Stop #11: Transylvanian Cuisine Reminds Me of Family

I had been anxiously awaiting the week I would finally get to go to this next truck - Delicios, A Taste of Transylvania - not because I have a great love for the food of central Romania, but because I had no idea what the heck would be on the menu (not that I was expecting anything blood themed - yes, I so went there.)

On that note, it IS interesting that the truck is red and black....  But any illusion to the infamous count and his hankering for the sanguinary ended there.  The menu was populated with dishes that are very Eastern European in their influence (well, duh!)  including foot long hot dogs and sausages in what look like bagel buns, as well as schnitzel.  When I asked the woman cooking what she liked most on the menu, she recommended the stuffed cabbage.

My decision was made, hands down.  My grandmother used to make stuffed cabbage.   She would stuff the cabbage leaves with ground lamb and rice, served with a dried apricot sauce that was TO DIE FOR.  The nostalgic romantic in me wants to say she groud the lamb by hand, but I think I am totally making that up.  Anway, I hadn't had stuffed cabbage in YEARS!  It was on.

While the food was being prepared by the man who was working in the truck, the woman who had taken my order unwrapped one of their chimney cakes, took a pair of scissors and cut off a little bite for each of the people waiting.  First off, this is one of the things I have come to love most about the food trucks - these extra little gestures of generosity and connection (and salesmanship) by the entrepeneurs who are serving you.

Stock Photo of Chimney Cake

Also, the chimney cake was YUM-MY!  I don't really know how to describe it - like a donut and a croissant had a love child.  Flaky, sweet, dense.  And fashioned like a chimney or a very large (and edible) cuff bracelet.

When my food was ready I was handed a large and very heavy container, which I took back to my office.  Three large stuffed cabbage pieces, filled with spiced chicken and rice, plus creamy polenta topped with cheese and sour cream.  Ah, Eastern European Cuisine - all white, red and yellow with no green to be found anywhere nearby.  You can feel your arteries hardening just looking at it:

So Much Food.....

All that being said, it was delicious.  Not exactly how my grandmother made it, but clearly homemade with fresh ingredients by someone who knows what they are doing.   Always fun to try something new and find out that it is actually quite familiar in the end.

Delicios!
Stuffed Cabbage with Polenta: $7.00 (+ Tip!)
-Accepts Credit Cards

Stop #10: Bagels - Gourmet style!

So, I'm Jewish.  And my family is from the East Coast - New Jersey, basically right across the Hudson from Manhattan.  Plus I spent 3 years living in New York - and thus have gone to the infamous H&H Bagels on the Upper West Side and purchased "whatever just came out of the oven."  So basically, I know from bagels.  They must have that slightly hard, almost tight outside, containing the fluffy, doughy inside.  They MUST be boiled or frankly we are just talking about bread with a hole in the middle - not the unique creation that is A Bagel.

So when I arrived at Tastebud Bagel, I was ready to be non-plussed.  I became particularly suspicious when I read that these were "Montreal Style" bagels.  Um, I'm sorry, but since when did Canada know from bagels?

Since always, it seems. After eating lunch I decided to do some research (ie, Wikipedia) into this fascinating new species of bagel.   I am now not at all surprised that I liked these suckers.  Smaller and sweeter than their New York cousins, boiled (natch) and always wood fired (!!) - Montreal has it nailed.

I looked at the menu and was contemplating buying "the standard" (lox, cream cheese, onion and capers) as a barometer of quality (like ordering spaghetti bolognese in order to check the quality of an Italian restaurant.)  But when I asked the gentleman running the truck his opinion, he told me the most popular bagel was the braised lamb.  Ok, definitely not where my mind and stomach had been headed, but I was game.

All of the bagel sandwhiches are served open faced.  The lamb was braised to order and was topped with pickled peppers, cabbages and a touch of mayo.  Oy! So much joy in my mouth!   The lamb was tender and flavorful, the peppers tart with just a hint of spiciness, and the cabbage crunchy with a sprinkling of caraway seeds to add another layer of flavor.

Who knew?  Bagels in Portland I did not expect to love.  But there you go.

Tastebud Bagels:
Poppyseed Bagel with Braised Lamb, Peppers, Cabbage and Mayo: $8.00 (+tip)
-Accepts Credit Cards

***Be warned that this is a messy eat.  Order when you can sit down to consume it.***

Stop #9: Savor!

 Savor Soup House is an adorable little cart right on the corner of 10th and Alder.  Specializing in homemade soups on a daily rotating menu, they also have an array of grilled cheese sandwiches and regular sandwiches (all on fresh bread) and a few salads.

The young gentleman who greeted me was super sweet and offered to give me a taste of any soup I wanted to try.  But I knew what I wanted - butternut squash and apple bisque?  Are you kidding me right now?  Put it in my mouth!  (Gluten free and vegan, for those who have dietary restrictions.)  They sprinkled a few toasted pepitos (pumkin seeds) on top for some added crunch.

But I couldn't JUST go for soup when there was grilled cheese to try.  I got a cup of soup and half a classic grilled cheese sandwhich, though if I go back I will absolutely be building my own grilled cheese from their ridonculous options.  The menu includes (among other things) manchego, swiss cheese, balsamic reduction, bacon, sliced apple, or (wait for it) carmelized OR pickled onions. (Of course pickled - this is Portland.)

I got back to the office and dug in.  The soup was creamy and delicious with the hint of apple perfectly complimenting the sturdy butternut flavor.  And the sandwhich - oh the sandwhich!  As someone who usually tries to steer clear of the highly fattening, I don't eat a lot of grilled cheese. But this puppy was off the charts - nice and buttery, but with the great crisp of toasted fresh bread and the tang of good Tillamook cheddar.  Indulgence indeed.

Savor Soup House
Cup of Butternut and Apple Bisque with 1/2 a Classic Grilled Cheese:
     $3.00 for the soup, $2.50 for the 1/2 sandwhich  
-Accepts Credit Cards