Photo by Ed Garren

By Ed Garren

The aroma beckons from blocks away, and on many days, the lines queue up so thick you can barely walk down the sidewalk. Often, street musicians play on the corner during lunch to make the ambiance complete. It is one of the richest food experiences in Portland, and it’s intoxicatingly affordable. For $5 or $6 you can get a full meal, beverage is usually an extra dollar, or two if it’s a custom beverage like Thai Iced Tea or Vietnamese/French iced coffee with milk.

This is the food court on Alder SW, between 9th and 10th, which has about 18 vendors. The trailers, or “carts”, are lined up along the sidewalk and come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, ages and condition. Some of the best food comes out of older units, often with peeling paint and hand painted signs. These people may not be skilled at sign making, but they sure can cook.

The Western Culinary Institute is across the street, and the food court is a favorite place for them to eat lunch (and perhaps gain inspiration).

If you’ve never sampled “Cart” food in Portland, then you have missed one of the richest treasures the city has to offer. There are a couple of “cart” areas in downtown, but the Alder Street Food Court is the largest and has the most variety. People come from all over the city to sample the culinary delights that abound here. It is one block from the MAX (10th & Morrison) and the north bound street car stops at 10th and Alder (Galleria stop) as well, so it is very easy to get to.

Cart food is deeply personal food. The owner is often the chef, or certainly the “executive chef”, so the person preparing your food also gets to know you, and what you like. The food is fresh, very fresh, because it is individually prepared to order. Usually, you can watch your plate, or box as it is created for you.

It is also extremely authentic. This is not food that has been modified for a generic American palate. The food here is the real deal, prepared in the manner that it would be at home, usually without a recipe, but rather a tradition, often handed down for generations within the person’s family. You may place your order in English, but the conversation between the person who takes your order and the cook will usually occur in a language other than English.

On this one block, along 9th, 10th and Alder the following types of food can be found: Vietnamese (2), Thai (4), Polish, German, Korean, Greek/Mediterranean, New York Hot Dogs, Mexican (3), Peruvian, Japanese, Bosnian, and Italian coffee and gelato (in the summer).

Some of the food here has achieved significant recognition in culinary circles. Ziba’s Pitas (Bosnian) was just featured in the latest edition of “Bon Appetit” magazine. Sawasadee Thai food was honored last year as one of the top ten Thai take out’s in Portland. Andreas Spella, who personally selects and roasts the beans he uses in his coffee (Spella) has been written up in the Oregonian, Portland Monthly, and other publications for his deep, rich, smooth and flavorful coffee. In addition to brewed coffee, he also sells whole and ground beans to take home and brew. People come from all over downtown to get his brewed coffee, and all over the region to buy his coffee beans.

Most vendors are open Monday through Friday. Most open for lunch around 10 AM and close between 4pm and 5pm. Less than half are open on Saturday and (as of this writing) none are open on Sunday.

Ed Garren has written about food for the Los Angeles Times and other publications. His personal stories about food, and recipes can be found on his web site blog.