The Endless Road Trip: Not All That’s Euro is Trash

Portland is known for its incredibly diverse food cart scene, with over 700 of them clustered around town in various Food Pods. As I browsed one of the larger pods downtown, Brett Burmeister of Food Carts Portland (the definitive expert on Portland street food) strongly recommended one called Eurotrash. While it wouldn’t have been my first choice based on the name, I had to give the inventive menu—Portugese-influenced with pan-Euro touches, a hint of Indian spice, and a generous helping of good old fashioned American gluttony—a chance.

And glad I did. Above: “chorizo and chips,” a serving of thinly-sliced, golden-brown fried potatoes mixed with slivers of grilled chroizo, cilantro and a creamy curry aioli. Yep—potatoes, curry and pig—all that’s good about food in one bite. Alternatively, they’ll top your chips with a heaping serving of foie.

More after the jump.

The prawn baguette: grilled curried prawns layered on an open-faced toasted baguette  and topped with mounds of a cold cilantro curry coconut slaw.

The clam jammer: this time it’s batter-fried razor clams topped with that curry slaw. A little crispy, a little chewy, all kinds of tasty. I’m pained to say this to my East Coast peeps, but this sandwich blows any New England clam roll I’ve ever had out of the water.

To finish it off: “fish chips”—breaded and fried Spanish anchovies. Yep, you just pop the whole thing in your mouth.

Damn, Portland. Pig? Check. Fish? Double check. If you guys know how to cook burgers, I’m gonna have to stop calling you hippies altogether.

Also on The Endless Road Trip: Portland
1. Porklandia

2. All That’s Euro is Not Trash
3. Salt and Straw