The Tempting of the Shroom: Cartopia

It's less than a week until spring break now, and thus less than a week until I'll be in Portland. Hence, a blog post about the wonderful city and its amazing food is in order. The number one part of food culture in Portland that I love: food carts. They're magnificent. Everything is cheap, anywhere from a small cone of Belgian fries with pesto dipping sauce for $2.50 to a mega burrito for $6 (see below), and there's a ton of variety. You can find anything you want at a food cart - Mediterranean, Chinese, Mexican, French, etc... It's all somewhere. And the food is good. Nowhere else can I be so satisfied with my food having paid so little for it.

But on top of that, there is something in the atmosphere that makes the experience. Most food carts in Portland coexist in pods - i.e. they are set up in groups. My favorite pod is a group of food carts on the corner of Hawthorne and 12th called Cartopia. It houses my all-time favorite food cart, Potato Champion, makers of the aforementioned Belgian fries with dipping sauce, and also has stands that sell great pizza, Mexican, fruit pies, southern barbecue, and crepes. These carts are set up in an L-shape, blocking off a patch of asphalt from the intersecting streets. There, a patio-type tent is set up with picnic tables and decorative white lights. The carts are open until 3 or 4 in the morning, and the place comes alive at night. Post-midnight is the prime. The lights are on, some rock and roll or folk is playing from the speakers at the crepe stand, and it's buzzing with the energy and warmth of people chatting and eating.

So, with that, my plan for the first night of spring break: a late dinner at the carts right after landing at the airport (a medium cone of Belgian fries from Potato Champion with pesto and chipotle mayonnaise dipping sauces and a smoothie from Perierra Creperie), followed by a Bananagrams tournament with Erica and Dave, with whom I will be doing a lot of great cooking over the following week. Expect a post about all of that great food when I get back!