Location:

The Story:

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 each or 2 for $5
• Albuquerque Turkey Quesadilla Sandwich: turkey, avocado, bacon, arugula Tillamook pepperjack cheese, green chili creme fraiche – $6
• Primo Quesadlilla Sandwich: pastrami, Tillamook pepperjack cheese, pickled peppers, onions and chipotle creme fraiche – $6
• El Tocino Quesadilla Sandwich: bacon, tomatoes, green chili, arugula Tillamook cheddar cheese and chipotle creme fraiche – $6
• The Farmer Quesadilla Sandwich: rotating local veggies – $6

Hours: Wednesday-Friday, 8am-2pm; Sat/Sun, 9am-2pm
Facebook: PepperboxPDX

Nuevo Mexico

Location: N Mississippi and Skidmore (Mississippi Marketplace)

Description:

You may think this is another taco cart review. Sure you jest. Nuevo Mexico is a food cart cuisine we have yet to discover in Portland. While the food does have Mexican influences, it is New Mexican. And with Jesse Sandoval, who worked in a food cart with his mom at the age of 12, in the kitchen, you know it is going to be tasty. Oh, and Jesse was the drummer for The Shins to boot.

I ventured down to Nuevo Mexico today at lunch, along with many others who have been awaiting its opening for a few weeks. I didn’t honestly know what I was in for. I new it wasn’t going to be traditional Mexican fare. The menu is pretty simple with only a few items on it. I like that because it makes deciding so much simpler. I sometimes wish I could walk up to a place and they would tell me what I was going to eat instead of me having to choose. While I waited to order, a group of people received their orders of Sopapillas. That is the first item on the menu and what I was going to order and just seeing it sold me. A sopapilla is made with pressed dough that is then deep fried until golden brown. It then puffs up, creating a perfect vessel for stuffing. The sopapilla I ordered was the carne adovada which is described as a “traditional New Mexican pork in adobo sauce.” Marinated Pork? Sold! This carne is served with some beans, lettuce and cheese to fill out the sopapilla. It was so good. I know adobo can sometimes be hot spicy, but in this case, the spiciness was more flavorful and not overpowering. The sopapilla pocket, while it is deep fried wasn’t greasy, but more light and fluffy. And Jesse was making them from scratch.

Normally I venture off to eat my lunch at a park or back at the office. Today I stuck around and listened to all the well wishers come by and welcome Nuevo Mexico to the neighborhood. Jesse hopes to eventually offer some breakfast burritos, so watch for those in the near future.

I love being introduced to new flavors and spices and other ways people prepare their food. Jesse grew up in an environment where cart food was paramount and worked with his mother and grandmother for years. Some of that expertise obviously rubbed off. Welcome to the neighborhood Nuevo Mexico.

Sample Menu:

• Carne Adovada Sopapilla – $5.50
• Sopapilla with beef, beans, green chilis – $5
• Carne Adovada Burrito – $5
• Beef beans and green chili burrito – $4.50
• Green chile chicken stew – $4
• Sweet Lunas (a small sopapilla with honey and powdered sugar) – $3
• Mexican Coca Cola – $2

Hours: Wednesday-Sunday,noon-whenever people stop coming (usually between 5-7pm)
Contact: Nuevo Mexico on Facebook
Twitter: @NuevoMexicoPDX