Taking It To The Streets

With what looks like more restaurant closures on the horizon, maybe it’s time to highlight some things that are going right in the Portland food scene. Portland is home to some of the Pacific Northwest’s best restaurants – Carlyle, Le Pigeon, Beast, Pok Pok just to name a few. All are locally owned, operated. But I’m not here to talk about them today. With the economy still in the tubes, where can you get the most bang for your buck?

For your money, some of the best food in all of Stumptown isn’t in the restaurants but on the city streets. Roach Coaches, street carts – whatever you wan to call them – they’re delivering huge flavors at great prices not to mention the multi-cultured cuisines that are represented on the streets of Portland. Anytime someone asks where to eat when they visit Portland, I give the usual answers – or at least I used to. While I still tell them about the wonders of Le Pigeon or the great food being churned out at Belly Timber, I direct them to the streets of Portland.

Think about it, only in Portland can you get any kind of grilled cheese sandwich under the sun. The Grilled Cheese Grill, which by the way operates out of an old school bus – turns a food you had as a child (common’ we’ve all had grilled cheese sandwiches in our day) on it’s ear. Sure you might find your bad one now and then – but for the most part some of the food can’t be beat.

I know some who wont go anywhere near a street cart, for those I’m sorry. Your missing out on some of the best food in Portland. Across from my alma mater, Western Culinary Institute there are several lined up along 9th. Personally my favorite in that group is Locos Locos Burrito’s – they have never failed me in filling me up with a massive burrito, haven’t come across a bad one yet and make sure to get a Jarritos to wash it down with – I suggest mandarin..

Their homemade salsa’s will clear your sinuses for sure.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There’s Whiffies fried pies they also use Twitter effectively to tweet their menu’s and more. Or Koi Fusion, taking Korean BBQ and putting a Mexican spin to it. They’re is also using twitter as a great tool, if you don’t know Koi Fusion doesn’t have a home (so to speak) they’re a mobile truck moving from location to location for both lunch and dinner service, even going late enough to tap into the hungry people headed home from a night out on the town, and looking for late night grub.

The only way to keep track of where they’re going to be is to follow them on twitter. They’ll give each location during the day, hours of operation and sometimes engage in Twitter specials. The list goes on, as more and more carts show up on twitter and on the scene in Portland. Some countries are known for their street food, why can’t Portland.

While I’m at it, I really don’t care for the terms “street cart, roach coach” just to a name a few. I like to think of it as street cuisine, more than just street food.

I mean this is Portland after all, why be normal right?

I’ve started to compile a list of street cuisine vendors on Twitter, this is by no means a complete list and if you know of any that I don’t have drop me a note in the comments.

@KOifusionpdx
@Whiffies
@Homegrownsmoker (vegan)
@SavorSoupHouse
@Gardenstatechef (Garden State cart)
@Brunchbox
@SideCart (sister to Brunch Box, oh and for $2 they’ll fry whatever you bring them!)
@GrldChzGrill

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