A Supra Dinner by Kargi Gogo

August 7, 2015 by 21 Comments

I was so excited when one of my favorite food carts, Kargi Gogo announced they were going to host a Supra dinner pop-up. I have been a fan since first visited in 2013 when they initially opened with their ode to Georgia (the Eastern European country, not the US State). Just a couple months ago the Kargi Gogo owners, husband and wife team Sean and McKinze, just celebrated the 2nd anniversary of their cart.

Sean and McKinze spent 2 years in Georgia as part of the Peace Corp, and fell in love clearly with the country, people, and the food and brought it back with them. This video from Behind the Food Carts really captures what Kargi Gogo is like as they create some of their favorite Georgian street food. You can tell they really love Georgia and love sharing this relatively unknown country and food with everyone and anyone.

Being able to expand beyond the space and kitchen in their cart for this supra was a great opportunity for me to explore more of the cuisine of Georgia, and I was really interested in how Kargi Gogo was going to be able to tell more of a story about Georgian culinary culture without the constraints of the faster service pace needed of food cart patrons at lunch. I also love the idea of a supra – which is a celebratory dinner that going into it that night, I only knew involved a lot of food, a lot of drinks and a toast before every drink.

The closest dinner party equivalent would be Thanksgiving in the US – a huge feast of food bringing together family and friends – but add in the influence of going around and around the table with toasts and drinking. And imagine that you could hold a supra for any event or holiday, it’s not just one day a year.

The $90 per person prepaid reservation, as I already knew, included seven full courses with wine pairings. I dutifully did a class at Pulse PDX and walked almost 10000 steps (not counting the Zumba class) even before I showed up for dinner in the Holdfast Dining space at 7 PM, attempting to cultivate a big enough appetite for what the parade of food I thought would ensue. I woefully did not prepare enough. I guess at least I got to experience a traditional supra side effect- restricted breathing because I was so over-full. My take home leftover container alone was probably 2 pounds and an additional 3 meals for me!

And next time, I’m definitely wearing loose clothing and not jeans. And, yes, next time – because I would definitely highly recommend this experience to anyone. Kargi Gogo did a spectacular job in successfully using food as a gateway to Georgia for all of us. Although Georgia was dominated by the Russian Empire and Soviet Union from the 19th century until the fall of the USSR, it has thousands of years of strong national identity and traditions that is unique and fascinating. Looking at the menu at the Georgian script for instance, you can see similarities to Arabic writing from Georgia’s history with Persia hundreds of years before the Russia Empire even existed.
A Supra Dinner with food by Kargi Gogo and wine pairings by Jeff Veir on May 18, 2015 Menu at Supra dinner by Kargi Gogo

A supra always has a tamada, or toast master, who lead the toasts throughout the evening and is the leader of the supra. Sean and McKenzie took turns in leading us to toast to Georgia, to women who are mothers and daughters and sisters and wives, to those no longer with us, to the children the future generation, to peace, to many things that I can’t recall them all since there were like a dozen toasts during the course of the supra. By the end of the evening, we all felt a sense of camaraderie and affection by being brought together by these toasts throughout the dinner, and our mutual stumbling and improvement of cheering the toast with the Georgian phrase “Gaumarjos“, pronounced “gao-oo-mar-jos”… or at least that’s what I left with.

Before each toast, Jeff Vejr, who crafted all the wine pairings and also works as the Winesman for Holdfast Dining, always explained the wine and had a story to tell about the winemaker or the wine grape or how they made the wine or similar. In the photos below, Sean is in the apron, Jeff is in the blazer and pocket handkerchief.
One of the Kargi Gogo owners, Sean in the apron and wine pairings by Jeff Veir in the blazer and pocket handkerchief Owners of Kargi Gogo, husband and wife team Sean and McKenzie
Jeff Veir talks about the next wine pairing One of the Kargi Gogo owners, Sean One of the Kargi Gogo owners, McKinze

On the Table

On the Table at the Supra Dinner by Kargi Gogo: Tonis puri (a Georgian bread), smoked sulguni cheese, Katmis Satsivi (chicken in a walnut sauce), imported Georgian adjika sauce (the red spicy and salty sauce) and housemade tkemali sour plum sauce, Borjomi natural mineral water, a vegetable plate of pickled sweet peppers, green onions, radishes, and assorted organic fresh herbs, a housemade Tarkhuna Soda (with the blue cap), and a bowl with a tomato and cucumber salad On the Table at the Supra Dinner by Kargi Gogo: Tonis puri (a Georgian bread), smoked sulguni cheese, Katmis Satsivi (chicken in a walnut sauce), a vegetable plate of pickled sweet peppers, green onions, radishes, and assorted organic fresh herbs, tomato and cucumber salad
The seats for the supra in the space were either at a communal table, or at the countertop bar – the communal table gives you the advantage of lots of conversation, while the countertop bar lets you see the food being prepared and plated. For this meal, I was at the counter. Scattered already were plates of

  • Tonis puri (a Georgian bread)
    On the Table at the Supra Dinner by Kargi Gogo: Glass of Pheasant's Tears Kisi 2011, a basket of Tonis puri (a Georgian bread), smoked sulguni cheese, imported Georgian adjika sauce (the red spicy and salty sauce) and housemade tkemali sour plum sauce
  • Smoked Sulguni cheese (it reminds me of the flavor of a smoked gouda but texturally is softer like provolone)
    On the Table at the Supra Dinner by Kargi Gogo: Smoked sulguni cheese, it reminds me of the flavor of a smoked gouda but texturally is softer like provolone
  • Tomato and Cucumber Salad
    On the Table at the Supra Dinner by Kargi Gogo: tomato and cucumber salad
  • Katmis Satsivi (chicken in a walnut sauce, and one of my favorite Georgian dishes).
    On the Table at the Supra Dinner by Kargi Gogo: Katmis Satsivi (chicken in a walnut sauce) On the Table at the Supra Dinner by Kargi Gogo: Katmis Satsivi (chicken in a walnut sauce)
  • imported Georgian adjika sauce (the redder sauce that is spicy and salty – there is a great Road & Kingdoms article about adjika here) and housemade tkemali sour plum sauce
    On the Table at the Supra Dinner by Kargi Gogo: imported Georgian adjika sauce (the red spicy and salty sauce) and housemade tkemali sour plum sauce
  • Borjomi natural mineral water (you can read about this legendary mineral water and how it is a symbol of the relations of Georgia and Russia at the Economist), and a housemade Tarkhuna Soda (a tarragon-flavored soda like drink)
    On the Table at the Supra Dinner by Kargi Gogo: Borjomi natural mineral water, a vegetable plate of pickled sweet peppers, green onions, radishes, and assorted organic fresh herbs
  • a Vegetable Plate of pickled sweet peppers, green onions, radishes, and assorted organic fresh herbs
    On the Table at the Supra Dinner by Kargi Gogo: a vegetable plate of pickled sweet peppers, green onions, radishes, and assorted organic fresh herbs On the Table at the Supra Dinner by Kargi Gogo: a vegetable plate of pickled sweet peppers, green onions, radishes, and assorted organic fresh herbs
  • And all of these was paired with the welcoming wine of Pheasant’s Tears Kisi 2011. This is the first of several Pheasant’s Tears wines we would have during the meal – Pheasant’s Tears is located in Georgia and grows Georgian grape varietals using the ancient traditional techniques – ancient as in they are aged in qvevri, which are terracotta pots buried underground. Georgian wine is one of the oldest wine regions in the world, dating back 8,000 years, Jeff explained, including before the invention of amphoras, the portable version of qvevri that the ancient Greeks created later.
    On the Table at the Supra Dinner by Kargi Gogo and wine pairings by Jeff Vejr, this glass is the Pheasant's Tears Kisi 2011

