A Feast of Latin Flavors and Colors at Portland Mercado

I've been hearing lots of interesting things about Portland Mercado - the first official outdoor public market in Portland dedicated to all sorts of Latin food.  Sure there's lots of unofficial, impromptu trucks out there that cater to Latin flavors, but this one's truly special, as it gives your tastebuds a little taste from all different parts of Latin America.  Needless to say, the food is delicious, inexpensive and there's tons of accessible seating to hang out.

Atmosphere:

Consisting of both indoor and outdoor vendors, Portland Mercado offers a little something for everyone.  If you're looking for that food truck atmosphere, you'll get it by strolling through a row of about 8 different food carts that feature diverse Latin American cuisine - from Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, El Salvador and others.  A lovely, hand crafted wooden arbor tents these carts, with lots of picnic tables for patrons to sit at and enjoy their grub.

As far as the indoor marketplace goes, that's worth checking out as well.  Featuring a few specialty food vendors including a wine and beer shop, a juicery, coffee shop and even a specialty chorizo shop, there's no lack of something interesting and tasty to explore.  The space is also convenient for when you need to use the restrooms, which are spacious and very clean.

Food:
Naturally, we gravitated to the outdoor food scene and walked around at least once, surveying what piqued our interest.  After giving it some thought, I zeroed in on the Mixteca cart, which featured mole as well as the Que Bacano! Colombian food cart.

Patacones (loaded!) - I couldn't resist ordering this beautiful dish of fried green plantains that were fully loaded with shredded chicken and the colorful veggies you see above.  The whole presentation was stunning and literally a show-stopper, as other patrons stopped me to ask what was on my plate.

I'm happy to say that the plantains were perfectly crispy and seasoned well, making for a hearty bite with all those other fixins.  In retrospect, we could've shared this plate with more than 2 people.

Chicken Mole Bowl - Always attracted to a nice mole, this one came with shredded chicken, black beans, white rice and crispy cabbage slaw on top.  The overall taste was excellent and each layer provided something a little different.  I loved the smokiness of the mole and the chicken, making evident the careful process with which it was prepared.

Carne Asada Plate - Dan ordered a hearty plate of Mexican food including a slow cooked carne asada steak, a side of refried black beans, Mexican rice and homemade tortillas.  The beef was delicious and a little bit on the sweet side, but the piece-de-resistance came from the homemade corn tortillas that were thicker than the norm.  I loved them so much that I broke off a piece to use as a vehicle for my smoky mole - and it worked perfectly.

Drinks - Taking advantage of the aforementioned juice bar, I tried a beet, carrot and orange concoction that I loved.  Not only was the color strikingly vibrant, its taste was earthy and delicious and not at all over-sweetened which was appreciated.

Service and Cost:

We enjoyed great service in all the different establishments at Portland Mercado.  Some of the trucks have longer waiting times than others but nothing is unmanageable, and I'd estimate that on average, we got our food in about 5-7 minutes.

Costs are inexpensive and range anywhere from $3 for a taco to $11 for a mixed plate.  It's also nice to see that vendors accept both cash and credit cards, making things convenient.

3 Mmmms

Portland Mercado - 7238 SE Foster Road, Portland OR 97206
portlandmercado.com

Empanada Special at Tierras Colombianas

Who loves empanadas?! I do, I do!  While strolling on Broadway yesterday in this gorgeous weather, I noticed that Tierras Colombianas is running an empanada special, which includes 5 empanadas for just $5.  Not only is this an awesome deal, the other things on the menu here are also tasty and a bit under the radar.  

Although it's been a while since I've been here, I always think back on the experience with pleasant memories.  The food is quite hearty and pretty affordable too - check out their many combination plates, which contain a protein such as steak, rice, beans, plantains and the like.  Everything is super affordable, with most entrees under $20.  

Hope you enjoy it, and let me know your thoughts about the empanadas.

Tierras Colombianas - 33-01 Broadway, Astoria NY 11106
718.856.3012
N/Q Train to Broadway

More Fun at the NYC Food Trucks

This past week, I had the great fun to once again indulge in some of our best gourmet food trucks that are parked outside of my building at work.  Trying two new vendors, including the Palenque Colombian food truck and the Green Pirate food truck, I was duly impressed and so was my friend Lara who came along to keep me company.

Palenque:
Immediately drawn to its gorgeous looking truck, decked with blue and red tropical parrots, I walked over and peeked at the menu.  It sounded lovely, boasting different types of arepas, which I'm a big fan of.  I loved that you can add different toppings to it including meat and veggies, but what I found particularly neat is that not all the arepas were made with corn, but some also with quinoa, brown rice and flax seed.  Because we wandered over on the late side (after 2 p.m.) there was no line, but Lara informed me that during peak hours, it's always busy.

Original Arepa with Frijoles Macerados - Deciding to keep things on the light side, I chose to go with an all veggie option with mushed red beans as the topping.  I thought this was the only topping at first, but shortly found out that this arepa comes with the works such as arugula, cheese, chipotle mayo, cilantro, butter and guacamole.  I omitted the butter and cheese but kept on everything else.

First off, it looked beautifully colorful and came in a white box with a sticker that showcased the same bird design of the outside of the food truck.  I thought that was pretty neat and appreciated the attention to detail.

The arepa itself was really tasty, the dough slightly sweet but also savory was the perfect vehicle for the beans and the veggies I just mentioned.  Although it was a bit unwieldy (you had to use a fork and knife to eat it), each bite offered nice earthiness from the veggies but also a comforting bite from the arepa and the soft beans.  The mayo was great too, as it provided that pop of flavor to an otherwise mild mix of ingredients.  Overall, it was really filling and just one can definitely tide you over for the afternoon.

Green Pirate Juice Truck:
Seeing this truck on the streets of Soho, I've been meaning to try it and get a refreshing juice or smoothie.  Since it was super hot and humid on the day we went, I was in the mood for a smoothie and got the tropicolada with banana, pineapple, coconut milk and OJ.  It was a little creamy but still light and refreshing, tasting like a virgin pina colada.  I wish I got a little more banana in there, but overall it was pretty tasty, but definitely not worth $6 for a 12 oz drink.

Lara got an interesting juice called The McCarrot Park with carrot, apples and ginger too.  The latter ingredient was really pronounced and added something special to this already vibrant concoction.  I'd definitely get this over the smoothie next time, as it had more depth and was a step up from the somewhat ordinary tropicolada.

Service and Cost:
The service at both trucks varied greatly, as we had a wonderful experience at Palenque and quite an awful one at the Green Pirate Juice truck.  The staff at the former was full of smiles and an overall bright and cheery attitude, while the employees at the latter were surly and unpleasant.  Maybe it was just a fluke, but it left Lara and me with a bad impression.

Costs were fair at Palenque at just $7 for the hearty arepa I described, and quite steep at the Green Pirate, at $6 for a small drink that wasn't a stand-out.

Palenque - 3 Mmmms
Green Pirate- 2 Mmmms

Palenque Food Truck 

Green Pirate Juice Truck