Filed under: Food cart, Mexican | Tags: fish tacos, food cart, gluten-free, Mexican food, North Portland, paleo
Food Cart Pod on South West Corner of North Lombard and Burr Ave.
971 271 8183
These are “hands down” my favorite FISH TACOS….ever……It’s a bold statement, I know.
What we ordered: Fish Tacos – tilapia w/ special sauce, slice of avocado and corn tortilla, Lengua (Cow tongue) Taco, Pastor (Pork) Taco,
How we ordered it: As is.
What we received:
Lengua Tacos
Fish Tacos
Pastor Taco
Cost: All Tacos are $1.50 except for Fish tacos which are $2.
Quality: So much flavor in these tacos. We just went somewhere else for tacos, and they were bland and every different type of meat tasted the same…booooo! This was not the case with Velas’ tacos. The fish tacos had avocado, sliced cabbage and tomatoes….my mouth is watering…so good! The Lengua and Pastor Tacos were good as well, but the fish tacos were definitely our favorite.
Quantity: Though these tacos are small they are only $1.50 each. I will come here over PorQue No! any day! Also, I hear Velas’ burritos are ginormous.
Meat-O-Meter says!
He’s drunk with flavor and high on the smell that is the fish tacos. The fish tacos were a knock out! They are these huge patties of tilapia that have this really nice smooth consistency, kind of like scrambled eggs. It’s hard to explain, but it just tastes so good! I ordered 2 to start with and then ordered 2 more.
The cart is located in a small food cart pod next to Kruger’s Farmer’s Market. On the weekends at night there’s live music playing and tons of kids running around everywhere. It’s turned into a nice little spot in North Portland. Good food, fresh produce next door and live music…oh Portland, how we love you!
Filed under: Food cart, Northeast Portland | Tags: beef tallow, bone broth soup, chicken tenders, chill, food cart, fries, grass-fed beef, paleo, Portland, sweet potato fries
1477 NE Alberta St, Portland, OR 97211
Wow! This is what we’ve been waiting for! This is what we dreamed of having in Portland. A Paleo food cart. This food cart is PALEO LEGIT.
The fries are made out of sweet potatoes and purple sweet potatoes. They are fried in tallow. The chicken tenders are coated in coconut flour. The all-meat-chili is made out of grass fed beef cheeks.
What we ordered: Grass fed All Meat Chili, Rainbow Fries, Bacon Egg Frittata Muffin, Bone Broth Soup, Chicken Tenders.
How we ordered it: As is. Though we did put the chili on top of the fries and that was amazing. You could even ask to put the chili on top of the frittata muffins…yum!
What we received:
Chili Fries
Bacon Egg Frittata Muffin
Bone Broth Soup
Chicken Tenders in Coconut Flour
Cost: Chili – $5, Bacon Egg Frittata Muffin – 2 for $5, Bone Broth – $4, Chicken Tenders – $5
Quality: Umm, let’s see. Grass-fed? Check. Beef tallow? Check. Local? Check. 100% grain free, dairy free and soy free? Check. Check and Check.
Quantity: We ate around 11:30 am. We were not hungry until 5 pm. It was filling and extremely satisfying; exactly what a good Paleo meal should do for you. I didn’t feel terrible, sluggish or moody after the meal, as I usually do after eating fried foods. It was an awesome amount of meat and I just can’t say enough about it!
Meat-O-Meter says!
Words can’t really describe this picture…
OK, so for an entire meal at any food cart in town, you’d pay about 5-8 bucks maybe. BUT, is it real quality food? Is it grass-fed beef? Cooked in grass-fed beef tallow? Is there any type of processed oils in the mix? Cultured Caveman has all non-processed, grass-fed high quality meat in their dishes. It doesn’t get better than this.
For this, I will pay a little bit more for a food cart meal. This place is the whole package for the cost, quality and quantity, it’s 100% Meat-O-Meter approved!
They are doing so well that they are opening a second location on SE 41st and Hawthorne. I think this Paleo thing might be catching on….cross your fingers!
Filed under: Cambodian, Coupon!!, Food cart, Southeast Portland | Tags: beef curry, Cambodian food, food cart, paleo, Portland
1114 SE Clay, St., Portland, Oregon 97214
Here’s their Facebook Page!