Course 1: Appetizer

It was finally time for the beautiful plates we had been looking at while nibbling on the On The Table stuff… and watching two of the chefs Brad and Keaton preparing the bread boats for the Acharuli Khachapuri, which would be the next course.
Preparing the plating of the Appetizer course, the Pkhali Trio at the Kargi Gogo Supra dinner Preparing the bread boats for the Acharuli Khachapuri, which would be the next course at the Kargi Gogo Supra dinner
These are the Pkhali Trio that includes, eggplant (Badrijani with a walnut sauce), spinach pkhali, and roasted beets pkhali. Texturally except for the pomegranate topping, all the pkhalis were soft, reminiscent of what you might think of for pates, but all vegetable.

The dish was paired with Niki Antadze Mitsvane 2010, which you can see a hint of in the 2nd picture. Georgian white wines are not actually white or clear in color but more of this honey color (which Jeff explained are sometimes referred to as “orange wines”) because the grape juice is fermented with the pits, seeds and skins, which also provides natural preservation. I don’t really care what the color is, but I did notice that the mouthfeel of these orange wines is much rounder but without it being a red or taking on the characteristics you would get from using an oak barrel.

I was so full at the dinner that when Jeff announced that he had extra bottles for sale I was not in the state of mind to contemplate purchasing any, but now I regret it. So, if you attend these dinners, you might want to think about if any of these are unique enough to take home to experience again, but with a more manageable amount of food than a supra.
Appetizer course, the Pkhali Trio that includes, eggplant, spinach, roasted beets, walnuts, and pomegranate seeds. Paired with Niki Antadze Mitsvane 2010. At the Kargi Gogo Supra dinner May 18, 2015 Appetizer course, the Pkhali Trio that includes, eggplant, spinach, roasted beets, walnuts, and pomegranate seeds. Paired with Niki Antadze Mitsvane 2010. At the Kargi Gogo Supra dinner May 18, 2015 Appetizer course, the Pkhali Trio that includes, eggplant, spinach, roasted beets, walnuts, and pomegranate seeds. Paired with Niki Antadze Mitsvane 2010. At the Kargi Gogo Supra dinner May 18, 2015 Appetizer course, the Pkhali Trio that includes, eggplant, spinach, roasted beets, walnuts, and pomegranate seeds. Paired with Niki Antadze Mitsvane 2010. At the Kargi Gogo Supra dinner May 18, 2015 Appetizer course, the Pkhali Trio that includes, eggplant, spinach, roasted beets, walnuts, and pomegranate seeds. Paired with Niki Antadze Mitsvane 2010. At the Kargi Gogo Supra dinner May 18, 2015

Course 2: Bread

Bread course of Acharuli Khachapuri, which is a bread boat that is filled with a sulguni cheese blend and topped with quail egg and local butter, and here is paired with Iago’s Wine Chinuri 2010. To eat it, you tear off the crusty bread around the outside and dip it into the well of gooey cheese and egg.

Bread course of Acharuli Khachapuri, with a bread boat and sulguni cheese blend and quail egg and local butter, paired with Iago's Wine Chinuri 2010 at the Supra dinner by Kargi Gogo Bread course of Acharuli Khachapuri, with a bread boat and sulguni cheese blend and quail egg and local butter, paired with Iago's Wine Chinuri 2010 at the Supra dinner by Kargi Gogo

Apparently my joy and fingers full of bread and cheese got lost in the experience here and did not even take a photo of the wine. The only notes I have is that Iago’s Wine is owned by Iago, he has a white wall where visitors write their name with a sharpie, and some of the wines are sometimes called “snowglobe wines” because you might see natural sentiment in the wine instead of it being completely clear, and these natural sediments are sometimes called “wine diamonds” and “wine vitamins”.

I think I also wrote a note about Jeff being a great storyteller at this point, I was surprised later when he said he only had visited wineries for a week in Georgia. It’s really amazing how much he retained in his memory about the wines, the people, the wineries, and all the little nuggets of personality and facts to flesh out Georgian wines, which most of us know nothing about, until something I am more curious about. I had just attended DaNet (a Russian dinner popup) a few days before this supra, and this supra was everything contextually I had wished DaNet had offered more of: more educational as well as personal stories, more sharing of the culture and legacy of the country.

Course 3: Vegetable

Vegetable course of Lobio Mchadit, which is a kidney bean stew. Here, we were served a version that has all the homey comfort of the red kidney beans, onions, Georgian spices, greens but then is elevated with a sophisticated presentation with a scattering of pomegranate and some fried pieces of Bob’s Red Mill Stone Ground Cornmeal, and all paired with Okro’s Wine Rkatsiteli 2010.
Vegetable course of Lobio Mchadit, with red kidney beans, onions, Georgian spices, greens and Bob's Red Mill Stone Ground Cornmeal, paired wtih Okro's Wine Rkatsiteli 2010 at the Supra dinner by Kargi Gogo Vegetable course of Lobio Mchadit, with red kidney beans, onions, Georgian spices, greens and Bob's Red Mill Stone Ground Cornmeal, paired wtih Okro's Wine Rkatsiteli 2010 at the Supra dinner by Kargi Gogo

Course 4: Dumpling

The hand making of the Tskhvris Khinkali by Brad here: putting down the initial dough circle which would then be filled with the mix of Reister Farms spring lamb, Georgian Dzira spice and broth, and then pinching closed the dumpling
The hand making of the Tskhvris Khinkali - putting down the initial dough circle which would then be filled with the mix of Reister Farms spring lamb, Georgian Dzira spice and broth The hand making of the Tskhvris Khinkali - pinching closed the dumpling The hand making of the Tskhvris Khinkali - pinching closed the dumpling The hand making of the Tskhvris Khinkali - pinching closed the dumpling
The boiled finished product, Tskhvris Khinkali, is a dumpling of dough filled with the mix of Reister Farms spring lamb, Georgian Dzira spice and broth, paired with Pheasant’s Tears Takveri Rose 2013 (look how beautiful the color is of the rose!). To eat the khinkali, you hold it by the nub at the top so it is upside down, take a small careful bite and then tilt the dumpling so you can drink the soup inside. Then, you work your way around eating the dumpling – and you choose to eat the nub or do as Georgians do, which is leave it on the plate to count how many khinkali you have accomplished.
Dumpling course of Tskhvris Khinkali, dough filled with the mix of Reister Farms spring lamb, Georgian Dzira spice and broth, paired wtih Pheasant's Tears Takveri Rose 2013 at the Supra dinner by Kargi Gogo Dumpling course of Tskhvris Khinkali, dough filled with the mix of Reister Farms spring lamb, Georgian Dzira spice and broth, paired wtih Pheasant's Tears Takveri Rose 2013 at the Supra dinner by Kargi Gogo Dumpling course of Tskhvris Khinkali, dough filled with the mix of Reister Farms spring lamb, Georgian Dzira spice and broth, paired wtih Pheasant's Tears Takveri Rose 2013 at the Supra dinner by Kargi Gogo

