Fried Egg I'm in Love

(UPDATE April 2015: Fried Egg I'm in Love is back to one cart -- and has been for quite some time now.)
 
(UPDATE 8/13/13: Fried Egg I'm in Love also has a second cart at the Good Food Here pod near SE 43rd and Belmont.)

"Fried Egg, I'm in Love" is a food cart currently located at the corner of SE 32nd and Hawthorne in Portland, Oregon. Co-owners Jace Krause and Ryan Lynch have done soft openings from March 22, testing various possible menu items. Their grand opening is slated for April 1 -- and they're even having a grand opening party to celebrate!

I dropped by on their second overall day (3/23). Unfortunately, snowy weather had detained me in Salem so I missed their soft open debut. Nonetheless, my food cart craving was at an all-time high because this spicy panda hates being caged indoors.

The cart may have looked plain yellow on my visit, but the cart now has a wonderful logo.

(UPDATE 4/4/12: I've added a couple more photos to the full review, including the full menu from their opening week! Check it out!)

An amazing photo from their Twitter website, showing the updated paint job (3/28)!

Ryan is originally from Sonoma, CA, and last worked at the Oregonian. Business partner Jace is from Seattle and is really the brainchild/chef of the cart.

What the cart looked like on 3/23

What the cart looked like on 3/23

Menu on 3/23/12

The sandwich offered on March 23 was dubbed the "Yolko Ono." House-made pesto, grated Parmesan, a sausage patty, and a fried egg in between two pieces of toasted sourdough bread ($5). Love the name. I assume all sandwiches will have similar egg-related names attached.

"Yolko Ono"
(Fried Egg, I'm in Love)

Check out the cross-section
All that shredded parm....yum!

The flavors were explosive. I could tell the pesto had that homemade touch, so fresh and alive. The parmesan gave it that extra saltiness. Some of the cheese had melted, while some stayed intact (for me, that's good...texture!). The sausage patty was light, cooked perfectly. Toasty sourdough bread provided the ideal, soulful crunch I desired.

I thought Jace showed slight concern that my egg would be over-medium. However, I got an overeasy egg, a perfect runny yellow yolk oozing all over the rest of the ingredients. Now that is what I want to see, fellas!

Honestly, I would have taken the egg in any edible form. But really, after one delightful sandwich from these two, I'm a huge fan.

Jace and Ryan also have gluten-free options!

(UPDATE 4/4/12: Here are more photos from opening week!)

The lovely logo on their cart!

Opening week menu
(April 2012)

Special on 4/4/12
Using lamb from neighboring Carte Blanche food cart!

Fried egg sandwiches just sound amazing from the get-go. I'm sure people know that another cart, The Big Egg, has capitalized on this concept in North Portland. If you have that massive creative side, you'd make endless combinations. I got that vibe from these two, so I'm confident they will succeed. Check out this food cart once they open on April 1! 8.75/10