2010 Eat Mobile

Sweet gluttony at its finest, and we wouldn’t have missed this for the world. 30 of Portland's renowned Food Carts corralled in one place, supplying more than ample portions of their finest offerings to battle it out for the esteemed "Best Food Cart Award." The 2010 event was appropriately hosted underneath the Morrison Bridge, on the East Side. My hat is off to the coordinators, as I have heard previous years were horrendous…tonight the food cart lines were never unbearable, the bathrooms had NO lines, and the beer and wine lines were virtually non-existent as well. An unbelievable feat with a sold-out crowd of 1,200 – well done WW!

Everyone received a marble bead as they walked in the door, and you gave that one bead to your favorite food cart. Huge decision, because almost every cart I tried was stellar. In the end, I chose Whiffle’s Fried Pies (hello fried piece of warm blueberry pie) and Armando chose PBJ’s (bacon PB&J covered with powdered sugar). The beignets served over Caffe Vita espresso-chocolate sauce was such a close second, it pained me to make the final decision.

The big disappointment was that the winner of the WW Food Cart Nominations, The Frying Scottsman, did not attend the event. This cart haunts my dreams with the ridiculously sweet smell of battered cod and chips (coincidentally positioned across the street from the new Fit Right NW running store, LOL). Also of note was that the wine was supplied by Dundee winery “Wine By Joe” and was unfortunately less than palatable. Thank god PBR was in full supply, and the ideal compliment to all of this amazing food cart cuisine!

As I write this I am in my elastic waistband pants and oversized tee, but I proudly admit that I cannot wait for next year! I love Portland now more than ever, if that’s possible.

*Jayne

Thirst Wine Bar & Bistro

After passing Thirst many times while walking down by the waterfront, we popped in here on the way to Cirque du Soleil. Obvious great location, and when the weather is nice, they have seating overlooking the Willamette. It doesn’t get much better for people watching, whether you are seated outside or inside in the lounge (all tables face the large river-facing windows for the most part). On the inside it is typical wine bar styling, modern and dark, with lush fabrics. For an out-of-towner, I image this would be a great place to take in the Portland scenery and kill a bottle of wine. For me, it seemed more like a tourist trap. Case in point, almost every glass of wine started at $10, and some were not worth half of that (they weren’t even local Pinot’s). As far as the Bistro portion of Thirst, with all of the great NW cuisine in this city, this place is not on my radar to try (they market as featuring locally sourced NW cuisine). They do have a connecting room for private parties, and it does seem like a fun place to hold a work-related event. Overall, Thirst was a bit yuppy and generic for me, but does seem to serve as a great wine spot for many.

*Jayne

Le Pigeon

I am a believer! Oh how I love when the hype turns out to be 100% TRUE! Le Pigeon is food from the French Gods, indeed. All I knew before we chose Le Pigeon as our next dining destination was that they are on every Portland food “Best Of” list, and are known for a very inventive, obviously French-themed menu.

We made reservations for 5:30 (they open at 5pm) and when we got there at 5:15 people were already eating. Three tables of various sizes are communal seating (which I did not know, but am generally fine with if the food is worth it), and there are also ten seats available at the Chef’s Counter over-looking the open kitchen (no reservations on there, held for walk-ins, these are great!). The space is very small and intimate, with exposed brick walls and minimalistic decoration of crisp white curtains and framed artwork. It actually felt like you are dining in an old country house in the French country side. Le Pigeon’s goal is not to be the best atmosphere, but to serve the best quality food, and that they most certainly do. Everything is made from the freshest, locally-sourced ingredients, as evidenced by the weekly-changing menu based on seasonal availability.

Beverages:
The wine/drink menu is ample (whites/reds, demi’s, before&after specialties, as well as some great beers), with both local and International selections. We chose the Pappas Wine Co. Pinot Noir ($40), which was light but crisp enough to compliment both fish and meat dishes.

Food:

Starters:
1) Pigs Feet, foie gras, cipollini, egg. With ingredients like this, what can you say? The combination of these was like nothing I have experienced...the different textures and flavors were so unique and just exploded in your mouth with every bite. We sopped up every last ounce of drippy egg and foie gras goodness with the fresh bread/salted butter served at every table. I must admit this dish matches the foie gras at Beast in every way - Bravo!
2) Endive, goat cheese, boquerones and radish salad. This was the perfect veggie accompaniment to the heavy Pigs Feet dish, and was served wonderfully chilled and with just the right amount of dressing. The goat cheese was sheer deliciousness, and the boquerones added just enough flavor without overtaking the light endive.

Entrees:
1) Pork, w/polenta, black trumpets, broccolini. This was almost like carnitas, and was pulled pork moist and delicious, with a crunchy outer layer – amazing. The polenta was creamy and the ideal match for the black trumpets.
2) Halibut, served over a white bean and spot prawn ragu, seasoned w/Meyer lemon, fresh dill and crème fraiche, topped w/arugula tempura-battered spot prawn heads. One of the best fish dishes I have ever had, matched only by Higgins. The Halibut was mouthwateringly tender, pan seared with a slightly browned outer layer. The bean and spot prawn ragu almost tasted cheesy, and was literally happiness on a fork.

Portions on everything were just right…enough to completely fill you up, but not enough to incompassitate you (that is left up to you to handle by ordering multiple course and desert – spoil yourself here!).

Desert:
Chocolate Doughnut – Served inside of a bread pudding, with espresso crème anglaise, and layers of chocolate whip, coco nip and peanut praline. Simply one of the best deserts I have EVER tasted.

As expected, they serve local Stumptown coffee, and in the traditional manner – in a French Press. This restaurant has all the right touches to put your dining experience over the top.

Service/Pricing:
Service was friendly and attentive, offering suggestions when requested and politely answering all of our questions regarding the menu. Pricing, for this caliber of food, was absolutely spot on. Not one dish was overpriced or lacking in quality.

If you have not made it to Le Pigeon, you must move this to your next in line. Your stomach will thank me, and you! This is without a doubt one of the Top Three Restaurants in Portland.

*Jayne