hey folks, your friendly neighborhood food geek keeping you updated on what’s on wheels at the corner of 12th and SE Hawthorne:
(last updated 9/2/2008)
Frozen Fantasy milkshakes and frozen bananas are still here. they were doing gangbusters last weekend, surprise surprise. have moved on.
Potato Champion is still slingin’ poutine (now available Vegan, which explains the clouds of skinny jeans surreptitiously drinking Sparxxx on the corner late night)
El Brasero is doin it’s thang, rockin’ lamb barbacoa on weekends and recently had a mixed seafood ceviche tostada as a special. They’re getting a lot of business.
Biggs Bros has passed on; the Pasta closet is now in it’s space. didn’t last much longer. The space is now vacant.
Bubba Bernie’s is setting up shop in a new looking burgundy trailer, promising catfish/shripm po boys, dirty rice, gumbo, etc. He expects to be open next week at the latest.
NEW: There’s a small shiny new cart promising BBQ still being set up. It should be operational in the next 2 weeks.
SE
12th and Hawthorne food carts report
Cava: Comfortably Cradled in Cleavage
My Timbers Army buddy Joe Joe, he of tiny stature and big heart, worked at Cava for years, until very recently, and was always trying to get me in there. I resisted for a long time, for the Foster Powell Triangle is not my favorite place to hang in SE, though not as bad as other areas with which I am familiar: the DQ next to the Jesus Complex on SE Duke certainly wins for that classic ghetto cocktail of meth heads, religious zealotry, fatty foods and idle teenagers.
Farmers Market Free for All: Eastbank Portland Farmers Market
Portland Farmers Market: Eastbank
Yuppies, Children and Grazing OH MY!
Every Thursday, May to September.
SE 20th and Salmon, in the Parking lot of Hinson Church.
The Portland Farmers Market organization spread its wings last May and opened an Eastbank location Thursdays during the summer. Sponsored by New Seasons (the PFM people and New Seasons always have a booth/tent set up at this event), it overlaps with the PFM’s other Thursday event, at Ecotrust in NW Portland. PFM is expanding quickly, and seems to have no shortage of both produce and prepared food vendors ready to step up. Eastbank is buzzing with Grazing families from the Buckman/Sunnyside/Ladds Addition neighborhoods.
Farmers Market Free For All: Peoples' Farmers' Market
Portland has access to a wealth of great produce, from Sauvie Island fruit to Strawberry Hills Beef, 42nd Street CSA boxes to at least 6 weekly farmers markets in greater Portland. In my current state of disrepair, unemployment and generally friendly malaise, Farmers’ markets have been a welcome distraction.
Peoples’ Co-op Farmers Market
Crunchier than Thou, but friendlier too
3029 SE 21st
Every Wednesday, year-round
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The Peoples Co-op is on SE 21st and Tibbetts, between Division and Powell. Peoples’ is as crunchy co-op as you get: they throw solstice parties, there are naked children and hippie music, handwriting analysts (and not in the CSI sense), and reaching through a group of people to load up on bok choy might land you in the center of discussion about how spiritual playing the tabla can be.
Biwa Spring Menu!
I’ve made no secret of my adoration of Biwa. Here first, then properly, then in opposition to vastly deficient Japanese food elsewhere.
I’ve been there so much that I think I know everybody’s name. It colors my opinion, sure–so I won’t go on forever and ever about how good their food is. Okay, I can’t resist: Biwa is really really good!
I bring them up today because the FOH manager mentioned that they have a new spring menu, and I stopped in to see what it looked like:
- Radish Salad (radish, miner’s lettuce, daikon, vinaigrette), that was awesome, earthy and close to the definition of freshness (some of the lettuce was a little beaten up);
- Green Bean Salad;
- Shoyu Chicken Wings;
- A new cold (I think) scallop dish;
- Spring Onion Dengaku;
- Grilled asparagus with Hot Mustard-Egg sauce that was like the hottest, tangiest, delicious version of Asparagus Hollandaise I can imagine.
I think there may have been another new dish or three, but I didn’t steal a menu or memorize things better. It is worth mentioning that there aren’t any changes to the Happy Hour Menu.
There has been a glass jar sitting on the bar for a month or so, stuffed with Ginseng and full of vodka. They’ve started serving the elixir in a cocktail of Vodka and Carrot juice. You heard me. I hate hate hate raw carrot juice, but I loved this cocktail. I almost ordered two, but I was glad I didn’t. That delicious elixer set me back $10. Delicious, though, and thoroughly unique.
So in 5 words: Biwa spring menu. Try it.
Biwa
215 SE 9th Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97214
503-239-8830
