The Mighty Bowl

December 14, 2012 by 4 Comments
The Mighty Bowl

The Mighty Bowl

Location: Vancouver, WA – check TheMightyBowl.com for current location
Hours: lunchtime, Mon-Fri

The Story:

Took a field trip north to visit a new food truck roaming the streets of Vancouver. Serving up tasty rice and bean bowls, The Mighty Bowl has captured the eater’s hearts as displayed by the line at 1pm.

The Mighty Bowl is the first food truck to roam the streets of Vancouver, a city that has not followed Portland’s model of food carts and is known for some challenging regulations. Owner Steve Valenta, his wife, Sherilee, and their longtime friend, Kevin DeGraw banded together to design and build one good looking truck and work through the city’s regulations. With the simple idea of healthy rice and bean bowls, they’ve been serving regularly at multiple locations since spring.

Rice bowls for me date back a decade or more. Over the years, I’ve eaten my share of bowls and keep coming back. At The Mighty Bowl, there are different options to add dynamic flavor, but the dish is simply brown rice, black beans, cheddar cheese, olives, salsa, avocado, sour cream, cilantro and sauce. If you do all those single ingredients well with a killer sauce, you create an awesomely healthy dish. The Kiggins bowl comes with spicy chipotle sauce generously distributed throughout so you don’t spill trying to mix it all together. While there was spice to the sauce, the smokiness of the chipotle was the most memorable. Every bite, every spoonful included at least four of the ingredients making the entire meal an enjoyable eating event. All dishes are gluten free and some are nut and egg free in addition.

The Mighty Bowl is one of those food trucks you see on TV with an amazing wrap presenting their logo. Downtown Vancouver isn’t that large, so if you’re driving around, you may happen upon them one day. Or, if you want to seek them out, they post their daily schedule on their website – TheMightyBowl.com. If you live and work in Vancouver, you should venture out and enjoy one of their bowls or wraps. If you’re in Portland, take a field trip north, it isn’t too far away. Let them know Food Carts Portland sent ya.

Sample Menu:

Regular bowl, $6; Large, $6.50 and all bowls can be made into wraps for $7.25

  • Mighty Bowl – brown rice, black beans, avocado, cheddar cheese, sour cream, cilantro, olives, salsa with a tangy house sauce
  • Kiggins Bowl – spicy chipotle sauce
  • Peanut Bowl – peanut sauce

Website: TheMightyBowl.com
Twitter: @Mightybowl
Facebook: The Mighty Bowl

Filed Under: Bowl, Debit/Credit Carts Accepted, Gluten Free Options, Lunch, Outskirts of PDX, Rice n' Beans, Vegan Options, Vegetarian Options

Chilango

November 11, 2011 by 7 Comments
Chilango

Chilango

Location: SW 4th and Hall
Hours: Mon-Fri, 8:30am-7pm

The Story:

When one cart departs, someone is always there, ready to repaint and relaunch as something new. Chilango is one of the newest faces on SW 4th at the PSU pod.

When I visited the other day, it took me a few minutes of reviewing the menu to realize this cart served Mexican food. Normally, the first items on the menus are tacos and burritos. At Chilango, it is bowls. After ordering my lunch from Veronica, I asked what Chilango meant and she told me it was a boy from Mexico City and then pointed at Caesar who was making my lunch and said – him!

Chilango Bowl Taco

Chilango Bowl Taco

At Chilango, you can get soft tacos and burritos, vegetarian fare and other traditional Mexican food, but what caught my eye was the Chilango Bowl. Your choice of meat served with beans, rice, pico de gallo, guacamole, cotija cheese and handmade masa tortillas. What I pictured in my mind paled in comparison to what they served. A large portion of beans and rice covered with chicken tinga (my meat choice), a few large spoonfuls of fresh guacamole and pico. Chicken tinga is shredded chicken breast stewed with tomatoes and onions. The tortillas were amazingly fresh and putting it all together into a small little taco was a treat. The guacamole, made fresh that morning, had a hint of lemon that when paired with a bit of chicken and black bean was amazing. A very large portion, more than enough for a hearty lunch.

