; Friday/Saturday 4pm-12am

Phone: 503 887 1260

Location: SE 12th and Hawthorne, Cartopia

The Story:

On Friday or Saturday night, I am a sucker for fries or a pizza or a pie – all the wonderful things available at Cartopia down on SE 12th and Hawthorne. Yet, sometimes, you have a craving for something a little different – maybe a po’boy or some BBQ or even some jambalaya. Well, Bubba Bernie’s is there to sate that craving.

Bubba Bernie’s serves up a great mix of southern comfort food. The evening we visited, a cold dark Saturday night, we were able to sit comfortably at their tables under their awning warmed by their gas space heater. It was one of those nights when the only thing that could warm you was direct heat, and Bernie’s had it. We ordered a BBQ beef brisket sandwich and the vegan jambalaya with kale and veggie sausage.

The BBQ beef brisket sandwich came on a nicely toasted french roll and the beef had been slow roasted well enough that when you took a bite, it melted in your mouth. A great sandwich for that cold night. The vegan jambalaya was really the showcase of the night. I had never thought of adding kale to jambalaya. For some, that kale, and the veggie sausage may be sacrilegious, but we enjoyed it. It was pretty spicy too, something I love in a southern dish.

Bubba Bernie’s has been in Cartopia for well over a year and has established itself as a solid cart. They are open as early as 6pm, so you could easily visit for dinner or come late night for a snack. As stated, they have covered seating with a nice heater for cool evenings, so you don’t have to order and go. Next time you visit, enjoy a po’boy and tell them Food Carts Portland sent ya.

Sample Menu:

• Black bean + brisket chili w/cheese:  8oz – $4; 16oz bowl – $7.50
• Beef brisket on french roll – $8
• Pulled pork on french roll – $8
• Dinners – either sandwich with garlic roll and choice of sides for $9.50 or more.
• Philly Cheese Steak – $8
• Po’Boys served on french roll with lettuce, tomato, roumalad and green onion – your choice of catfish, shrimp, clam strips or oyster – $6.75
• Chicken or shrimp Jambalaya – $8.50
• Vegan Jambalaya with kale and vegan sausage – $7.50

Hours: Wed through Sat, 6pm-3am
Contact: unknown

Location: SW Stark, just south of 5th ave.

Description: I wander down to the 5th avenue pod almost daily for lunch and when I saw that a certain gyros cart had moved, I began to wonder what would go in its place. For a couple of weeks, the spot was unused without indication of whom would join the food cart scene. Then, suddenly, The Swamp Shack arrived. Do you like Cajun food? Southern flavors? You will enjoy The Swamp Shack.

I’m a big fan of rice and beans. Honestly, I could eat it daily and one of my goals in life is to master really good and spicy (but not overly hot) rice and beans. When I visited The Swamp Shack, I saw they offered Jambalaya, which is a traditional creole dish of Spanish and French influence similar to paella. Served with rice, chicken, sausage, tomatoes, celery and spices, you just can’t go wrong. The Swamp Shack’s version of Jambalaya was spot on for me. Just the right amount of sausage, chicken and flavorful spice. I walked down to the fountain and ate it up. The right amount of everything – even spiciness.

The service at The Swamp Shack was fast and cordial, what one would expect from a southern restaurant. I’m glad they have joined us in foodcartland as I’m a huge fan of this style of cooking. They do some specials with duck, so I’m intrigued to go back and see what that’s all about. I call it comfort food, but know it may not completely fall into that category. The Swamp Shack does offer vegetarian and vegan options of their dishes.

Sample Menu:

• Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya – rice with chicken, andouille sausage, onions, peppers, garlic, spices, tomatoes – $6
• Duck and Andouille gumbo – $7.50
• Crawfish Pies – pie filled with crawfish, creole cream cheese, onions, peppers, rice and cream – $3
• Vegan Jambalaya – all the fixin’s except the meat, made with veggie stock, eggplant and caramelized onions – $6
• Specials most every day

Hours: Lunchtime Monday through Friday
Contact: 225 281 475