Ramy’s Lamb Shack 2

November 5, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Ramy's Lamb Shack 2

Ramy’s Lamb Shack 2

Location: NE 52nd and Sandy, Rose City Food Park
Hours: Mon-Sun, 11am-7pm

The Story:

Ramy has expanded! I distincly remember the day I visited Ramy’s Lamb Shack at Cartlandia in SE Portland and enjoyed my first Egyptian style falafel. Ever since, I have been trying falafel from mobile vendors throughout the city and beyond to see which one measures up. Ramy still holds the trophy. Ramy opened a second location in October at the Rose City Food Park on NE 52nd and Sandy. A bright blue food truck you can’t miss. Same menu and same great service. Drop on by and let them know Food Carts Portland sent ya.

Original Ramy’s writeup on Food Carts Portland.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Debit/Credit Carts Accepted, Dinner, Falafel, Gyros, Lunch, Mediterranean, NE 52nd and Sandy, Northeast - Portland, Sandwiches, Vegetarian Options, Weekends

Egyptian Food

August 18, 2012 by 1 Comment
Egyptian Food

Egyptian Food

Location: SW 9th and Alder
Hours: daily, 11-4

The Story:

When you sit down to name your business, you want the name to mean something and tell the consumer what you do. Egyptian Food is the name of the cart and that is what they do.

Falafel from Egyptian Food

Falafel from Egyptian Food

Mohammed, the owner and chef took one of the oldest carts on the block and converted it to his own style of kitchen so he could create and serve fresh Egyptian cuisine. Speaking with him, he stressed that his food is made to order and that the best tastes come from freshly made items. An example is the fava bean falafel he dropped in the fryer. He stood there, watched them, poked them and waited until the precise moment to pull them out. When I saw the golden brown nugget, I almost asked to skip the sandwich and just give me the falafel. The sandwich, falafel on a bed of lettuce, with tomatoes, tzatziki, some hummus and cucumbers was wrapped in a lightly grilled pita. Some of the best falafel I have had in town. I even offered some up to another food cart owner who simply stood there and chewed, amazed at how fresh and delicious it was. I’m excited to try other items on the menu now.

Egyptian Food is now open and you can’t miss them right on the corner of SW 9th and Alder. The cart they are in has some rich history going back 20 years having hosted an Indian purveyor, Italian espresso and most recently, gourmet pork sandwiches. Stop on by for some Egyptian food and let them know Food Carts Portland sent ya.

Sample Menu:

  • Fish, chicken, lamb, falafel over rice platter: $7
  • Kafta over rice platter: $8
  • Lamb, chicken gyro: $5
  • Falafel sandwich: $5
  • Kafta sandwich: $6

Hours: daily, lunchtime

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Filed Under: Downtown, Falafel, Lunch, Mediterranean, Sandwiches, SW 9th and Alder, Vegetarian Options

Trinidad Doubles

July 26, 2012 by 6 Comments
Cleopatra's Kitchen

Cleopatra’s Kitchen

Location: SE 13th and Lexington in Sellwood
Hours: Mon-Sat, 11:30-7:30, Sun, 12-8pm

The Story:

Sellwood has long been a hub for street food vendors. While many upstarts head to the larger lots where they get traffic from the collective sum of eaters, Sellwood is known for having single carts who do really well over the years. The success of those early carts helped make the lot at SW 13th and Lexington a hug of street for for the neighborhood. Cleopatra’s Kitchen Trinidad Doubles, the newest cart on the lot offers up Mediterranean cuisine.

Cleopatra’s Kitchen has been open for a few months now, with Sarah, the owner, having  taken the cart and menu over from the previous owner. The chef stayed and does his magic behind the grill. While the cart offers true Mediterranean cuisine like beef kafta and falafel and dolmas, Sarah is introducing something new items never seen before in Portland – Trinidad Doubles. Doubles are two fried breads with curry chickpea filling and a sweet and spicy green mango sauce. A Caribbean-Indian fusion street food. Having just heard about it and it being on my mind, I mentioned it to a cab driver in New Orleans and he almost crashed so surprised someone knew about this amazing street food from his country. Small world. The Trinidad Doubles hit the cart this week, so I haven’t tried them, but am eager to visit the cart again.

Falafel from Cleopatra's Kitchen

Falafel from Cleopatra’s Kitchen

I’m an eater and return to the same foods over and over again to figure out the nuances. I tell myself it is research to discover who’s doing what that differentiates them from the others. I did it for burgers awhile back and now I’m finding myself eating a lot of falafel where there is a ton of variety. Lebanese, Egyptian, Iraqi or Syrian. Each cart has their own recipe and I’m hard pressed to discover one I don’t like. Cleopatra’s Kitchen falafel was made fresh as I waited and you could tell by that first soft bite. Still warm from frying, the outer fried shell was not hardened by the cooking process. While browned, I loved that it just mixed in with the fresh vegetables and tahini sauce to create a mix of everything. I found myself reaching in and pulling out the falafel to eat by itself instead of in the sandwich it was so good. Soft and flavorful and oh so delicious.

Cleopatra’s Kitchen Trinidad Doubles is open daily for lunch through dinner right on the corner of SE 13th and Lexington in the Sellwood neighborhood. There are covered picnic tables behind the cart for anyone to sit at and get out of the elements. It was great to talk with Sarah about her new menu item. She is so excited to introduce Portland to the Trinidad Doubles. Drop on by soon, check them out and let them know Food Carts Portland sent ya.