The bright red cart that looks like a small cabin is welcoming – especially with Veronica and Caesar there with their big smiles and wonderful food. They have an extensive vegetarian and vegan menu using tempe. Head on down if you haven’t visited the pod in awhile and give it a try. Let them know Food Carts Portland sent ya.

Sample Menu:

  • Chilango Bowl – choice of grilled chicken, asada, ground beef, carnitas or chicken tinga with black or pinto beans, rice, pico de gallo, guacamole, cotija cheese and corn tortillas – $6
  • Burrito – choice of meat with black or pinto beans, rice, lettuce, cheese, onions and cilantro – flour tortilla – $6
  • Soft Taco – corn tortilla with choice of meat with onion and cilantro – $2
  • Vegetarian Chilango Bowl – black or pinto beans, rice, guacamole, pico de gallo, cotija cheese and 3 corn tortillas – $5.50
  • Tempe Chilango Bowl – black or pinto beans, rice, guacamole, pico de gallo, cotija cheese, corn tortillas and tempe – $6
  • Breakfast Burrito – eggs, potatoes, black or pinto beans, cheese, pico de gallo – $4.50

Hours: Weekdays, lunchtime
Phone: 503 218 3352 (text to go orders)
Resources: Debit/Credit Carts accepted

Filed Under: Bowl, Debit/Credit Carts Accepted, Lunch, Mexican, Rice n' Beans, SW 4th and Hall (PSU), Vegan Options, Vegetarian Options

The Swamp Shack

June 25, 2009 by 20 Comments

The Swamp Shack

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.

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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

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Filed Under: Cajun, Fried Chicken, Lunch, Rice n' Beans, Southern Food, SW 5th and Stark, Vegan Options, Vegetarian Options Tagged With: , , , ,

The Whole Bowl

March 21, 2008 by 3 Comments

Location: Several Locations – SW 9th and Alder, 4409 SE Hawthorne, 1100 NW Glisan, and the Mo-Bowl (mobile) van.

Description: Sometimes simple things are the best things. Although I love food cart food as much as anyone else, let’s be honest, cart food can sometimes be a little bit on the heavy and greasy side. Sometimes all I want for lunch is something lighter and the Whole Bowl is my answer.

The Whole Bowl’s menu is genius – a paper bowl filled with tender brown rice and perfectly cooked red and black beans, topped with fresh sliced avocado, tangy red salsa, sliced mild black olives, a dollop of sour cream, grated cheddar and cilantro. The beans and rice are mixed together with their signature “Tali Sauce” to add needed zing and flavor. What’s Tali Sauce? The Whole Bowl describes it this way,

Referred to by many as “crack sauce”, this lemony-garlicky blend has been building local addictions in the Pearl, and now at the new Downtown location, for over 4 years. Sauce devotees have been known to experience a prolonged sense of well-being and tremendous relaxation upon consumption.

What it tastes like is a perfect light curry-  lemony and garlicky – and it keeps the rice and beans in the “Bowl” from falling into bland, boring granola hippie food territory. It’s healthy, fresh, fast and filling. This is cart food at its best, and is pure unique Portland in a bowl.

Sample Menu: Deciding what to eat here is easy as The Whole Bowl menu only offers three things: the Bambino Bowl (a filling 12oz bowl for $5.00) , the Whole Bowl (16oz for $5.50) and tortilla chips with salsa for (not sure, think they are $1.00?). A large variety of hot and other sauces can be added to your heart’s delight at the self serve condiment bar. Drinks include Hansen’s sodas by the can.

Hours: Most locations are open Mon-Fri 11 Am to mid-afternoon. Please call the Whole Bowl for details of each location.

Phone: 503-757-BOWL

Website: www.thewholebowl.com

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Filed Under: Downtown, Lunch, Rice n' Beans, SW 9th and Alder, Vegan Options, Vegetarian Options