Euro Trash

Location: SE 43rd and Belmont
Hours: M-F, 9am-8pm; Sat, 8-8; Sun, 8-6pm

The Story:

When I first saw the brightly painted cart with pastel green stripes and pink faux brick, I was intrigued by the name – Euro Trash, wondering what the heck they were going to offer. Since its opening, I have only heard rave reviews about everything on the menu, so had to visit.

I lived in Europe for awhile, yet my culinary experiences were mostly of Germanic and eastern European influences. Charles Thomas, the owner and chef, a longtime north-westerner who did his time working various gigs including restaurants, lived in Spain and Portugal for a period, soaking up the flavors of that region. As with many cart owners, he wanted to open a restaurant, but when he crunched the numbers, it just wasn’t in the cards. Now that he has the cart open, he loves it. The cart life captured his heart.

Fishy Chips from Euro Trash

The menu at Euro Trash is mind boggling to say the least. From the first item – a prawn baguette with Portuguese curry prawns to the chorizo and chips, it was truly difficult to choose just one item. This is one of those carts you want to visit with kind friends so you can all try something different. When asked what I wanted, I spontaneously blurted out the first thing I saw – Fishy Chips. Normally, when you think of fish and chips, you would be offered halibut or whitefish along with some fries. Here at Euro Trash, it’s Spanish anchovies. Yes, anchovies lightly breaded then deep fried and finished with a little lemon and sea salt. I was excited to see anchovies offered since I’m a fan of their strong flavor. The deep frying along with the light outer crust provide a depth of flavor that is truly enjoyable. While it is served with an aioli for dipping, it wasn’t needed in my case as the “chips” stood by themselves. Charles even offered to leave the heads on if you let him know ahead of time – I guess that is how you would normally serve them.

Euro Trash is another great addition to Good Food Here, the pod quickly defining itself as a destination spot for the city’s cart goers in southeast. Just look at the menu offerings and you know they took the time to craft some tasty vittles. Head on down for breakfast, lunch or dinner and let Charles know Food Carts Portland sent ya.

Sample Menu:

• Prawn Baguette: Portuguese curry prawns, cilantro slaw, curry sauce – $7
• Oregon Doner: falafel waffle, hummus, feta, cucumber, tomato, carrot, trashy sauce – $6; add lamb or beef $2
• Chorizo and Chips: Portuguese style chorizo, giardiniera, chips, aioli – $6
• The Alexandria: spinach salad with penne pasta, green beans, jalapeno, vinaigrette – $6
• Fishy Chips: spanish anchovies breaded and fried with lemon seasalt, aioli – $5
• Trashy Breakfast: the original bacon waffle with 2 eggs – $5

Hours: Monday-Friday, 9am-8pm; Saturday, 8am-8pm; Sunday, 8am-6pm
Twitter: @EuroTrashCart Facebook: EuroTrashCart

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