Course 5: Meat

Meat course of Khbos Chakapuli, a stew with Nicky Farms Veal, tarraton, Georgian white wine and butter, paired with Pheasant’s Tears Shavkapito 2013. 
Meat course of Khbos Chakapuli, with Nicky Farms Veal, tarraton, Georgian white wine and butter, paired wtih Pheasant's Tears Shavkapito 2013 at the Supra dinner by Kargi Gogo Jeff Veir talks about the next wine pairing, a Pheasant's Tears Saperavi 2013

It was around this time that the kantsi, a traditional drinking horn from Georgia, made its appearance as a vessel for giving toasts and which we then passed around the room, starting with Sean.
One of the Owners of Kargi Gogo, Sean with the kantsi, a traditional drinking horn from Georgia, which made its appearance in the 6th course and is a vessel for giving toasts and which we then passed around the room One of the Owners of Kargi Gogo, Sean with the kantsi, a traditional drinking horn from Georgia, which made its appearance in the 6th course and is a vessel for giving toasts and which we then passed around the room

Course 6: Grill

Grill course of Ghoris Mtsvadi, a skewer of Carlton Farms Pork cooked with Georgian White Wine and Svanuri Marili that you use bread to push off the stick, then eat with housemade Tkemali Sour plum sauce or the imported Georgian Adjika sauce. This dish was paired with Pheasant’s Tears Saperavi 2013. We had been smelling the aroma of the grill for a bit now, and were happy to finally see it arrive. I know everyone at my countertop area schemed about how to take a couple nuggets of that pork home in their take home box, ha ha (we all got some).
Grill course of Ghoris Mtsvadi, a skewer of Carlton Farms Pork cooked with Georgian White Wine and Svanuri Marili that you use bread to push off, then eat with housemade Tkemali Sour plum sauce or the imported Georgian Adjika sauce, paired with Pheasant's Tears Saperavi 2013 at the Supra dinner by Kargi Gogo Grill course of Ghoris Mtsvadi, a skewer of Carlton Farms Pork cooked with Georgian White Wine and Svanuri Marili eat with housemade Tkemali Sour plum sauce or the imported Georgian Adjika sauce, paired with Pheasant's Tears Saperavi 2013 at the Supra dinner by Kargi Gogo Grill course of Ghoris Mtsvadi, a skewer of Carlton Farms Pork cooked with Georgian White Wine and Svanuri Marili eat with housemade Tkemali Sour plum sauce or the imported Georgian Adjika sauce, paired with Pheasant's Tears Saperavi 2013 at the Supra dinner by Kargi Gogo Grill course of Ghoris Mtsvadi, a skewer of Carlton Farms Pork cooked with Georgian White Wine and Svanuri Marili eat with housemade Tkemali Sour plum sauce or the imported Georgian Adjika sauce, paired with Pheasant's Tears Saperavi 2013 at the Supra dinner by Kargi Gogo Grill course of Ghoris Mtsvadi, a skewer of Carlton Farms Pork cooked with Georgian White Wine and Svanuri Marili eat with housemade Tkemali Sour plum sauce or the imported Georgian Adjika sauce, paired with Pheasant's Tears Saperavi 2013 at the Supra dinner by Kargi Gogo

Course 7: Sweet

Finally, the sweet course of Kaklis Namtskhvari da Gozinaki, which McKinze learned from her host mother when she was with the Peace Corp. Kaklis Namtskhvari is a cake with walnuts, honey, fleur de sel, housemade whipped cream and Hood strawberries, a piece of Gozinaki (walnut honey bar) both paired with Bagrationi Classic Brut and you can see the slightly greenish yellow liquid on the left is me sipping on the housemade Tarkhuna (tarragon soda).
Sweet course of Kaklis Namtskhvari da Gozinaki, which McKenzie learned from her host mother, a cake with walnuts, honey, fleur de sel, housemade whipped cream and Hood strawberries, paired wtih Bagrationi Classic Brut at the Supra dinner by Kargi Gogo Sweet course of Kaklis Namtskhvari da Gozinaki, which McKenzie learned from her host mother, a cake with walnuts, honey, fleur de sel, housemade whipped cream and Hood strawberries, paired wtih Bagrationi Classic Brut at the Supra dinner by Kargi Gogo Sweet course of Kaklis Namtskhvari da Gozinaki, which McKenzie learned from her host mother, a cake with walnuts, honey, fleur de sel, housemade whipped cream and Hood strawberries, paired wtih Bagrationi Classic Brut at the Supra dinner by Kargi Gogo

All in all, this was a long meal with a huge amount of food. But, it also felt very apropos given the supra framework to this meal. I know they plan to do more of these, though I don’t know that they have announced specific dates. Sign up on their Events page to let them know your interest as that could help motivate an event and puts you hopefully on a list to be in the know. You can also follow Kargi Gogo on social media at their Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

What do you think of this food that you see here compared to the Russian food I shared from DaNet or from Kachka?

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Filed Under: Food and Drink, Food Carts, Portland Highlights, Restaurant Review Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Portland Hot Dogs – Food Carts

July 31, 2015 by 8 Comments

This post has been a long time in a making, usually because after having one of these I feel like I need to take 5 exercise classes. But, it’s finally time to share some of the hot dogs I’ve been tasting around town.

Hot Dogs, or at least a new gourmet/all in with toppings trend, has emerged recently this 2015. It seemed like it was only just a couple months ago where on a panel Dougie Adams (of Imperial, and also Top Chef,  which is what the panel was celebrating) confessed his love for simple hot dogs.

But then in the past couple months, fancy hot dogs have been a trend. There was the opening on NE Alberta of Donnie Vegas, the Beaverton and roaming truck of Clutch Prime Sausagery, Stray Dog PDX Pop up that specialized in appearing once a week with fancy dogs (and even traveled to New York to pop up), and more on the way thanks to upcoming Micah Camden venture of Hop Dog (which popped up earlier at Boxer Ramen this month and gave out free hot dogs for  National  Hot Dog Day).

I want to do individual reports of the hot dog brick and mortars, but I did try and wanted to share a few other doggies in town that come via the traditional hot dog vendor way: a food cart.

In summer heat wave weather you may not think to visit a food cart, but bad weather days be it too hot, too cold, rainy are days you should especially patronize the food carts. Inside the little kitchen of their cart, it sucks a lot more for them and your visit can be the difference between them even breaking even that day because of lower foot traffic. So visit them, they’ll appreciate you!

