When we visit a city for the first time we're always on the lookout for local food specialties and good eating. Often the best local food can be found in the most humble and offbeat locations, perhaps even at a street vendor's cart. So we were fascinated by this virtual tour at Sunset Magazine of Portland, Oregon's ten best food carts, which Sunset calls "mobile gourmet kitchens." This isn't your usual street food!
Read on for recipes for spicy chickpea fritter sandwiches, and seriously awesome triple-threat chocolate cookies, as well as a look at the best food carts of Portland.
This article really makes us want to pay a visit to Portland, but until then, we'll definitely settle for the recipes.
We've been looking for a good chickpea recipe, and this sandwich may be it. The recipe comes from Kevin Sandri of Garden State, and he riffs on an Italian traditional fried chickpea patty with carrot slaw, salad greens, roasted squash, and spicy aioli. Vegetarian for everyone! We'd pass up meat most days if we could eat something like that.
Other recipes include a bowl of greens with leeks and a fried egg, chewy triple-chocolate cookies layered with chocolate ganache (killer!), and buckwheat Belgian waffles. If you find these waffles at their originating cart (Moxie Rx) they'll be topped with plum-rose compote with mascarpone cheese.
• Get the recipes: Food cart recipes from Portland
And if you live in Portland or want to visit, check out their list of mobile food carts.
• See the carts: Top 10 Portland food carts at Sunset
Related: Recipe: Plum and Earl Grey Preserves - For your own Belgian waffle party.
(Images: John Clark for Sunset)
This makes me miss Portland so much! My favorite cart was the "No Fish! Go Fish!" cart by Pioneer Courthouse Square. Some of the best soup I've ever had, plus those great little fish-shaped fritters! The guys who ran it opened a restaurant a few years back, so I don't know if they're still running carts.
Wistful sigh...
view EmmaC's profile
oh, I miss the food carts...
view foodefafa's profile
They used to have a little crepe cart just up from Nordstrom that had an amazing goat cheese & arugula crepe. I second that wistful sigh over Portland.
view Squirrely's profile
You guys run a food blog and you've never been to foodie heaven, Portland???! For shame!!
(Samurai Bento is my fave)
view missdk's profile