Location: NE 15^th and Alberta (Alberta15 “mini pod”)
Hours: Mon – Sun, 11am-8pm

The Story: Meet my new friend, The Cultured Caveman.  I almost wrote this write-up in the voice of my new cavemen friend: “Me caveman, me eat like my ancient ancestors from the Stone Age. Me eat meat, but only organic, grass fed meat. Me like vegetables and fruits. Me eat Paleo Diet rich in fiber, antioxidants, protein. Me healthy”.  But, I figured you all would smack me upside the head if I did a whole write up like that, so I’ll cut it out and get to the heart of this cart instead.

The Cultured Caveman focuses on foods found in the popular Paleo Diet. In case you aren’t up on the info, Wikipedia describes the Paleolithic Diet as:

The paleolithic diet (abbreviated paleo diet or paleodiet), also popularly referred to as the caveman diet, Stone Age diet and hunter-gatherer diet, is a modern nutritional plan based on the presumed ancient diet of wild plants and animals that various hominid species habitually consumed during the Paleolithic era—a period of about 2.5 million years duration that ended around 10,000 years ago with the development of agriculture. In common usage, such terms as the “Paleolithic diet” also refer to the actual ancestral human diet.

Centered on commonly available modern foods, the “contemporary” Paleolithic diet consists mainly of fish, grass-fed pasture raised meats, vegetables, fruit, fungi, roots, and nuts, and excludes grains, legumes, dairy products, salt, refined sugar, and processed oils.

The health benefits of the Paleo Diet are debated amongst nutritionists and health nuts alike, but those who love eating this way really love it, and a whole cuisine has developed around “Caveman Cuisine”. Yes, it’s more than just a handful of wild berries, and some road kill cooked over a fire, as this spiffy cart on Alberta St. can attest.

Food at the Cultured Caveman is indeed elevated: Grass Fed All Meat Chili; Paleo Chicken “Tenders” breaded in coconut flour; hearty salads; and perfectly crisp French Fries fried in beef tallow are just some of the treats found here.

All Meat Chili

I dined on a very thick, very satisfying cup of beef chili (no beans in this chili for the Paleos!), as well as a kale salad bursting with ginger and carrots. It was a hearty meal that left me feeling full but not heavy. I’ll be back.

The food here is made with care and the owners Heather and Joe are working hard to make this a truly professional cart with excellent quality and customer service to match. Sometimes it feels like there are a billion food carts nowadays, and sometimes it’s hard to stand out from the pack. The Cultured Caveman has a niche in the Paleo Diet crowd, for sure. Although it is a beef focused cart (all fried foods are fried in beef tallow), they do have vegan offerings. Some are even gluten free and/or raw for those on those diets as well.  But, the quality of their food shows this is a cuisine for more than just Cavemen and Cavewomen. This is food for folks who simply like good eats.

 Sample Menu:

• All Meat Grass Fed Chili – $5
• Paleo Chicken Tenders – local chicken breast, breaded with coconut flour and fried in 100% grass fed beef tallow – 2 for $4
• Ginger Carrot Kale Salad – $3
• Rainbow Fries – shoestring russet, purple and sweet potatoes fried in 100% grass fed beef tallow – $4

Kale Salad

Hours: Mon-Sun, 11am-8pm
Phone: Unknown
Website: CulturedCavemanPDX.com
Facebook: CulturedCavemanPDX
Twitter: @cavemancart

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