We Be Weiners

First, we have the start of my hot dog journey with We Be Weiners . We Be Weiners has been serving up hot dogs since 2005, and the food cart has re-located from the cart pod A la Carts at SE Division to now SW 5th and Harrison by PSU. There are 15 other dogs on the menu (outside biscuits and gravy, meatball sandwiches, Frito Chili Pie and more), ranging from breakfast dogs with gravy to spicy dogs with salsa or one with jalapenos and chilies or even Sambal Oelek, as well as Chicago of, Reuben Dog, Corn Dog, Tofurky Italian Sausage and more.

Of all the food carts offering fancy hot dogs, We Be Weiners has the most variety to choose from. At most dogs hovering at $3-5 it is also the most value for your fancy dog.
We Be Weiners where I got a Porklandia hot dog, with a Hebrew National all beef hot dog filled with Swiss Cheese, Bacon Wrapped, then deep fried and topped with onion crunch and mustard We Be Weiners where I got a Porklandia hot dog, with a Hebrew National all beef hot dog filled with Swiss Cheese, Bacon Wrapped, then deep fried and topped with onion crunch and mustard

This is where I got a Porklandia hot dog, with a Hebrew National all beef hot dog filled with Swiss Cheese, Bacon Wrapped, then deep fried and topped with onion crunch and mustard.
We Be Weiners where I got a Porklandia hot dog, with a Hebrew National all beef hot dog filled with Swiss Cheese, Bacon Wrapped, then deep fried and topped with onion crunch and mustard We Be Weiners where I got a Porklandia hot dog, with a Hebrew National all beef hot dog filled with Swiss Cheese, Bacon Wrapped, then deep fried and topped with onion crunch and mustard

We Be Weiners on Zomato

Dog town

Next, I wanted to highlight the hot dogs available at the Tidbit food cart pod on SE Division and Division, at Dog Town. Their list of about a dozen impressive dogs varies from LaLa Land with bacon and more bacon to a veggie sausage (Farmer’s Daughter, with romesco sauce, grilled leeks, shaved fennel, arugula to go with the veggie sausage so even a vegetarian won’t feel left out), 6 hour pulled pork a la Memphis Pulled Pork dog, to Fricken Chicken with fried chicken and bourbon bread or Lamborghini with Australian Lamb Sausage cuddled in naan bread, or a Sonoran bacon wrapped hot dog with salsa verde and avocado creme nestled in a made to order fry bread. The Friday Night Lights chili dog of course comes topped with Fritos too – they think of everything here to take it to the top and a little past that.

I don’t think it’s possible to neatly eat any of their insanely generously topped hot dogs. What makes them stand out to me is how the hot dog menu options are so bold, while still being thoughtfully composed to balance a fun range of flavors and textures to go all out in meeting the dramatic names of the hot dog option. At around $6 these hot dogs deliver upgraded flavor that more than justifies the price. This is more of a sandwich that happens to also have a sausage in it than just a hot dog.
Dog Town, located at Tidbit Food cart at SE 28th and Division offers an impressive heavily topped hot dog menu selection in Portland
Return of the Mac, a hot dog smothered in gooey mac and cheese, crispy bacon, and garlic bread crumbs on a fresh baked bun
Return of the Mac at Dog Town food cart, a hot dog smothered in gooey mac and cheese, crispy bacon, and garlic bread crumbs on a fresh baked bun Return of the Mac at Dog Town food cart, a hot dog smothered in gooey mac and cheese, crispy bacon, and garlic bread crumbs on a fresh baked bun

You’d think with the mac and cheese that would be my favorite, but at Dog Town my favorite is the Rocky Balboa, which is a Philly Cheesesteak Dog that includes All Beef coney Dog split and grilled topped with thinly sliced beef, grilled onions and peppers, and melted provolone.
Dogtown Rocky Balboa hot dog, which is a Philly Cheesesteak Dog that includes All Beef coney Dog split and grilled topped with thinly sliced beef, grilled onions and peppers, and melted provolone Dogtown Rocky Balboa hot dog, which is a Philly Cheesesteak Dog that includes All Beef coney Dog split and grilled topped with thinly sliced beef, grilled onions and peppers, and melted provolone

Dog Town Food Cart on Zomato

Bro-Dogs and Burgers

Finally, we have the super messy but delish offering from Bro-Dogs food truck (roaming food truck so check their social media, and also located at PDX Airport pre-security) of the “Dude!!!” The Dude!!! Bro-dog includes a Zenger smoked bacon and cheddar sausage with bacon, cheddar, mushroom, onion, garlic, cream cheese and two kinds of BBQ sauce, all on a handcrafted Alessio Bakery bun.

Bro-Dogs and Burgers menu also has a regular Bro Dog, Bratwurst, Polish, and Vegan dog as well as a Dirty Burger and Dirty Veggie Burger,  and special sausages like jalapeño cheddar or chicken apple,  all on the Alessio Bakery sandwich bun.

It’s hard not to be drawn to The Dude!!! in really being bad for you in a good way. I would almost expect this to show up on an episode highlighting over the top hot dogs in the US. I mean the size of this thing is veering into burrito territory,  thus the higher $7 price that’s the same price as their Dirty Burger. The rest of the menu is priced a couple bucks less.
Bro-Dogs and Burgers Bro-Dogs and Burgers menu famously includes their Dude!!! dog, as well as Bro Dog, Bratwurst, Polish, and Vegan dog as well as a Dirty Burger and Dirty Veggie burger. Bro-Dogs and Burgers menu famously includes their Dude!!! dog, as well as Bro Dog, Bratwurst, Polish, and Vegan dog as well as a Dirty Burger and Dirty Veggie burger. The Dude!!! Bro-dog from Bro-Dogs and Burgers food cart/truck includes a Zenger smoked bacon and cheddar sausage with bacon, cheddar, mushroom, onion, garlic, cream cheese and two kinds of BBQ sauce, all on a handcrafted Alesio Bakery bun The Dude!!! Bro-dog from Bro-Dogs and Burgers food cart/truck includes a Zenger smoked bacon and cheddar sausage with bacon, cheddar, mushroom, onion, garlic, cream cheese and two kinds of BBQ sauce, all on a handcrafted Alesio Bakery bun

What are your thoughts on the fancy hot dog trend? What’s the fanciest hot dig topping you’ve seen?

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Portland Mercado

June 12, 2015 by 16 Comments

About two months ago, the Portland Mercado opened in Portland at SE 72nd and Foster. The idea of Portland Mercado has been a work in progress for 9 years, and it was great to see this dream of a Latino public market, community space, and business incubator finally be realized. You can read more details at OPB about how this area of Portland has been gentrifying, and the intent to make Portland Mercado an economic anchor.
Portland Mercado opened in Portland at SE 72nd and Foster. This corner lot has been a work in progress for 9 years, and it was great to see this dream of a Latino public market, community space, and business incubator finally be realized. Portland Mercado and the colorful 8 carts of the food cart pod, where each food cart specializes in different Latin cuisine

As someone who has grown up in Chicago, I am used to the summer weekend markets on Maxwell Street with the street food (hello elote and huitlacoche taco), and vibrant Latino neighborhoods like Pilsen that boast Latino businesses that include not only the excellent restaurants and bakeries, but art galleries, really fun architecture, and colorful murals and somehow, peppy music always coming from somewhere.

