Los Roast Hatch Green Chile

September 8, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Los Roast Hatch Green Chile

Los Roast Hatch Green Chile

Location: Roaming, Check Facebook

The Story:

A few years ago, when Portland experienced a re-birth of street food which continues till today, a cart opened that surprised many with the uniqueness of the cuisine and the affability of the owner. Jesse Sandoval had brought his family recipes to Portland in the form of Nuevo Mexico, a cart that fed many a Portlander for a couple of years. Jesse is back, partnering with his cart owner Marshall Berg to bring something new – roasted Hatch Green Chiles.

Hatch Green Chiles are from Hatch, New Mexico where they can be found literally growing everywhere. Not really, but if you drive down the main street there during harvest season, you’ll find the chiles in every form, from fresh to dried to roasted and incorporated into every kind of cuisine. Hatch is where its at for these priceless peppers. But why should Hatch have all the fun? Cart owner Marshall Berg partnered with Jesse and have imported more than a few bushels of Hatch Chiles and have been roasting and packaging them to sell. When I first heard of this, my mouth watered as I’m a big fan of most chiles. When I visited the cart at Last Thursday on Alberta I was blown away by the flavor and quality of the product. The team built a custom roaster which they lit up just for me to show how the final product is produced. The contraption is like a bingo ball tumbler but made of heavy gauge steel mesh so when hit with the gas flames, it roasts the peppers tumbling about inside. The smell is memorable and if you purchase some, you can take it home and pull them out of the fridge every day and re-live the roast. These are some amazing peppers.

Los Roast Chile will only be around for as long as green chile season. I’m happy to see Jesse back in the mobile food scene here in Portland and have some of the chiles waiting for my next meal. The cart and roaster will be at the Belmont Street Fair on September 8 with plenty of peppers. Beyond that, check them out on Facebook for their next location. Let them know Food Carts Portland sent ya.

Facebook: LosRoastChile
Twitter: @LosRoastChile
Phone: 503 830 5310

Filed Under: New Mexican, On the Move, Vegetarian Options

Pepper Box

August 16, 2010 by 8 Comments

Location: NE MLK and Graham at Dreamer’s Marketplace
Hours: Tues-Fri, 9am-2pm; Sat, 9am-1pm

The Story:

We always want to revisit some of our old favorites in the food cart scene. Pepper Box has been feeding Portland their amazing New Mexican style cuisine now for almost 3 years. While the lot they are in doesn’t have any other vendors, they have stuck it out and become a beacon for eaters traveling up and down MLK. Well done Jim!

There are so many types of breakfast foods available for someone in this city. Whether it be waffles or the greasy spoon or bagels or fast food, Portlanders have an abundance of choices. With the opening of Pepper Box, we have yet another choice, a cart serving up New Mexican influenced breakfast tacos and quesadillas.

Jim Wilson, the former sous chef from both Roux and Mint with 12 years of culinary experience is the man behind Pepper Box. Jim visited and then moved to Portland a few years ago and completely fell in love with the city. Who wouldn’t? After working in some great kitchens here in the city though, he decided to go out on his own and Pepper Box was born.

Breakfast Taco w/avocado

Breakfast tacos are a love I discovered a few years back and they have never let me down. There are a few places in the city where you can enjoy them whether they be Mexican or Texan influenced. Jim is influenced by his New Mexican roots and uses green or red chili sauce as the topping upon his egg, potato and cheese tacos. The best part for me was the fresh handmade wheat tortillas. For meat eaters, you can add in chorizo or bacon or go veggie and top the scramble with sliced avocado. The chorizo taco with the spicier green chili sauce was excellent with the tortilla acting as a wrapper to keep all the goodies in. The green chili sauce was perfectly spicy, but not overwhelming. These are sizable tacos and two may be too much for some. We had leftovers.

Pepper Box isn’t just breakfast tacos. They also do quesadilla sandwiches and salads. The other evening when Dreamer’s Marketplace opened their doors for happy hour, Jim came around with samples of his marinated chicken and tri-tip. The plate was cleared in just a couple of minutes. I can’t wait to get a larger sample. Pepper Box is open at the new Dreamer’s Marketplace on NE MLk blvd. Head on down for a visit, say hi to Jim and let them know Food Carts Portland sent ya.

Sample Menu:

  • Breakfast Taco: homemade tortillas filled with eggs, potatoes and Tillamook cheddar cheese; choice of chorizo, bacon or avocado; green or red chili sauce – $3.50 each or 2 for $6
  • Albuquerque Turkey Quesadilla Sandwich: turkey, avocado, bacon, arugula Tillamook pepperjack cheese, green chili creme fraiche – $4 or 2 for $7
  • Primo Quesadlilla Sandwich: pastrami, Tillamook pepperjack cheese, pickled peppers, onions and chipotle creme fraiche – $4 or 2 for $7
  • El Tocino Quesadilla Sandwich: bacon, tomatoes, green chili, arugula Tillamook cheddar cheese and chipotle creme fraiche – $4 or 2 for $7
  • The Farmer Quesadilla Sandwich: rotating local veggies – $4 or 2 for $7

Phone: 503 451 5005
Website: PepperBoxPDX.com
Facebook: PepperboxPDX
Twitter: @Pepperboxpdx

Filed Under: Breakfast, Breakfast Foods, Lunch, NE MLK and Graham, New Mexican, Northeast - Portland, Tacos, Vegetarian Options, Weekends