La Sangucheria

May 15, 2013 by Leave a Comment
La Sangucheria

La Sangucheria

Location: SW 3rd and Ash
Hours: Tues-Thurs, 10:30am-3:30pm, Fri/Sat, 12-7pm

The Story: I comment regularly about how one can taste the flavors of a region by visiting the different mobile vendors here in the city. Falafel and salad rolls are perfect examples. La Sangucheria does Peruvian, allowing us now to expand our tastes to South America.

La Sangucheria translates to sandwich shop in Peru. Mary, the owner, has a catering business in Peru and came to America about four years ago with her family and opened her cart here in Portland at the end of 2012. The sandwiches on the menu are traditional items you would eat daily in Peru and Mary pointed out they like to add potatoes to everything.

Chicharron from La Sangucheria

Chicharron from La Sangucheria

La Sangucheria focuses on Peruvian sandwiches. The Saltado is a sauteed beef tenderloin served with sauteed onions, tomatoes, cilantro and fries. The Chicharron, which I enjoyed, stars with a well made sandwich bun and then sweet potato fries are laid down and topped with a generous amount of deep fried pork disks. The sandwich is topped with honey and red onion salsa and your choice of sauce. I initially thought of chicharron made with deep fried pork skin, but in Peru, they deep fry the pork disks and call it chicharron. An excellent sandwich with a breadth of flavors. I opted for spicy which paired well with the savory of the pork and the sweet of the potato. A rather large sandwich for a hearty eater.

La Sangucheria may be known to you by now. They won the Judge’s Award at the 2013 Eat Mobile festival. Their cuisine is top notch and worth the visit. Next time you have a craving for something from the southern hemisphere, drop on by La Sangucheria and let them know Food Carts Portland sent ya.

Sample Menu:

  • Saltado – sauteed beef tenderloin, sauteed onion, tomatoes, cilantro and fries – $8
  • Chicharron – deep fried pork, sweet potato fries, hone and onion salsa – $8
  • Pachamama – smoked ham, bacon, grilled chicken, fries and cheese sauce – $8

Phone: 503 957 2410
Facebook: La Sangucheria

 

Filed Under: Lunch, Peruvian, Sandwiches, SW 3rd and Ash, Vegetarian Options, Weekends

La Piñata Takos

December 5, 2012 by 3 Comments
La Piñata Takos

La Piñata Takos

Location: SW 3rd and Ash
Hours: Mon-Thu, 11am-2:30pm, Fri-Sat, 11am-3am

The Story:

I have heard only positive words about La Piñata Takos and decided to make a visit. A craving for tacos on a rainy day. Funny thing is that I ended up not getting tacos.

Taquitos

Taquitos

Located in the lot at SW 3rd and Ash with a few other carts, La Piñata feeds its patrons during the lunch hour all week long, and remains open to sate the bar diet until 3am on Friday and Saturday. The menu here reflects what one expects from Mexican street vendors – tacos, burritos, tortas, quesadillas, and combo plates mixing the above. Remember that craving for tacos? They have them for $1.50, but something else caught my eye – taquitos. Normally, I wouldn’t even consider something like taquitos as the name conjures up images of pre-packaged boxes at Costco labeled with corporate restaurant chains. A tasty treat ruined by corporate giants food. I asked how they were prepared and it is a hand made taco that is fried and crispy. Why not? The taquitos were great with a crunchy corn tortilla wrapped around my choice of al pastor – marinated pork. La Piñata drizzles on light sour cream and a bit of shredded cheese and pairs the taquitos with beans and rice. A great filling dish for $6.

Portland has some great Mexican street food vendors and I have discovered which ones I like for specific items. For taquitos, so far, La Piñata is winning the race. Drop on by and let them know Food Carts Portland sent ya.

Sample Menu:

  • Quesadillas – variety of options with meat, cheese, beans and rice – $5.50-6
  • Sopes – $3
  • Tacos – choice of asada, pollo, pastor, chorizo, carnitas, machaca, fish – $1.50
  • Burritos – choice of meat or vegetarian – $3-$6
  • Tortas – $5.50-6
  • Combo plates – $6

Phone: (503) 943-9725
Facebook: La Piñata 

Filed Under: Dinner, Lunch, Mexican, SW 3rd and Ash, Tacos, Vegetarian Options, Weekends

Potter’s Kolaches & Coffee

October 3, 2012 by 4 Comments
Potter's Kolaches & Coffee

Potter’s Kolaches & Coffee

Location: SW 3rd and Ankeny
Hours: Mon-Sat, 6am-12pm

The Story:

For awhile there, it was difficult to get some great early morning eats from the carts. Luckily, the fried egg sandwich people have helped fill that gap, but sometimes you want something simpler, yet still full of flavor. Potter’s Kolaches & Coffee will soon become your new morning destination.