In Chicago, the Pilsen area even held annually a big popular festival for Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead. When I was in high school, there was a student club called Gourmet Club I joined (eventually my senior year I even became the president of it) that opened students’ eyes to Dia de los Muertos and Mexican food beyond Taco Bell or burritos, as well as Ethiopian food and more, thanks to after school field trips to eat at restaurants and explore the ethnic neighborhoods those restaurants were located in.

During the Dia de los Muertos festival in Pilsen, I recall the streets and stores were full of mixed audiences as the community sought to promote the heritage to new people by both celebrating and educating. I remember the altars, the face painting, the mix of somberness and fun, a lot of skeletons, a lot of great art (seriously, there is so much great Latino American art), sugar skulls and lots of sweet bread, and a parade that wound through the parks. More than a decade later, I am still reaping the rewards of curiosity of other countries through cuisine as a gateway. The Portland Mercado could be the start of such a gateway in Portland to promoting Latin America culture.
After ordering food at the food cart pod here, visit Barrio Bar at Portland Mercado where you can order a wine, beer, michelada, or sangria to enjoy. Portland Mercado. The cart Los Alambres offers street food from Mexico City, particularly El Alambre for which the cart is named. Alambre is a grilled mix of Bacon/Ham, Chorizo, Asada, onion, bell pepper, onion, and melted cheese served with corn tortillas. Meanwhile Barrio provided sangria for me to wash it down.

Even though it has only been open a few months, Portland Mercado has already thrown several different days of special events that included DJs playing Latino music, live music, dance performances from Mexico and Latin America, and lots of promotions of drink and food specials.

My steady support has been to patronize the food carts that currently make up the food cart pod at Portland Mercado. Although all 8 food carts serve Latin themed food, they are all different in terms of the type of food they offer and often the region of cuisine they may be representing. I hear they may rotate the food cart owners to change out the cuisine and share the opportunity to other small business owners, but that’s still to be seen.
Portland Mercado and the colorful 8 carts of the food cart pod, where each food cart specializes in different Latin cuisine

Most of the carts operate the same way where you order from the cart window that faces the tables, and then you usually get a number or tell them a name to call. You then step aside and usually if its busy wait to be called at a second window on the side (it might be the same window if it’s not busy).

After your short wait as they prepare your food, you retrieve your order and can take it to go or find a seat at the community picnic tables by the food carts or inside the Market Hall.

Another option is to get a table at Barrio while ordering a wine, beer, michelada, or sangria to wash down your food (you can also order non alcoholic drinks varying from Latin sodas to Horchata from the various carts). The tables at Barrio are for Barrio customers rather then the shared benches and tables by the food carts or inside the Market Hall, and they are smaller in size if you want a bit more privacy in your conversation. If you drink alcoholic beverages, the alcoholic drinks are only allowed at the Barrio tables or inside the Market Hall, not in the dining area by the food carts which are intentionally geared to be more family oriented aka children and dog friendly.

Barrio offers 5 beers on tap, 7 wines by the glasses, bottles aof wine and beer, growlers, and Latin American drink specials. Keep in mind that every drink you order from Barrio helps the community  – a percentage of the beverage profits go back to Portland Mercado’s Arts and Cultural Programming and supporting small business development.
Barrio Bar at Portland Mercado where you can order a wine, beer, michelada, or sangria to enjoy. Every drink you order from Barrio helps - a percentage of the beverage profits go back to Portland Mercado's Arts and Cultural Programming and supporting small business development. Barrio Bar at Portland Mercado where you can order a wine, beer, michelada, or sangria to enjoy. Every drink you order from Barrio helps - a percentage of the beverage profits go back to Portland Mercado's Arts and Cultural Programming and supporting small business development.

The eight food carts at Portland Mercado include quite a variety of food, and can likely with the different offerings accommodate diets – I know vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free and paleo for instance can all be accommodated for by perusing the 8 menus. I have named the carts here in order from closest to the Portland Mercado/left side when facing the carts, as you walk along Foster from 73rd towards the overflow parking lot on 72nd and Foster):

The schedules of the carts vary – they are all open 6 days a week, and will either take a day of rest on Monday or Tuesday so if you have your heart set on a certain cart, make sure you check the hours of operation to make sure it’s open that day!
Portland Mercado food carts

Que Bacano Colombian Food

This red cart on the end closest to the Portland Mercado Market Hall has a lot of unfamiliar words on their menu of Colombian food. For starters there are new dishes you may want to try like Almojabanas (cheesey rolls with cornmeal and cheese), Patacones (fried green plaintains with guiso sauce – shown with the red sauce below like big crispy chips), Yuca Frita (fried cassova root – the dish that some people thought looked like potatoes but it’s yuca below), or Arepas Rellenas (flatbread sandwiches – can be vegetarian or like below, chicken). Don’t overlook the main dishes either, such as Arroz Con Pollo (rice with chicken and vegetables served with patacones), Arroz Mixto (a Colombian version of fried rice), Picada Colombiana (all sorts of meat like steak, chicken, chorizo and veggies like yuca, tomatoes, plaintain) and more.
Portland Mercado and the colorful 8 carts of the food cart pod, where each food cart specializes in different Latin cuisine / Que Bacano here at the end here specializes in Colombian food Que Bacano Colombian Food at Portland Mercado, Patacones, fried green plaintains with guiso sauce Que Bacano Colombian Food at Portland Mercado, Arepas Rellenas (flatbread sandwiches - can be vegetarian or like here, chicken) Que Bacano Colombian Food at Portland Mercado, Yuca Frita, a fried cassova root - the dish that some people thought looked like potatoes but it's yuca
Above, the Patacones (fried green plaintains with guiso sauce), Arepas Rellenas (flatbread sandwiches – can be vegetarian or like here, chicken), and (Yuca Frita, a fried cassova root)
Que Bacano Colombian Food at Portland Mercado, here the Arroz Mixto main dish which is a Colombian version of fried rice with chicken, pork, shrimp, and more and served with two patacones or fried green plaintains Que Bacano Colombian Food at Portland Mercado, here the Arroz Mixto main dish which is a Colombian version of fried rice with chicken, pork, shrimp, and more and served with two patacones or fried green plaintains Que Bacano Colombian Food at Portland Mercado, here the Arroz Mixto main dish which is a Colombian version of fried rice with chicken, pork, shrimp, and more and served with two patacones or fried green plaintains
Que Bacano Colombian Food at Portland Mercado, here the Arroz Mixto main dish is enough for two, it’s a Colombian version of fried rice with chicken, pork, shrimp, and more and served with two patacones or fried green plaintains

Mixteca PDX Tamales and Mole

This cart specializes in Oaxacan cuisine, which adds to what you see normally see here in the US as traditional Mexican with regional ingredients like Oaxacan cheese and loving the use of moles. Here, they really go all out on the moles, with their best sellers probably being the Mole Bowl or Mole Plate with their Mole Negro (one of the seven famous moles of Oaxaca region). They have other a la carte dishes with other moles, such as Tamal Oaxaqueno with Mole Oaxaqueno, Chileajo with red mole, and several dishes that have a sauteed tomato sauce. They also offer a tamale box that you can naturally, add mole sauce to if you’d like. Below the dish I had was the Chileajo, which I further topped with one of the sauces they had on the side, a pumpkin seed one here.
-"Portland Mixteca PDX Tamales and Mole food cart at the Portland Mercado's A La Carte dish of Chileajo, a shredded pork with deep red mole sauce that is mild and smoky (aka chileajo mole). I further topped mine with pumpkin seed sauce.