Sok Sab Bai is a staple lunch destination for us now. They may be open only during the SUMMER this year. Last year, when they first opened, they were open only during the summer and closed the rest of the year, so be sure to go check them out soon! Here’s some info:
Their hours are 11-2:30pm on Mon-Wed and 11-7pm on Thurs- Fri. That is if they run out of food, they close early. ”Like” them on Facebook to get their daily updates. They post their rotating menu everyday and like to hear from their customers about what should be put on the menu.
Their dishes are between $5- 9. They take Cash only. The awesome entrees that we got were a bit more expensive for a food cart, but sooooo worth it! Also they have a Groupon Instant Coupon available. It is a small coupon, $4 for $7 worth of food. Groupon gives you a refund if you don’t use it the same day of purchase. Pretty neat! Now to the good stuff…
What we ordered: Sausage plate, Braised beef curry, (not pictured: Grilled Chicken Plate – Has A LOT OF MEAT)
How we ordered it: Hold the rice on the sausage plate please!
What we received:
Braised Beef Curry
Sausage Plate
Cost: Sausage plate – $9, Braised beef curry – $8, Grilled Chicken Plate – $6 (not pictured)
Quantity: There was an ample amount of meat in the curry dish. We were pleasantly surprised. There was more meat than veggie filler. Yay! The sausage portion was slightly smaller, but that’s typical for sausage. But wait, this isn’t just ordinary sausage…
Quality: Their sausage is amazing! It is so flavorful and fatty, it’s like nothing I’ve ever tasted before. They assemble the sausage with cooked rice and leave it for 3 days. Our understanding from what the owner told us, is that the rice begins to ferment and that is what gives the sausage that sour special flavor. (There’s a link below if you would like to see how they make it). It is so good, I could probably eat these sausages for days and nothing else. It is very different, but in a good way. We loved it! Oh yes, and about the curry, the flavor was tremendous! This curry sticks out in our minds as one of the tastiest curries we’ve had in Portland.
Meat-O-Meter says!
I am kind of known for sugar coating things slightly, but that’s what makes the Meat-O-Meter and I such a great pair! The truth rings true from the Meat-o-meter’s rating. I can’t say enough accolades for these dishes. This food cart makes some restaurants just look bad!
We have also ordered their Grilled Chicken Plate, Grilled Pork Chops, Mackerel Plate and Congee dish (boiled rice porridge, not paleo, but oh soooooo delish!) All of which were very flavorful and so tasty! We absolutely love this food cart! Did I say that already? If only they were open on the weekends.
On a side note: the owner of Sok Sab Bai is also the owner of the sushi restaurant, BaRa, on SE 21st and Clinton.
To sum up, this food cart has great tasting food, good prices and ample portions of food. Who has two thumbs up and loves this food cart? THIS GUY! :D
For the chefs out there who would like to know more about this Cambodian sausage called Khwa Ko, here’s a pleasant video on how to make it!
Filed under: American, Coupon!!, Fast Food, Food cart, Southwest Portland | Tags: burgers, downtown, paleo, Portland, sweet potato fries
Violetta is no longer in business 
As of 9/21/12 they have been closed for a couple weeks/months (?) now. They are now called ELEPHANT’S PARK. Hopefully we will review them soon, I hear they have good sweet potato tots….
877 SW Taylor @ SW Park (it’s literally in the park!)
503 233 3663
Hey ohhhhh! Scoutmob iphone App! Check it! 50% off your order! Use it instantly!
What we ordered: Violetta Burger – 1/2 lb burger – lettuce, tomato, red onion, super dill and burger sauce, Bacon blue cheese burger – 1/2 lb burger, Sweet Potato Fries – Large
How we ordered it: No Bun! Add extra greens please. You can easily ask for no cheese. They take substitutions really well!
What we received:
Violetta Burger and Bacon and Blue Cheese Burger
Large Sweet Potato Fries
Cost: Violetta Burger (1/2 lb) – $8, Bacon blue cheese burger (1/2 lb) – $8.50, Sweet Potato fries (large) – $4.50. With the Scoutmob app the entire meal only cost us $10.50!! Woohooo!!!!!
