"Do you want to go carting?" A question now heard often from the voices of family members. The idea of "going out to dinner" no longer means sitting down in an indoor restaurant in my family. Instead this idea means sitting at a small table, sometimes under an umbrella, enjoying beyond delicious food. All made by Portland chefs.
These were the exact words I heard my mom say when the first signs of hunger approached. The answer was simply, yes. Trying not to go back to the same pod areas, but mixing up the locations, we decided to make our way in the direction of North Portland. Over on the corner of Mississippi and Skidmore, lies the Mississippi Marketplace, a pod of carts offering various cuisines for the hungry customers. This is where we found two fabulous carts.
Alphabet District
"Rosalia!" I heard my name called, and was probably more excited than one should possibly should be for food. As I looked to see what was handed down to me, my stomach just went to paradise. A mixture of ingredients, warm and with the most wonderful smells, all piled into a rounded to-go box. I grabbed a fork and sat under the large covered area, with many tables (tall and short) and chairs.
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| the Broadway Bowl |
That fork became my best friend for about the next fifteen minutes. The fork was what brought food and mouth together. The food was absolutely amazing. All of the fresh ingredients drizzled in, what I might say, was the best peanut ginger sauce I have had, were splendid, and went along with the jasmine rice oh to well.
I was getting to the point that my stomach and brain were sending me two very different messages. My stomach was saying no more, and my brain, well the opposite. That is when I came to the rather compromising decision that I take one more bite, and take the rest home. The food after all, was already in a to-go container. The Next Day:
I opened the refrigerator and to my not so surprising yet so satisfying surprise, I saw that to-go box with its rounded bottom and another second did not go by before fork was in hand, and I was sitting down to a delectable lunch.
Location: N Mississippi and N Skidmore
Hours:
Hours:
Wednesday through Friday 11:30-2:30ish,
Saturday and Sunday 11:30 to 3/4ish.
If there's people wanting food, we've been staying open.
For more information visit:
New Jersey Comes to Oregon
In the same day, as in many cases when I end up carting, I was able to taste two different types of foods from two equally satisfying carts.
"Chickpea Sandwich," I read from the silver wall of the trailer. That is what my mom was ordering for her dinner. I had already ordered my dinner, from neighboring cart, Native Bowl, but in the end I was going to be so glad that that chickpea sandwich ended up in my mom's hands.
The chickpeas, another name for garbanzo beans, were made into a patty that was going to end up on the sandwich. Along with grilled zucchini, and a special lemony sauce, that reminded me of tahini.
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| Chickpea sandwich |
As I took a bite of that sandwich, my mouth went from one satisfying taste to another. The chickpea patty, cooked to perfection, was so mouthwatering, that could have been the only thing on the sandwich and it would have been great. However, the patty, zucchini and sauce, oh man, so delicious, all combined together, made the sandwich that much better,
Garden State, a cart that has a few scrumptious sandwiches, among several other menu items, including risotto balls and arancine, like the Chickpea Ssandwich, and the Meatball Hero, which is what it sounds like.Location: N Mississippi and N Skidmore
Hours:
For more information visit:
(you have to add them as a friend for information)
