You could spend weeks in Portland and not run out of fun places to have lunch.
Japanese katsu on a bed of cabbage, with rice on the side: $5.00.
31 October 2013
Food cart yumminess
Yesterday I was in Portland with daughter J, back from Nairobi and needing to pick up some cargo at the airport.
We dawdled in northeast Portland before coming home. Happily it was lunch time, which meant a foray into the ubiquitous food cart culture.
Many neighborhoods have alleys and formerly-empty lots converted into small spaces for food trucks. Portland-unlike a lot of cities-has encouraged the proliferation of these entrepreneurial little places and the area has attracted young chefs wanting to make a name for themselves while on shoestring budgets.
An assortment of dumplings and a big, steamed, curry-filled bao from Stumptown Dumplings...can you say yummmmmmy?
Our son and his family have just moved back to Portland from Chicago, and although I loved visiting the Windy City I'm really glad for the excuse to get to the City of Roses more often. Pretty sure there will be more food carts in my future.
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wow! some excellent looking food from a 'food cart!' :) congrats on having your family back nearer to you. :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's all pretty nice.
DeleteDumplings...I looove dumplings, and I love curry. We do have some culinary gems to be found here and there in Louisville, but really, there's more barbecue here than anything else. It's the South, you know. Barbecue is king, LOL.
ReplyDeleteOh, i know. We lived in the deep south for almost 9 years. I grew to appreciate BBQ and loved the fried chicken there!
DeleteKerry: After seeing all the yummy street food I am hungry myself. Have a great time with your daughter visiting you. Best wishes. Ram
ReplyDeleteHi RR! You of all people know best how it is to live far from your children. When's the next trip to Idaho for you? Gotta see that new baby, right?
DeleteNot visiting Boise now. Believe it has started snowing there and will be cold for a few months. Probably will plan a visit in summer time.
DeleteIt would be wonderful to sere something like that come to our area. My grandson who is studying to become a chef will have to go far away to ply his trade I fear. He is already a culinary artist.
ReplyDeleteOooh. It would be so fun to have a chef in the family. Let me know if he moves to Portland!
DeleteThis is different. Pretty well all we have around here are chip (fry) trucks. Fortunately, this suits me just fine. :)
ReplyDeleteJapanese katsu is a fancy way of saying "fried chicken!"
DeleteOh my gosh, this looks like the food cart place within walking distance to my daughter's home! I loved walking there with her and her friends in the evening, all of us getting something different. My favorite ended up being a crepe place--a man my age owns it and had a tip jar for his son's college fund. I always tipped him extra big and enjoyed doing so.
ReplyDeleteGail, this was on Alberta street. There were several food cart areas crammed into alleys and lots. Does your daughter live near the Alberta arts district?
DeleteI'll look for crepes next time I'm there!
Came back to say that I'm so happy your daughter is back safely from Nairobi!
ReplyDeleteThank you. It is a relief to have her out of Nairobi, far from the shopping area that was attacked a month ago.
DeleteWhat a beautiful day!
ReplyDeleteDC is a food truck city, too.
It was a gorgeous day on Wednesday, perfect for sitting outside. I bet there are some great ethnic foods served from trucks in DC; I would love to visit them some day.
DeleteA friend of my sister's has his own soup truck in Portland! These were nice images, Kerry (as always.)
ReplyDeleteA soup truck sounds awesome. I wonder where it is.
Deletethere was a big flurry of announcements that the vacant lot a couple of blocks from the city house was going to be converted to a food truck plaza but it never materialized. I was so disappointed.
ReplyDeleteDang. There was an effort this year to open some food truck areas in our town, but the restaurants were very opposed to the idea & I guess they won.
DeleteBao! Good wishes to your admirable daughter.
ReplyDeleteLaoch I wonder if bao wouldn't be a permissible thing for you to eat right now. hmm?
DeleteWe are relieved and happy to have J back, if only temporarily. Thanks for the good wishes.
I think I could eat bao , depending upon what the filling was, and if I were willing to chop it into small pieces and eat them gradually throughout the day.
DeleteSuch a tough diet to deal with day in & out. I'm thinking that broth-filled bao might seem like a treat.
DeleteI think Portland is a lot like Austin!
ReplyDeleteBarbara, I have heard similar things about Austin. I bet I would like Austin too.
DeleteLucky you! I guess my issue with food carts is the food safety issue. Do they get inspected by the Health Dept. and does this cost us more in taxes? I am all for small businesses getting a start, but we should be aware that everything is a trade off.
ReplyDeleteI suppose they have to be inspected on a regular basis, but I'm not sure what the actual cost to taxpayers is. I'm willing to support a few bucks in tax $$ to go towards health inspections.
DeleteI have a very good friend in Portland who's been encouraging me to visit pretty much since he first moved out there some dozen years ago. Your post reveals yet another appealing aspect of the city.
ReplyDeleteAS, You should definitely visit! It is a very friendly place & your kids would like it. Lots of places to explore on foot.
DeleteI think these food outlets are a brilliant idea. Lots of variety, a pleasure for the eyes, the ears and the taste buds. What’s not to like?
ReplyDeleteThis is the way I feel too.
DeleteRestaurants, however, dislike the competition. But with all of the rain we have here there are lots of people who want to go inside to enjoy a meal, so I don't think food carts really put the restaurants out of business.