Quality: Their burgers are all “pasture-raised”. That probably means the cows are happy roaming around on a pasture, but as they are nearing slaughter they beef them up with some type of grain feed. Unfortunately, pasture raised does not necessarily equate to grass-fed. They taste really good though and will cook it how you want it. Medium well is how we roll!
Quantity: It was a huge 1/2 lb burger. I was satisfied.
MEAT-O-METER says!
This place is so cool! You can sit outside or inside and enjoy the park by people watching and/or watching a ginormous life-size chess game while you eat. Just hope for good weather and it’s a perfect place for a nice relaxing meal.
Violetta changed management about 2 months ago, so their online menu is not up to date yet. The menu is slightly more simplified, but they still have all the basic good stuff. They are very open to the gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian community and are totally open about making substitutions. It’s great for semi-fast food when you don’t have a lot of time shopping or doing whatever downtown. This place is for sure one of our faves especially with the iphone app! Seriously dope, yo!
For the peeps who are 100% Paleo eaters 80% of the time 
, they have awesome milkshakes, but their old menu item of “bag ‘o beignets” are no longer served. Boooo!! So sad . Nevertheless, stop by if you are downtown!
Current location unknown!!! If you know of anything about them, please leave in comments!
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7316 N Lombard, Portland, OR 97203
503-935-1977
Oh my gosh! The wedding/honeymoon/school/ is over now! Phew! Geez, so sorry for the long hiatus. I know….really long hiatus. Due to a number of random encounters with random people in random places regarding the meateats blog and the Meat-O-Meter being recognized (it’s so the glasses!), I am forever encouraged to keep going with this blog! Thank you to everyone who reads it!
With that said, if you follow the blog and have some restaurants that need review-ing that I have missed, please post to the comments! As of late, due to our busy schedule and also because by nature we are creatures of habit, we haven’t been trying out any new places. So please recommend a restaurant in the comments section. If you recommend a restaurant please don’t take it personally if it turns out to be a thumbs down by the Meat-o-Meter’s purely objective and government legitimized standards. 
So back to the post at hand, La Merced! It’s a food cart that popped up in our neighborhood by Kruegers Farmers Market on the corner of Lombard and west of Ida-ish…
Of course we all know the Meat-O-Meter loves meat, but in case you haven’t noticed, he especially likes different types of “meat” that have specific bodily functions in order for an animal to survive such as, liver, heart, intestine, ear, feet etc. – hence the quotations. I must admit I do like the occasional Menudo at the hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant, but the M-O-M takes it almost to a new level.
We LOVE tacos and we couldn’t resist this place.
What we ordered: A bunch of Carnitas Tacos. The real deal is with corn tortillas. Yes corn is not Paleo, however corn tortillas…jk, they’re still not Paleo, but it’s better than flour tortillas. Other cheats could be worse.
How we ordered it: Carnitas tacos made with just one tortilla please! (We’ve found most Mexican restaurants use 2 tortillas to make their tacos. I guess it just makes us feel a little better about our cheat when we cut down on the amount of tortilla we are consuming)
What we got:
Carnitas Taco
Cost: $1.25 per taco! Some days he has a special for $1 tacos!!!!! Really? Come on, how can you not go here!
Quality: This pork most likely did not come from a local farm. But the owner really does try to use every part of the animal so nothing goes to waste. Kudos for being resourceful! The type of meat he used just made it taste so different and amazing. Very simple tasting, but so different!
Quantity: There is a lot of meat on this taco. It is pretty generous. Cheapest price we’ve found so far for a taco! Watch out King Burrito!
MEAT-O-METER says!
The accolade for this food cart went pretty deep. He couldn’t stop talking about it! The price and the meat are fantastic. It really is authentic Mexican food! Their other tacos are great as well, carne asada, bucha, lengua. They have a ton of other typical Mexican fare and and also some really unique dishes as well.
If you are in the neighborhood, go here! If the other types of “meat” aren’t your thing, you can always go for the hamburger…(booooring!) Don’t think about it, just shove it in! It’s pretty tasty! If anything the cost is pretty darn worth it.
