Location: SW 4th and Hall
Hours: lunchtime, weekdays
The Story: An Asian food cart serving up lunchtime nosh along with bubble tea. More details coming soon.
Salvadoran Pupusas and Tamales
June 4, 2012 by 3 Comments
Location: SW 4th and Hall (PSU)
Hours: Mon – Fri, 11am – 2pm
The Story: Pupusas from El Salvador! This cart is straightforward – serving, you guessed it, pupusas El Salvador style as well as tamales. Besides a few canned drinks, that’s it. And that’s all they need to do.
Pupusas are so revered in El Salvador they even have their own song. Gulp, but what if I don’t know what a pupusa even is? Don’t fret little ones, Pupusas are as easy as uno, dos, tres…thick, soft corn flour tortilla filled with some of the following: cheese, pork, refried beans, and/or vegetables, and grilled to perfection. Sounds simple, right? But like most simple foods, in deft hands, pupusas become crave worthy comfort food. And this cart delivers exactly that.
The pupusas are filling, yet as my dining companion commented, “not at all greasy”, and one is enough for a light lunch. The tamales here come in chicken or pork, wrapped in a banana leaf for extra flavor and are generously sized at $2.00 each.
A combo plate with a pupusa and tamale, and a beverage will run you a happy $5.00. A bargain!
We didn’t catch the names of the two women running this cart, but we did catch their big warm smiles and enthusiasm. “Please let us know how you like our food”, the pretty brown eyed pupusa seller told us, “we are just starting out.” Well, we’ll tell you – we like your food and cart very much, thank you. Everything seems made with love and care, and that makes all the difference between merely good food, and simply great food such as this. Welcome to Portland’s cart scene Salvadoran Pupusas and Tamales. We wish you the best.
Sample Menu:
- Pupusas: Cheese, Cheese and Zucchini, or Revueltas (beans, cheese, pork) – $2.50
- Tamales: Chicken or Pork – $2.00
Hours: Mon – Fri, 11am-2pm
Phone: 541-279-1938
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Phat Cart
April 2, 2012 by 3 Comments
Phat Cart
Location: SW 4th and Hall
Hours: M-F, 11am-5pm
The Story:
The food cart pod at PSU continues to evolve. You can get amazing vegan BBQ and an assortment of Thai and Mexican and now, pulled pork sandwiches and bento boxes from Phat Cart.
Sandwiched between Krua Bangkok and Fernando’s Mundo Fiesta, Phat Cart offers up a menu of sandwiches and bento boxes featuring slow cooked or stewed pork, chicken, beef or a vegetarian dish with pan fried tofu. The Samurai Sandwich I enjoyed offered up slow cooked stewed pork with tomato, sauteed zucchini and Kewpie mayo, a famous Japanese mayo that gives the sandwich a unique twist. The sandwich was wonderful with some great flavors brought out with the stewed pork. It literally melted in my mouth.
Samurai Sandwich from Phat Cart
Phat Cart is the newest addition to the PSU pod and they have a prime spot right in the center. Drop on by for some wonderful creations and daily specials. Let them know Food Carts Portland sent ya.
Sample Menu:
- Samurai Sandwich: slow-cooked stewed pork with tomato, sauteed zucchini and Kewpie mayo – $6
- Stewed Pork Bento Box: pineapple gravy and served with rice, sauteed zucchini and Kewpie mayo – $6
- Stewed Chicken Bento Box: roasted onion-tomato gravy and served with rice, sauteed zucchini and Kewpie mayo – $6
- Stewed Beef Bento Box: roasted onion-tomato gravy and served with rice, sauteed zucchini and Kewpie mayo – $6
- Vegetairan Bento Box: pan-fried firm tofu covered in soy gravy roasted onion-tomato gravy and served with rice, sauteed zucchini and Kewpie mayo – $6
Hours: M-F, 11am-5pm
Contact: unknown
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New Taste of India at PSU
January 3, 2012 by 1 Comment
New Taste of India at PSU
Location: SW 4th and Hall
Hours: Weekdays, lunchtime
The Story:
New Taste of India has multiple location throughout the city. Serving up traditional Indian food with large daily special that are enough to feed two people. More details coming soon.
Phone: 503 888 0489
Chilango
November 11, 2011 by 7 Comments
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
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
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