Thursday, May 31, 2012

Pupuseria La Miguelena

Pupuseria La Miguelena is a Salvadoran food cart located at the Cartlandia food pod in Portland, Oregon. Zoyla, the woman that made pupusas at La Cocina de Chepe, opened this cart in April.


Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Ole Latte Coffee

(UPDATE January 2013: Ole Latte Coffee has moved again, this time to downtown Portland near SW 10th and Alder. Todd's cart is near Nong's Khao Man Gai.)

(UPDATE 10/22/12: Ole Latte Coffee has moved to 1410 SE Clinton St.)

Ole Latte Coffee is a food cart that recently opened at the Green Castle food pod (NE 20th and Everett) in Portland, Oregon. Todd Edwards is the energetic barista and owner working the magic here.

Todd takes some time out to wave to the camera!

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Retrolicious

(UPDATE 10/23/12: Retrolicious left the Green Castle pod in early October 2012, but they currently show up for the lunch rush at the Nike West campus. Retrolicious is also available for catering.)

Retrolicious is a food cart located at the Green Castle food pod (NE 20th and Everett) in Portland, Oregon. Kimmie and Roy head this cart, which opened on May 19. They may do a formal grand opening in the future.


Monday, May 28, 2012

Angelina's Greek Cuizina

Angelina's Greek Cuizina is a food booth at the Portland Saturday Market (off SW Naito Parkway, near W Burnside).


Cloud Cap Coffee Works

Cloud Cap Coffee Works is a food booth located at the Portland Saturday Market (off SW Naito Parkway, near W Burnside).


Sunday, May 27, 2012

Kelly's Jelly

Kelly's Jelly is a food booth located at the Lake Oswego Saturday Market. Co-founders Adam and Kelly Calabria started with a family jelly recipe many years ago. After receiving rave reviews from family and close friends, they went for it and decided to start a business.


Saturday, May 26, 2012

Abhiruchi

Abhiruchi is an Indian restaurant on NE Chkalov Drive in Vancouver, Washington. Craving some great Indian food in Southern Washington, I turned to my trusty Yelpers for a great place in the area. With stellar ratings, I figured I couldn't go wrong with this one.


Friday, May 25, 2012

The Sandwich Shop (Part 2)

(UPDATE May 2013: Ian has opened Iggy's Catering and Cafe on Center St., where Off Center Cafe used to be. I'll make it a point to stop by the next time I'm in Salem!)

(NOTE: The Sandwich Shop is now closed, but you can still get Ian's food from Iggy's Catering!)

(Original Review -- March 2012)

After hearing Ian serves Loco Mocos on Wednesdays at The Sandwich Shop, this Hawaii-born panda had to check it out. Turns out I'd get more than just  hamburger patties, rice, and eggs all drenched in gravy.


Thursday, May 24, 2012

Croissant & Co.

Croissant & Co. is a small deli and bakery located at the corner of Ferry St. SE and High St. SE in downtown Salem, Oregon. They can also be spotted at the Salem Saturday Market.



Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Pink & Black Waffle Shack

(Second Review -- October 2012)

Pink & Black Waffle Shack is located on SW Washington St., in between SW 9th and 10th Ave., in downtown Portland, Oregon. Sadie opened this cart at the end of April. I passed by the cart once before, and after looking at some of the menu items, quickly made it a point to return and try it out. (NOTE: Sadie moved her cart to NE 13th and Alberta for a few months in late 2012)


Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Stone Soup Bistro

Stone Soup Bistro is located on the lower level of the Salem Public Library, where the old Queen of Tarts shop used to be. Owner Roxie Peronne worked for five years at Queen of Tarts, and has now capitalized on her dream of opening her own bistro. She is known for her soups, but I also had to try other items. Stone Soup Bistro held its grand opening on May 8, 2012.


Monday, May 21, 2012

The Big Egg (Part 2)

(NOTE: The Big Egg usually goes on winter break from mid-December to early February. In February 2013, The Big Egg re-opened with a new look to their cart, so my pictures are definitely dated.)

(Original Review -- September 2011)

It took me a couple of months, but I finally went back to The Big Egg on a recent food adventure. I wisely chose a weekday to come by. Gail and Elizabeth were busy, but not completely swamped with orders like a weekend probably brings.