Fernando’s Alegria Burritos and Wraps

This cart is just as the name implies, all about the burritos and wraps. The insides of the burritos vary from breakfast versions to steak to chorizo to pork carnitas with grilled pineapple or pollo tinga to even veggie or vegan (such as grilled tofu and nopalitas) for accommodating any dietary need.
Portland Mercado has 8 carts in the food cart pod, where each food cart specializes in different Latin cuisine.Fernando's Alegria at Portland Mercado offers burritos and wraps

El Gato Tuerto

The blue El Gato Tuerto cart brings Cuban/Argentinian Food to the cart pod. This includes main dishes like Pescado al Mojo (marinated fish in Mojo sauce) and Ropa Vieja (shredded beef simmered and served with rice) that represents the more Caribbean side towards Cuba, or Churrazquito (beef,  chicken and chorizo that is grilled and brushed with chimichurri)  that represents Argentina. They also offer a handful of sandwiches such as the Argentine Choripán (chorizo) or Milanesa (breaded pan fried chicken, beef or eggplant) sandwiches, or the Cuban Sandwich de Platano (sweet plaintain) or a Cubano (roasted pork, ham and cheese). For an interesting vegetarian choice, the vegetarian Gaucho sandwich offers nuts, herbs, eggs, cheese, spices and mushrooms for lots of fun textures and flavors without any meat. Besides the mains and sandwiches the cart offers quite a few sides, including Lengua (marinated beef tongue Argentine style), Plaintains, and Yuca con mojo (cassovo root with a garlic sauce, pretty much guaranteed deliciousness).
Portland Mercado has 8 carts in the food cart pod, where each food cart specializes in different Latin cuisine. The blue El Gato Tuerto cart brings Cuban/Argentinian Food to the cart pod.

5 Volcanes

5 Volcanes focuses on their handmade pupusas and pastelitos,  which are typical Salvadorian dishes. A pupusa is a thick corn tortilla filled with cheese and a filliing of your choice varying from Chicharron (fried pork rinds) to Loroco (edible flower) or chicken or beans. You see an example pupusa below. Meanwhile the pastelitos are corn tortillas folded and fried, and filled with choices like chicken, beef, or veggies. They also have a dessert option of Empanadas de Platano, which are plaintains filled with milk, corn starch and beans and fried before sprinkling sugar on top.
5 Volcanes specializes in pupusas and pastelitos which are typical Salvadorian dishes. A pupusa is a thick corn tortilla filled with cheese and a filliing of your choice varying from Chicharron (fried pork rinds) to Loroco (edible flower) or chicken or beans. The pastelitos they serve hereare corn torillas folded and fried, and filled with choices like chicken, beef, or veggie Portland Mercado has 8 carts in their food cart pod, where each food cart specializes in different Latin cuisine. The cart 5 Volcanes specializes in pupusas and empanadas which are typical Salvadorian dishes - here you see a pupusa

Las Adelas Mexican Comfort Food

Las Adelas Mexican Comfort Food offers some unique dishes like Pozole soups, which are stews with either chicken or pork soup and hominy with tostada, onion, radish, cilantro, lemon and sauce.

They also offer huaraches, which are topped with various options and salsa, like the Huarache Acorazado (beef, pastor, chicharron, chicken, or chile relleno with rice and beans) or Huarache de Cecina (with salted beef and mushrooms, bell pepper, onion, cheese, and green or red salsa). It is the Huarache de Cecina that you see below.
Portland Mercado has 8 carts in the food cart pod, where each food cart specializes in different Latin cuisine. Las Adelas Mexican Comfort Food offers some unique dishes like Huarache and Pozole (either chicken or pork soup and hominy with tostada, onion, radish, cilantro, lemon and sauce) Las Adelas Mexican Comfort Food at Portland Mercado offering of Huarache de Cecina (an oval fried masa patty with salted beef and mushrooms, bell pepper, onion, cheese, and green or red salsa) Las Adelas Mexican Comfort Food at Portland Mercado offering of Huarache de Cecina (an oval fried masa patty with salted beef and mushrooms, bell pepper, onion, cheese, and green or red salsa) Las Adelas Mexican Comfort Food at Portland Mercado offering of Huarache de Cecina (an oval fried masa patty with salted beef and mushrooms, bell pepper, onion, cheese, and green or red salsa) Las Adelas Mexican Comfort Food at Portland Mercado offering of Huarache de Cecina (an oval fried masa patty with salted beef and mushrooms, bell pepper, onion, cheese, and green or red salsa)

There are a few other plates too, like Pollo Azado (a special seasoned chicken with salad, rice, beans, and handmade tortillas) and Carne Azada Plate (beef, melted cheese, nopal salad, onion, rice, beans and handmade tortillas).

Los Alambres

Street food from Mexico City, particularly Alambres for which the cart is named. An alambre is a grilled mix of Bacon/Ham, Chorizo, Asada, onion, bell pepper, onion, and melted cheese served with corn tortillas. So full of flavor and texture… really good. A Pambazo grilled bread with Guajillo sauce and potatoes, chorizo, lettuce, sour cream and queso fresco also is a tasty special, in addition to the almost dozen tortas or sandwich combinations they offer. The alambre is their best dish in my opinion though.
Portland Mercado has 8 carts in their food cart pod, where each food cart specializes in different Latin cuisine. The cart Los Alambres offers street food from Mexico City, particularly El Alambre for which the cart is named. Alambre is a grilled mix of Bacon/Ham, Chorizo, Asada, onion, bell pepper, onion, and melted cheese served with corn tortillas Portland Mercado has 8 carts in their food cart pod, where each food cart specializes in different Latin cuisine. The cart Los Alambres offers street food from Mexico City, particularly El Alambre for which the cart is named. Alambre is a grilled mix of Bacon/Ham, Chorizo, Asada, onion, bell pepper, onion, and melted cheese served with corn tortillas.

