Having reviewed your historical choices for “Portland’s best new food carts of the past decade — where are they now?” (April 28), I am disappointed by the lack of accolades paid to the amazing vegan food trucks scattered throughout the Portland area, such as the previous Dinger’s Deli on Belmont and the temporarily closed Supernova on Southeast 13th. Give some love to those (literally) thinking outside the box in your next roundup.
Buddy’s Steaks in the Rose City Food Park is mobbed daily with requests for plant-based chicken cheesesteaks and undistinguishable-from-dairy homemade mozzarella sticks. The Mocking Bird in Beaverton serves up the most amazing cruelty-free, plant-based fried “chick’n” sandwiches (the Mac Daddy XL – an insane double-fried chicken/mac and cheese/chipotle mayo monstrosity – should be on everyone’s bucket list). Owner Kayla Jean recently transitioned from the Rose City Food Park truck site and bought the previous brick-and-mortar restaurant belonging to Home Grown Smoker, which is now open with a fusion of the previous menu and her own, such as plant-based hush puppies. Some of the newer trucks, including Chubby Bunny on Belmont and Charlie’s Breakfast Cart and The Groovy Floret in the Food Park, serve up stellar breakfast sandwiches and taco salads. Not to mention Ditto on Alberta, Dirty Lettuce on Fremont, Planted PDX on Garden Home Road, and Flourish on Southeast Seventh. The five-star reviews on Google and Yelp don’t lie. Spread the love!
Alice D’Amore, Portland