Potter's Kolaches and Coffee

Potter's Kolaches and Coffee is located near SW 3rd and Burnside in downtown Portland, Oregon. The cart is across the street from Voodoo Doughnut.

For owner Andy Potter, the kolache became a big part of his weekend routine when living in Houston, Texas. But after moving up to Portland for college, he realized very few people, if any, knew what kolaches were.

A kolache is generally a sweet Polish or Czech pastry filled with fruit preserves. In Texas, the kolache got a savory makeover, getting filled with hearty staples such as sausage, egg, cheese, and jalapeno.

My only other kolache experience was at Portland's Happy Sparrow Cafe last year, so I figure I was long overdue for my next fix.

Menu
(April 2013)

The strawberry kolache (99 cents) is frankly as simple as a kolache can be: a raised pastry ball containing a well of strawberry preserves in the center. The dough is soft and chewy, making for a great snack

Strawberry kolache

Of course, I had to also get the "Picquant" ($1.99), basically Texas' version of the kolache. Unlike the strawberry kolache, the dough ball here is filled with diced pork sausage, scrambled eggs, cheese, and sliced jalapenos.

"Picquant" kolache

I hope to see other types of sweet and savory kolaches in the future. It appears to be a versatile pastry that can have various fillings to suit customer tastes. Everything on the menu is pretty cheap, so no one's wallet should be crying by the end of the trek.

Andy is a great person to talk with, and I'm happy that he has a prime location across from Voodoo. As of this blog post, he's open Wednesdays through Sundays, usually from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. I think a bit more marketing through social media could work wonders for him.

Check out this food cart! 8.25/10