Tierra Del Sol Oaxacan Cuisine

This cart specializes in Oaxacan cuisine. I think Tladuya is the inspiration for the Americanized Mexican pizza. The traditional Tladuya starts with a baked corn tortilla the size of a small pizza that is covered with meat, cheese, beans, tomato, cabbage, radish, avocado and salsa. If you stop at this cart, I highly recommend you walk away with this Tladuya dish (it can be meat or vegetarian). As they promise on their menu, the Tladuya is indeed enough for 2 people, or maybe 4 if you treat it like a shared appetizer.
Portland Mercado has 8 carts in the food cart pod, where each food cart specializes in different Latin cuisine. Tierra del Sol specializes in Oaxacan Cuisine, and most noticable from this cart are the Tladuya, which starts with a baked corn tortilla the size of a small pizza that is covered with meat, cheese, beans, tomato, cabbage, radish, avocado and salsa Portland Mercado has 8 carts in the food cart pod, where each food cart specializes in different Latin cuisine. Tierra del Sol specializes in Oaxacan Cuisine, and most noticable from this cart are the Tladuya, which starts with a baked corn tortilla the size of a small pizza that is covered with meat, cheese, beans, tomato, cabbage, radish, avocado and salsa Portland Mercado has 8 carts in the food cart pod, where each food cart specializes in different Latin cuisine. Tierra del Sol specializes in Oaxacan Cuisine. Here is a veggie mole enchilada using handmade blue corn tortillas along with veggie stew and topped with mole, lettuce, red onion, queso fresco, sour cream from Ochoa Quesaria in Albany Oregon and served with a side of rice and beans
If you see anyone with blue corn tacos or quesadillas or mole enchiladas, they also come from this cart,  and they are handmade. The tacos and then the mole enchilada plate are shown below. The vegetarian mole enchilada plate is a version with handmade blue corn tortillas along with veggie stew and topped with mole, lettuce, red onion, queso fresco, sour cream from Ochoa Quesaria in Albany Oregon, and served with a side of rice and beans. I would recommend the Tladuya of all the dishes at this cart though.
Portland Mercado has 8 carts in their food cart pod, where each food cart specializes in different Latin cuisine. Tierra del Sol specializes in Oaxacan Cuisine. They use blue corn tortillas on their tacos, quesadillas, and mole enchiladas. Portland Mercado has 8 carts in the food cart pod, where each food cart specializes in different Latin cuisine. Tierra del Sol specializes in Oaxacan Cuisine. Here is a veggie mole enchilada using handmade blue corn tortillas along with veggie stew and topped with mole, lettuce, red onion, queso fresco, sour cream from Ochoa Quesaria in Albany Oregon and served with a side of rice and beans

Consider making it a progressive meal where you order from multiple carts… because I have done exactly that every single time I have visited. I like to spread my support around to everyone! A good trick for this is to order from carts next to each other, not on far ends by the way (doh!), or even better strategize with your dining companions what you will be sharing family style. For instance, below I have the Arroz Mixto from Que Bacano that I enjoyed with a horchata from the cart next door, Mixteca, and then dessert was from Fruit Box.
Portland Mercado, here the Arroz Mixto from Que Bacano Colombian Food at and a horchata from the cart next door, Mixteca

Make sure you wander inside the Market Hall after your meal… you might find some meat (perhaps carne asada or something in the Latin American style marinades they offer) to take home to cook for dinner tomorrow at El Carnicero.

Portland Mercado opened in Portland at SE 72nd and Foster. This corner lot has been a work in progress for 9 years, and it was great to see this dream of a Latino public market, community space, and business incubator finally be realized. Portland Mercado opened in Portland at SE 72nd and Foster. This corner lot has been a work in progress for 9 years, and it was great to see this dream of a Latino public market, community space, and business incubator finally be realized. Portland Mercado, the Market Hall includes tables for dining as well as the Carnicero here. Portland Mercado opened in Portland at SE 72nd and Foster. This corner lot has been a work in progress for 9 years, and it was great to see this dream of a Latino public market, community space, and business incubator finally be realized.
Definitely consider the different chorizos by Don Felipe Products – I particularly like Chorizo Verde, a green chorizo that includes beef and pork, spinach, serrano peppers, pumpkin seeds, garlic, onion, apple cider vinegar and spices. The Chorizo Rojo has pork, red crushed peppers, paprika, garlic, apple cider vinegar and spices with a hint of cinnamon, and their Chorizo de Pollo has chicken along with chipotle peppers, apple cider vinegar, cloves, cumin, garlic and salt. All their chorizo are lean, all natural, minimally prossed and free of fillers, glands, added sugar and all made in Portland.

Portland Mercado - Don Felipe products include Chorizo Verde, Chorizo Rojo, and Chorozo de Pollo

There may be fresh tortillas still warm fresh off the grill on the weekend at the Kaah Market Grocer, or check out their fresh tomatillos or chayote.

¡Buenos días! #tropicalfruit #portlandmercado A photo posted by Portland Mercado (@portlandmercado) on

Browse the fun Mexican candy or chips or other snacks (she often has samples of several things to try, and everything is very affordable to get a single piece to try as a candy adventure. And, she’s super sweet just like her store!) at Fiesta Tradicional Pinatas and Candies, located just across the entrance by Barrio. Inside the Market Hall is also where the restrooms are located. Portland Mercado opened in Portland at SE 72nd and Foster. This corner lot has been a work in progress for 9 years, and it was great to see this dream of a Latino public market, community space, and business incubator finally be realized. This is Fiesta Tradicional Pinatas and Candies, with Mexican candy chips and other snacks At Portland Mercado's Fiesta Tradicional Pinatas and Candies browse the fun Mexican candy or chips or other snacks Inside the Cafe Revolucion Coffee Shop are some amazing looking dessert pastries such as 3 leches cake and flan in the case, or in the pastry cabinet Conchas (Mexican sweet bread), Nino Envuelta and more. You can also order Mexican drinks like various atoles, which are traditional hot corn masa based drinks with milk, cinnamon, and piloncillo (molasses) and other ingredients like strawberry or chocolate or pecan. Portland Mercado: inside the Cafe Revlolucion Coffee Shop are some amazing looking dessert pastries Portland Mercado: inside the Cafe Revlolucion Coffee Shop are some amazing looking dessert pastries At Portland Mercado, inside the Cafe Revolucion Coffee Shop are some amazing looking dessert pastries such as 3 leches cake and flan in the cases or here in the pastry cabinet Conchas and Nino Envuelta and more At Portland Mercado, inside the Cafe Revolucion Coffee Shop are Mexican drinks like various atoles, which are traditional hot corn masa based drinks with milk, cinnamon, and piloncillo (molasses) and other ingredients like strawberry or chocolate or pecan As another dessert option, you could be tempted by Churros PDX at the Mercado if you visit Portland Mercado on Wednesday-Sunday afternoons, where this cart sweetens the air with the scent of fried dough and cinnamon sugar. Their cart is located right by the entrance to the Main Hall, by Fiesta Tradicional.