Andrew Potter opened the cart this past summer and has been serving his signature Kolaches to the neighbors. Kolaches are a sweet pastry, almost biscuit like, filled with breakfast fillings. Originally from eastern European countries, mainly Poland and Czechoslovakia, this creation can be found most anywhere due to emigration and movements of people over the years. Andrew’s inspiration for his kolaches actually came from the Polish and Czech influences out of Texas. They replaced the sweet filling with bacon, ham, sausage and jalapenos. After a few years working in advertising after college, Andrew realized that the happiest times he had at a job were in the kitchen and launched his cart.

Kolaches from Potter's

Kolaches from Potter’s

At Potter’s you can get a simple sausage kolache for 99c and that would be plenty for many of us. These little guys are, well, amazing. I opted for the Picquant with egg, sausage, cheese and jalapeno and a Robustuous with egg, cheese, tomatoes, onions and peppers. That first bite into the Picquant burst with flavor including the mild heat from the peppers. The breading surrounding the filling is a bit flaky, but sweet and savory and holds together well. For $1.96 each, these are the best bargain in town for something so flavorful. Pair with a cup of coffee from Cafe Mom and you’re set.

Potter’s Kolaches is open Monday to Saturday from 6am-noon. You can park in the lot while you grab your breakfast. The orange and red cart is hard to miss. The kolaches are made fresh daily and ready to serve when you get there. Drop on by and let Andrew know Food Carts Portland sent ya.

Sample Menu:

  • Sausage – 99c
  • Sausage & Cheese – $1.25
  • Stawberry Jam – $1.25
  • Egg & Cheese – $1.55
  • Picquant – $1.96
  • Robustuous – $1.96
  • Hot Coffee – 12oz, $1.25; 16oz, $1.50

Hours: Mon-Sat, 6am-12pm
Website: KolachesPDX.com
Facebook: Potter’s Kolaches & Coffee

Filed Under: Baked Goods, Breakfast, Breakfast Foods, Coffee & Espresso, Czech, Debit/Credit Carts Accepted, Eastern European, Lunch, Polish, Sandwiches, SW 3rd and Ash, Weekends Tagged With:

Donut-O-Rama

January 2, 2012 by 2 Comments
Donutorama

Donutorama

Location: SW 3rd and Ash
Hours: Mon-Fri, 11am-3pm

The Story:

Everyone loves a good donut. I remember as a child visiting Dunkin’ Donuts or Winchels and craving something, anything, with Boston creme filling. I couldn’t get enough of that. These days, the donut has transformed into something truly unique and so have the purveyors. Donut-O-Rama is Portland’s first full service donut cart.

Greg Slauson opened Donut-O-Rama a couple of months ago in the same cart that housed Cool Harry’s Frozen Yogurt the past summer. A great use of the cart during these winter months when not too many people are seeking out cold treats. Greg has eaten donuts from many different vendors and has a goal to exceed everyone’s expectations for his sweet treats.

Creme Brulee donut @ Donut-O-Rama

Creme Brulee donut @ Donut-O-Rama

The donuts at Donut-O-Rama range from raised donuts to cake donuts to donuts with bacon atop. You can’t have a donut in Portland without adding bacon can you? But it isn’t all about the crazy donuts, it is about the art of the donut and the craft. A simple glazed donut from Greg is truly a treat – especially in the morning with a hot cup of coffee. One of the stars at Donut-O-Rama is the crème brulee donut, a cream filled pouch covered with sugar which is then melted with a blow-torch to create a hard crust which melts in your mouth.

Donut-O-Rama is a great new option for a morning sweet along with your coffee. Greg continues to come out with new flavors and great creations – the most recent being an energy donut made with Viso energy drink which contains about 60mg of caffeine. That will get your day started! Let Greg know Food Carts Portland sent ya.

Sample Menu:

The entire menu can be found at Donutorama.com

  • Cake donuts like the Viso energy drink donut or the Dynamo or Vigor – $2.50
  • Raised round donuts like coconut, glazed, chocolate, banana, maple, berry – $1.25
  • Buttermilk Bars like glazed, chocolate, banana and maple – $1.75
  • Raised Bars – specials like hot banana, bacon banana, maple bacon, Nutella and Jelly – $2.50

Hours: Mon-Fri, 11am-3pm
Phone: 503 960 6825
Website: Donutorama.com
Twitter: @Donutorama
Facebook: Donut-O-Rama

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Filed Under: Baked Goods, Breakfast, Downtown, Lunch, SW 3rd and Ash, Sweets