[Cleopatra's Kitchen was renamed to Trinidad Doubles in 2012]

Sample Menu:

  • Falafel Sandwich – $6
  • Dolma – 75c each
  • Chicken Schawarma Sandwich – $7.50
  • Lamp Gyro – $6.50
  • Beef Kafta – $6.50
  • Lamb Plate – $7
  • Trinidad Doubles – 2 for $1.25

Hours: Mon-Sat, 11:30-7:30, Sun, 12-8pm
Phone: 503 388 1809
Website: CleopatrasKitchen.com

Filed Under: Dinner, Falafel, Greek, Gyros, Lunch, Mediterranean, Sandwiches, SE 13th and Lexington, Vegan Options, Vegetarian Options, Weekends

Gonzo

June 8, 2012 by 2 Comments
Gonzo

Gonzo

Location: SE 9th and Oak at Base Camp Brewing
Hours: Mon-Wed, 11:30-9; Thurs-Sat, 11:30-12am; Sun, 11:30-9

The Story:

Gonzo the Garbanzo. That was the inspiration for the name of this truly unique Israeli street food cart.

Portland is blessed with some excellent Middle Eastern and Mediterranean restaurants and food carts, but not much Israeli. Wolf and Bear’s introduced us all to the Sabih sandwich and now Gonzo owner Tal intends to take it to a new level. Having spent part of his childhood and some adult life living in Israel, Tal has a grasp on their approach to street food. The Sabih actually wasn’t a sandwich until Iraqi Jews migrated to Israel bringing a dish which included fried eggplant, a boiled egg, parsley, tsug, tomato, cucumber, onion, hummus, tahini and other treats and a cafe owner put it in a pita for people to take with them. You may know Tal from his 100 Miles cart last summer. With the same cart, Tal is creating everything from scratch using age old methods to get the dishes right including soaking the garbanzo beans overnight or using salt on the eggplant to remove the moisture before frying.

Sabih from Gonzo

Sabih from Gonzo

Gonzo has a small menu at this time – the Sabih, a falafel sandwich and a hummus plate, but each item was better than the first. The handmade falafel in a pita with hummus, tahini, chopped tomato and cucumber, amba, tsug, pickles and topped with fries is a work of art. The amba, a tangy mango pickle condiment and the tsug, a spicy Israeli hot sauce, are both made in the cart and add a flavor profile I haven’t had with falafel before. After ordering both the Sabih and the falafel sandwich, it was a fight over who got what. I wanted it all, but had to share. Everything tasted fresh and crisp and I came away with a new appreciation for Israeli cuisine.

Falafel from Gonzo

Falafel from Gonzo

Tal hopes to expand the menu a bit and offer items that one wouldn’t normally find here in Portland. Plans for publishing all the recipes for his dishes on his website is in the works, so keep a digital eye out for that. I’m excited to make some tsug this fall once our hot peppers come into season. Gonzo is an example of how Portland’s street food vendors bring cuisine we don’t normally find in this city to our table. Gonzo is located at D-Street Noshery in SE Portland and they have plenty seating and a covered area in case it rains. Drop on by for some excellent Israeli street food and let Tal know Food Carts Portland sent ya.

[Gonzo moved to Base Camp Brewing in October 2012]

Sample Menu:

  • Falafel sandwich: hummus, tahini, tomato, cucumber, amba tsug, pickels, falafel in a pita topped with fries – $8 or half for $5
  • Sabih sandwich: hummus, tahini, tomato, cucumber, onion, cilantro, parsley, amba, tsug, pickels, fried eggplant, boiled egg in a pita – $8 or half for $5
  • Hummus Plate: hummus, garbanzo beans, cilantro, cumin, lemon, sweet onion, olive oil w/2 pita – $6

Hours: Mon-Wed, 11:30-9; Thurs-Sat, 11:30-12am; Sun, 11:30-9
Phone: 503 453 4340
Facebook: Gonzo

Filed Under: Dinner, Falafel, Israeli, Jewish, Lunch, Middle Eastern, Sandwiches, SE 9th and Oak, Vegan Options, Vegetarian Options, Weekends Tagged With:

Pita Express

May 14, 2012 by 2 Comments
Pita Express

Pita Express

Location: SW 3rd and Washington
Hours: Mon-Sat, 11am-5pm

The Story:

The lot at SW 3rd Ave has food from almost every corner of the world and with the addition of Pita Express, we can now get a taste of Lebanon.

Pita Express offers up both veggie and hot sandwiches with options including falafel, batata, chicken, kafta and beef shawarma. They have two different sized pitas so if you’re hungry, go with the large. I chose the smaller pita with falafel and had a forehead smacking moment when I saw they had lebneh. I love lebneh, the Lebanese cream cheese and will definitely return just for that. The falafel sandwich was wonderful with a grilled pita filled with falafel, greens, fresh tomato, cucumber, radish and tzatziki. This is the second falafel sandwich with the pita grilled and warm which I simply love it. The falafel was spot on, just how I like it and mixed with the fresh vegetables, you can’t go wrong.

Falafel sandwich from Pita Express

Falafel sandwich from Pita Express

In a lot with Egyptian, Indonesian, Korean, Mexican, Italian, Greek, Thai, Vietnamese and even a cart doing smoked salmon dishes, Pita Express will need to define themselves to gain a following and after just one sandwich, I think they can do that. Drop on by and let them know Food Carts Portland sent ya.

Sample Menu:

  • Veggie Sandwich – $5; falafel, batata, lebneh, zaatar, hummus, baba ghanooj
  • Hot Sandwich – $6; chicken kabab, chicken shawarma, beef shawarma, kafta, arayess
  • Combo Plates – $7

Hours: Mon-Sat, 11am-5pm

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Filed Under: Debit/Credit Carts Accepted, Downtown, Falafel, Lebanese, Lunch, Middle Eastern, SW 3rd and Washington, Vegetarian Options, Weekends
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