Churros PDX at the Mercado this weekend and every week from Wednesday-Sunday! #churros #pdx #pdxeats #portlandmercado A photo posted by Portland Mercado (@portlandmercado) on

The Fruit Box Snack Bar also might be a great dessert with its multiple fruit options that are made into Mexican fruit salad desserts topped with Crema Bionico (a sweet cream I think made with condensed milk? You can even purchase jars of this to go to top your own fruit at home), granola and coconut. They offer the fruit in beverage form like Jugos Frescos (fresh juice), smoothies, milkshakes, and raspados (snow cones!!). There is other stuff on their menu, but I would recommend sticking with what I just mentioned since it’s their clear specialty.

Below is the Fruit Box Diablito, a fruit drink that is also spicy and also a bit like a slushee or water ice. You choose the fruit flavor – I picked strawberry here.
Fruit Box Diablito, a fruit drink that is also spicy and also a bit like a slushee or water ice. You choose the fruit flavor here I picked strawberry Fruit Box Diablito, a fruit drink that is also spicy and also a bit like a slushee or water ice. You choose the fruit flavor here I picked strawberry Fruit Box Diablito, a fruit drink that is also spicy and also a bit like a slushee or water ice. You choose the fruit flavor here I picked strawberry

I am wishing a lot of luck to Portland Mercado, and I hope you will join me in supporting the Portland Mercado vendors and the community.

I’m not being sponsored and I wasn’t asked to promote them – otherwise you would see a disclosure statement at the end of this post. I just think this is an important group of businesses that deserve our patronage and that could pave the way for other public market and business incubators in Portland, it’s a way to build community, and so I want very much for Portland Mercado to succeed.

What better way to bring people of various backgrounds and economic situations together than food, and Portland Mercado has plenty of it to try.

Have you been to Portland Mercado yet? What cart did you try, or cart do you want to try when you go visit?

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Dosirak Food Cart

January 30, 2015 by 18 Comments

I admire a food cart that knows it has such a spectacular single dish that they are going to devote themselves to that one dish. That’s what the Dosirak Food Cart does with its Teriyaki Chicken. They’ve had their loyal fans since 2009, which is a testament of what a simple but great offering they provide.
Dosirak Food Cart, specializing in Teriyaki Chicken at its location of SW 4th and College

Located at  SW 4th and College and open 10:30 AM – 6 PM on weekdays only, this lunchbox cart (Dosirak means lunchbox) makes ordering simple as you just have to decide whether you want the mandoo (dumplings) or not and whether you want your rice to be white rice or brown rice.  Or you could just order a bunch of mandoo, but why would you turn down this chicken?
Dosirak Food Cart, specializing in Teriyaki Chicken in a lunchbox (dosirak) with salad, rice, dumplings at its location of SW 4th and College Dosirak Food Cart, specializing in Teriyaki Chicken in a lunchbox (dosirak) with salad, rice, dumplings at its location of SW 4th and College

The red chili sauce you see in my photos I added, but the rest of the sauce is the marinade of that teriyaki chicken.
Food Cart, specializing in Teriyaki Chicken at its location of SW 4th and College, though your dish also comes with 2 mandoo (dumplings) or you can choose a plate of all dumplings. Here I also picked brown instead of white rice Dosirak Food Cart, specializing in Teriyaki Chicken at its location of SW 4th and College. They've had their loyal fans since 2009, which is a testament of what a simple but great offering they provide.

The food is hearty, filling, but an excellent value (that whole thing is $7 and includes salad, rice, 2 mandoo and all that chicken you see, plus your choice of various hot sauces if you’d like). You can’t help but feel good supporting this small little business with its super nice owners when the weather is cold and they are in their cart, braving the dark gloomy day with their cheerful bright cart and their bright smiles as they make your lunchbox.

The wait usually isn’t long as they assemble your lunchbox, but in case you didn’t bring your umbrella that day and only have your rain jacket, you can call ahead and order so that it’ll be ready as soon as you get there using their number (503) 896-3493.

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Bing Mi Food Cart

January 9, 2015 by 13 Comments

When it starts into the winter season, I always try to make extra effort to support a local Portland food cart if I can because it’s a hard time for them. They are still staying up late/getting up early to prep the food, but then seeing so many less people come out because of the colder/rainier weather.

While all customers do is endure running out there to grab the food and then bring it back to eat, the food cart owners are left all day in their small food cart abode, just looking out into the grey skies and feeling perhaps the sideways wind blow into them if they are unlucky. If they are lucky, they might have a little window to try to build up a little warmth while they are waiting for customers, but as soon as they slide it open to welcome you, remember all that is gone!
Bing Mi! Authentic Chinese Wraps from a cart in Portland. A jianbing is a savory crepe with scrambled egg, black bean paste, chili sauce, green onion, cilantro, pickled vegetables, and wonton cracker. You can get extra egg or extra cracker, or add sausage to your jian bing if you'd like. Bing Mi! Authentic Chinese Wraps from a cart in Portland. A jianbing is a savory crepe with scrambled egg, black bean paste, chili sauce, green onion, cilantro, pickled vegetables, and wonton cracker. You can get extra egg or extra cracker, or add sausage to your jian bing if you'd like.

Bing Mi! food cart, located at SW 3rd and Ash (UPDATE: it seems now they are moving to SW 9th & Alder and will be there starting next week) specializes in one main dish: JianBing.
Bing Mi! Authentic Chinese Wraps from a cart in Portland. A jianbing is a savory crepe with scrambled egg, black bean paste, chili sauce, green onion, cilantro, pickled vegetables, and wonton cracker. You can get extra egg or extra cracker, or add sausage to your jian bing if you'd like. Bing Mi! Authentic Chinese Wraps from a cart in Portland. A jianbing is a savory crepe with scrambled egg, black bean paste, chili sauce, green onion, cilantro, pickled vegetables, and wonton cracker. You can get extra egg or extra cracker, or add sausage to your jian bing if you'd like.

Jianbing (or jian bing) is a crepe like snack that is popular in Northern Chinese cities. You get it from streetside stalls, so it seems a perfect fit to be a food cart in Portland. In China people eat it for breakfast, as a snack, or after drinking.

A jianbing by Bing Mi! includes scrambled egg, black bean paste, chili sauce, green onion, cilantro, pickled vegetables, and big flat pieces of wonton cracker. You get a choice of spiciness to the chili sauce. Also, you can get extra egg or extra cracker, or add sausage to your bing if you’d like. Without the extra protein a jianbing is a light meal. Really jianbing can be filled with anything, so I wonder if over time we might see more special additions available.
Bing Mi! Authentic Chinese Wraps from a cart in Portland. A jianbing is a savory crepe with scrambled egg, black bean paste, chili sauce, green onion, cilantro, pickled vegetables, and wonton cracker. You can get extra egg or extra cracker, or add sausage to your jian bing if you'd like.

When you get it made fresh, it is bundled up in paper so you can hold it and warm both hands as you are enjoying the soft and crispy textures with every bite.

Bing Mi! has only been open barely a month, and I appreciate that they are bringing something unique to the food cart scene. They are open 7:30 to 3:00, which is perfect for a breakfast or lunch that you can eat on the go!

Have you ever heard of jianbing before? 

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