Still at the Mississippi Marketplace food pod!

Sunday, May 20, 2012

China Blue Restaurant (Part 2)

(Original Review -- April 2012)
(OregonMania I with Naader Reda -- May 2012)

I returned to China Blue on May 10, managing to persuade my friend to attempt the Lucky 7 Challenge. Seven different types of chicken, which could be anywhere from 6-7 pounds (but don't quote me on that...I'm not too good at guessing food weight). But yeah, I am an evil panda.


Saturday, May 19, 2012

GF Chef (Part 2)

(Original Review -- August 2011)

Time to re-visit another food cart! For today's review, it's the GF Chef cart, now back at the Green Castle food pod (NE 20th and Everett). When the Green Castle pod closed for a few months this past fall and winter, the cart temporarily moved to the Cartlandia pod. Chef Jim Adams continues to blow me away with all his dishes!


Friday, May 18, 2012

Bibim Bap House

(Second Review -- June 2012)

Bibimbap House, located at the old Smile BBQ location in Salem, Oregon, serves Korean and Japanese dishes. Their grand opening was May 1, and I stopped by during their second week of business.


Thursday, May 17, 2012

Legendary Doughnuts (Auburn, WA)

(Also read my review for the newer Tacoma location -- February 2013)

Legendary Doughnuts, located in Auburn, Washington, is Washington's version of Voodoo Doughnut. While you can get the standard doughnut here, they also offer fancy "legendary" doughnuts, topped with seemingly limitless combinations.


Kobe Wellbeing Tonkatsu

Kobe Wellbeing Tonkatsu is a Japanese restaurant in Bellevue, Washington. They serve everything from ramen to sushi. This place is also home to the 3-liter ramen challenge! I wasn't doing the challenge, but would a professional eater take it down?


Tuesday, May 15, 2012

The Eastside Bar & Grill

The Eastside Bar & Grill is a restaurant located within the Coast Bellevue Hotel in Bellevue, Washington. Looked like a great place to have some dinner, so why the heck not?


Monday, May 14, 2012

Maximus Minimus

Maximus Minimus is a food truck found in Seattle, Washington. Why did I go to this food truck? Just look at the photo. Without a doubt, the coolest food truck I've ever seen!

It's a pig-shaped truck!

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Flyin' Hawaiian (Part 3)

(UPDATE February 2013: After moving back to the Carts on Foster pod for a few months, Flyin' Hawaiian is now just doing catering and a few lunch services at places like Nike and Intel. Check their Facebook page for the latest!)

(Food Carts Portland article -- 1/12/12)
(Original Review -- January 2012)
(Second Review -- February 2012)

At the end of April, Flyin' Hawaiian joined several food carts in making the move to the re-opening Green Castle Food Pod on NE 20th and Everett in Portland, Oregon. With the grand opening slated for May 19, it seemed perfect to construct a food challenge for this cart.

Flyin' Hawaiian was at the Green Castle food pod until mid-October 2012

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Twinsies (Part 2)

(Original Review -- March 2012)

A couple months ago, I suggested to Nick and Becky to make a "spicy" cupcake. In early May, they invited me to come down and try their newest creation that blended chocolate and cayenne. How did it turn out?


Friday, May 11, 2012

Orupa (Part 3)

(Original Review -- May 2011)
(Second Review -- July 2011)

A friend and I returned to Orupa in early May to celebrate my passing of the Washington Bar Exam (can you say mega happy panda?). I was particularly eager to give this place another go at lunchtime, but concerns over product consistency loomed in my head as we were seated.


Thursday, May 10, 2012

Eat Mobile 2012

(This is not a review, but a recap of a great Portland event)

On April 28, 2012, over 50 Portland food carts and vendors convened at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), selling sample-sized portions of some of their top dishes. As expected, thousands of people turned up for this annual event. I had received a general admission wristband to Eat Mobile as compensation for my Cartathlon volunteer work in early March. Might as well use it, right?


Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Guyot Family Farms

Guyot Family Farms, based out of Cedar Mill, Oregon, can be found at the Portland Saturday Market selling their homemade fresh fruit jellies. They have created over 75 different jellies to date. As one probably could predict, it was their spicy jellies that made me do a double take and get some samples, even on a very full stomach.


