Portlanders know that some of the best, most culinary innovative and top-quality meals can be found not only in upscale, packed daily eateries, but in small, humble trucks and carts. Here, passion for food thrives and the owners and chefs pride themselves not in swanky decor and bar specials, but in the dishes they live to share. Here are just three carts Eugene is lucky to have around:
Sammitch, 1699 W. 11th Ave./28th and Friendly St./Sixth and Willamette
KC Brooks, a graduate of the University of Oregon, has found success in sandwiches. With kooky combinations like the hearty meatloaf “ORGASmitch,” cucumber and kalamata stuffed “Veggie Greekin’” and lemon-y, dill-y “Mama’s Tuna Melt,” Brooks has built a large fan base that has expanded him to three different Eugene locations.
His favorite part of the humble cart lifestyle? “Maintaining individuality,” he said.
It’s something Brooks’ fans would agree he does well.
Brooks also offers radical, between-the-bread experiments such as the turkey, brie and peaches sporting “pesTURKular” and “Beefy Roastard,” a roast beef sammie unusually paired with apricots and feta cheese. Featured innovative sides include vegan-battered deep fried mushrooms and carrot fries.
Check out the Facebook page for sometimes-changing truck locations and hours and always-new specials.
Lonches to Go, 901 River Rd.
Although far from busy campus areas, Margarita High and Arturo Gaona-Samora run their Mexican cuisine-inspired truck Lonches to Go with pride, claiming “the best burritos in town.” As it turns out, they may be right.
“Those big athlete boys love it,” High said. “They carpool here all the time, always leaving our truck almost empty of food.”
From Mexico, the married couple have run the busy cart now for almost seven years. They serve “no frills” authentic dishes, with customer favorites being the cart’s chile relleno, catfish tacos and served-all-day potato, bean and cheese breakfast burritos. With everything made from scratch, quality is of utmost importance to the owners.
“People can taste the quality in food. So it must be why we have so many loyal customers,” High said happily.
Grab a group and head over to a perhaps unfamiliar part of town. Word is “Arturo’s Special” is worth it.
Mother Ship, 285 W. Sixth Ave.
You may have already spotted this new galactic-themed food-truck and dining-bus duo where the Indonesia’s sign reads “Mothership: Out of This World Food!”
“We were trying to think of names that would attract Eugeneans,” said owner Norman Kagawa, a Japanese-American from Hawaii who recently moved to the area from San Diego with his wife Rebecca. “Turns out, the space theme works.”
For two months the couple with a culinary background have served a wide array of different cuisines: All-day breakfast, barbecue and Japanese dishes. Popular items include the pastry cream-loaded raspberry french toast with pecan butter, the brisket dip with au jus and the japanese udon noodle soup. Here, a large, varied menu caters to all tastes and appetites.