Stop #8: Italian in a Wrap

I was super excited to see that Kitchenette was open.  This sweet little truck has been closed for ages - in fact, I am not sure that I remember seeing it open until last week when I went to Snow White Crepes next door.

The menu is pretty extensive - pasta dishes, sandwhiches, wraps.  While I was deciding, a gentleman was waiting for his spaghetti and meatballs.  He asked me if I had eaten at this cart before and when I told him no, he said he had been going through withdrawl for the two months that she had been closed and was jonesing for her amazing food.

After dishing out his heaping portion and sending him on his way, the lovely owner, who is part Italian and part Turkish, took my order for an Italian chicken wrap.  She cooked me up some chicken, wrapped it in a warmed tortilla with some lettuce and cabbage, all drizzeled with ranch sauce and a hit of sriracha.

The wrap was delicious - and ginormous!  I actually ate it in two shifts over the course of the afternoon, which is EXTREMELY rare for me.  The vegetables were fresh, the chicken flavorful and tender and the sriracha added the perfect little kick.

If you are passing and see this cart open, hit it up.  While the owner was preparing my wrap, I asked about her being closed for the last two months.  Sadly, she was suffering from heart disease and had to take some time off to rest and hopefully recover.  She anticipated being open somewhat sporadically in the next few months.  

Kitchenette:

Chicken Wrap - $6 (+tip)
-Cash Only

Stop #7: Snow White Crepes

Crepes - I love me some crepes!  Anything that, with the appropriate ingredients can be made into an entree OR a dessert has a versatility that I greatly admire.  Also, when I lived in Paris and wasn't eating baguettes, a crepe cooked up fresh by one of those carts on the street. with a little lemon and sugar, would hit the spot (hey, I was broke and I have a wicked sweet tooth.)

But I digress....Snow White Crepes! should have been my stop last week, but alas the truck was still closed for the holidays.  But not this week.

I have no idea why this place is called Snow White Crepes.  But apparently this truck has been aroung for ages.  And the woman who runs it also runs a restaurant.  I am tired just thinking about it.  So I suppose it is no suprise that it took her awhile to notice I was standing there waiting to order.

After looking through an EXTENSIVE menu of both sweet and savory crepes, as well as a list of sandwhiches (although who are we kidding?  A sandwhich was never going to happen....) I had settled upon a crepe with chicken, pesto, gorgonzola and cilantro.

Everything is made to order, so it took a few minutes for the crepe to be prepared.  Unfortunately, by the time I got back to the office, the crepe had cooled down enough to become a bit soggy.  And the gorgonzola sort of overwhelmed everything else.  But the flavor of the crepe was quite good.

Not a huge win, but where there is chicken and pesto I can usually walk away smiling.


Snow White Crepes
Chicken and Pesto Savory Crepe: $8 + tip
-Cash Only

Stop #6: Caspian Kabob

***In the interest of full disclosure, Caspian Kabob is not right next to Korean Twist.  It is two doors down.  On January 3rd, the two carts in between were closed.  But naturally, Mama still needs to eat!***

Caspian Kabob has been one of my favorite visits so far - both because of the food, but also because of the owner, Victor.  This food truck opened just a few months before I arrived here myself.

Victor's Story

Victor has his story printed up and posted on the truck - this is a man who is loving his new life as a chef and food truck owner!  Victor learned to cook from his mother in Iran, eventually moving to New York to live with his American wife (adorable picture on their website!)  We comiserated about the challenges of living in New York and how happy we were that we now lived in Portland instead of the Big Apple.

I ordered a jujeh kabob (chicken kabob) over mediterranean salad.  Waiting with me for his food was a young man who carried on a conversation with Victor in farsi.  First off, farsi is a gorgeous language.  Secondly- always a good sign when other folks who were raised on the cuisine you are going to eat are patronizing the same establishment.

As my food was just about finished, two young women approached the truck.  One looked at the menu and said "Oh wow, he has...." I can't remember the name of the dish, but when her friend asked if she was going to buy something from this cart, she emphatically declared "Oh yeah!"  She then also went on to have a brief exchange with Victor in Farsi.

At this point things got super cool - Victor said that he was working on a special vegetable soup/stew that he wanted us to try.  It was  spinach based with chunks of what I think was beef.  The flavor was a delicate array of spices, combined with the warm heartiness of a regional comfort food.  Indeed, the young woman said this was her Persian version of chicken soup.  

Complimentary Mystery
Vegetable Stew

I wish I could remember the name of it-- because it was awesome.  As was the ginormous serving of mediterranean salad (lettuce, feta, kalmata olives, tomato with a very light light vinagrette) topped with tender and delicious chicken sprinkled with paprika.  The meal was served with maste khiar (yougurt sauce) and warm pita.

Go to this truck.  For realz.



Caspian Kabob
Jujeh Kabob over Mediterranean Salad: $8 (I think...didn't write it down.) Plus tip!
-Accepts Credit Cards