Butter Bell Crock (promotional ad)

This spicy panda feels very happy today. In fact, let's take a short timeout for one of those public service announcements to help a family-owned business. The following "buy two, get one free" offer expires on May 15!

(NOTE: This sponsorship is brought to you by The Butter Bell Crock, who we have partnered with for this promotion)






As part of the Foodie Blogroll, I'd like to bring some awareness to my readers about the Butter Bell crock by L. Tremain, Inc. They were founded in 1996 and are a private, family-run business. Don't you want to support a local business? Well, they have a Spring Special  Offer right now: buy any two Butter Bell crocks and get one free. The promotion ends on May 15, 2012.


Do you like butter just as much as Paula Deen? These Butter Bell crocks, made from high-quality, durable New Bone China, will safely store your butter at room temperature. No odors or spoilage. Food Network shows even use them. I'm sure a bunch of the food carts and restaurants I have gone to would benefit from this product.



While it seems like I go out to eat each day, that's actually not the case. I try to eat most of my meals at home to save costs. I'm just thinking of all these recipes I could make with room-temperature butter all ready for me to use....



Check out their website and like them on Facebook. Be on the lookout for their monthly giveaways, new products, and special sales!


If you're interested, click below for the FREE coupon!


The Original Butterbell Crock by L.Tremain
Keep Your Butter Fresh Delicious and Spreadable for up to 30 days...without refrigeration!

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Madison Chocolatiers West

(Only ordered online here...I didn't literally travel to NJ for this!)

Madison Chocolatiers West, located in Madison, NJ, specializes in various types of chocolate treats. Renee Rohrbach and Chef Ricky Sanders aim to make unique flavor combinations using the freshest ingredients. A few of my friends raved about one product in particular, and when I saw it, I had to get it.


Monday, May 7, 2012

Cool Harry's (Part 2)

(NOTE: Cool Harry's, to my knowledge, is closed. As of early 2013, the cart is now the second home for Rescue Bagels.)

(Original Review -- October 2011)

I returned to Cool Harry's Frozen Yogurt on a sunny day in late April. Springtime means Cool Harry is back, and it was time to get my yogurt fix.


Sunday, May 6, 2012

Stepping Stone Cafe (Part 3)

(Original Review -- May 2011)
(Second Review -- October 2011)

Usually, National Pancake Day falls on the last day in February, although this leap year, it was still February 28. Unfortunately, I had a little (big) distraction with the Washington State Bar Examination. And although I was nearly two months late, I ventured to Stepping Stone Cafe on April 20 to eat a stack of mancakes.


Saturday, May 5, 2012

New Taste of India

New Taste of India is a food cart located near the corner of SW 9th and Washington in downtown Portland, Oregon. This was the second Indian food cart I went to on my 4/23 food adventure. After Real Taste of India hit a home run with their chicken vindaloo, how would New Taste fare?


Friday, May 4, 2012

Real Taste of India

Real Taste of India is located near the corner of SW 5th and Stark in downtown Portland, Oregon. It is one of a handful of Indian food carts you can find within a several-block radius. It was the first of two Indian food carts I tried early last week.


Thursday, May 3, 2012

Steaks Fifth Avenue

Steaks Fifth Avenue, headed by Chris Schenk, has two food carts in downtown Portland, Oregon. I went to the original location on SW 5th, between Stark and Oak (opened in 1997). There is also a second cart in Pioneer Courthouse Square (opened 2003).


Wednesday, May 2, 2012

The Buckhorn Exchange

The Buckhorn Exchange, founded in 1893, is really one of Denver's historical landmarks, a great place to get the highest-quality meats and wild game dishes. And because it was featured on Man v. Food, you know I had to stop here. In fact, I saved this one for last, a nice treat to end my Denver stay.


Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Wingman

Wingman has multiple spots in the state; this post is for the Parker, Colorado, location. It is home to the "Flaming Feathers" wing challenge. As one of my final stops in this epic Colorado tour, I had to get one more spicy challenge in.


Crave (Castle Rock)

Crave, located in Castle Rock, Colorado, is known for their "real burgers" and their gut-busting "Big Bad Wolf" challenge. I did not take the challenge this time, but after my friend raved about this place, I put it on my huge list of places to hit up.