Musing on their fancy fry sauce, we munched down this greasy, deep-fried, yet fresh plate full of veggies, fresh cut fries, and three kinds of fish. There’s something about mayonnaise and fried food that really brings out the Dutch in me. Throw some mayonnaise and fish in and I’m [...]]]>

Beautiful murals on The Blazing Chef.

Musing on their fancy fry sauce, we munched down this greasy, deep-fried, yet fresh plate full of veggies, fresh cut fries, and three kinds of fish. There’s something about mayonnaise and fried food that really brings out the Dutch in me. Throw some mayonnaise and fish in and I’m on it like a trustafarian on Bangkok Grill in April. A small crew of swagmen (and women; I know, it’s just a term) went out for some fried goodies at The Blazing Chef. Now, I’m a big fan of fish, but I only get fish and chips when I’m really wanting to pull that “my-body-is-a-temple-that-has-to-be-blown-up” thing.

Golden brown, just like my arteries...?

So, on the way up to River Road, we decided to sabotage our health and stop at The Blazing Chef. We got a grip of beer battered crispy treats. There was onions, french fries, Halibut, Tuna, and Salmon.

I am a complete fish elitist. I like it fresh (or frozen at sea), local, and never, ever fishy. With that said, The Blazing Chef has good fish. They source regionally and locally, the fish wasn’t fishy, and the fry sauce was unique (I could really tell with it slathered all over my beer battered onion rings).

They have a decent sized menu with fish and chips, sandwiches, and deep-fried veggies. They also serve thee meals per day, a back-breaking feat for a food cart.

Some people say that The Blazing Chef has the best fish and chips in Eugene. I wouldn’t be surprised if that turned out to be the case. But, seeing how I try to only eat them when I’m self-flagellating, I probably won’t be voting in this one.

Hours:

Monday to Friday: 7 am to 7 pm.

Saturday: 8 am to 7 pm.

Sunday: 10 am to 7 pm.

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One of the truly fascinating aspects of a food cart is walking up and ordering from someone’s manifested vision. Corey and Nicole started this cart as a showcase of how a small open-air cart can grill up ingredients at an extremely local level. The cart is fundamentally a giant [...]]]>

Bicyclists wait for their local Nosh

One of the truly fascinating aspects of a food cart is walking up and ordering from someone’s manifested vision. Corey and Nicole started this cart as a showcase of how a small open-air cart can grill up ingredients at an extremely local level. The cart is fundamentally a giant grill with a hand-washing station. These guys also have Field to Table, the super hip catering company in Eugene. They are both culinary school grads from the East Coast–not local, but hey, I like what they’re bringin’. The menu changes semi-daily and they post what they’re serving here: http://www.thenoshpit.com/ The day that we noshed, the fare was a sandwich akin to a meaty panini.

This “VLT,” as they call it, features grass-fed roast beef, smoked turkey, horseradish, cheddar, kale, caramelized onions, sweet peppers, and ranch dressing…Uh, take another second to look at those ingredients…Holy mother-of-pearl, right? Anyway, this smorgasbord of a sandwich is on bulillo bread from a local market in town. It was good. A little oily for my taste but I’m sure Helen, the chica who made my lunch, would have slimmed it down had I asked. The sandwich was reasonably priced for a local dish, especially one with local meat and cheese. In the sustainable food business, meat and cheese are the kind of tasty ingredients that make the cost completely sky-rocket. It was six or seven bucks for the sandwich with no sides: dirt cheap for this kind of fare.

They also had a chicken taco plate that had a very light sauce. It seemed like an enchilada sauce and had some caramelized onions. Though priced decently for a locally-based dish, a $7 taco plate (three small-sized tacos) has too many competitors in the $5 range to really win over the masses. The tacos, however, were thick with chicken; not skimpy like a lot of street tacos. In this Jolly Swagman’s opinion, definitely worth the couple extra bucks compared to a taco truck’s factory farmed meat. When looking at the untapped horizon of Field to Table’s catering menu, I am tickled with curiosity at what the Nosh Pit menu’s breadth will bring to Downtown.

Hours:  Tuesday through Friday, 11:30 am to 2:30 pm.

Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-nosh-pit-eugene

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eugene-OR/The-Nosh-Pit/360943115061

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Who needs to go to Burning Man when you can go to Drumrong? This cart isn’t just a cart, it’s like a circus tent sans animals.

I’ll tell you straight up that I’ve known A, the guy who runs this brilliant Thai cart, for years. He’s [...]]]>

Two customers wait for one of Eugene's authentic Thai carts.

Who needs to go to Burning Man when you can go to Drumrong? This cart isn’t just a cart, it’s like a circus tent sans animals.

I’ll tell you straight up that I’ve known A, the guy who runs this brilliant Thai cart, for years. He’s a caring, thoughtful guy. Cool thing is, his food is the same. We talked about his menu before he opened the cart and he expressed his desire to bring “real” Thai food to Eugene (of course, “real” Thai food is always a source of debate). And, I may also add that he has been an integral part of a couple of “Eugene’s Best Thai Restaurants.” But these recipes are all A. He uses his own creativity and special ingredients.

So, A told me to try the Pad See Ew. Having eaten dozens of different plates of Pad See Ew, I shrugged in an “if that’s the best you got” look. A presented me with a nice-sized portion of chicken Pad See Ew and a Thai Iced Tea after a short four minute wait. I personally never mind waiting ten minutes at a food cart. Though more than ten minutes is stomach-growling agony, under ten tells me that everything is getting up to temperature, is fresh, and not sitting in a warmer. So I thanked A for the food and sat down to my Phad See Ew.

If you like super sweet drinks, the Thai Iced Tea is for you. Drumrong’s is rich and sweet. Think Dutch Bros. of Thai Tea. Tasty. Too tasty….Now, about the food: I’m used to a pretty plain, pasty, chewy Ew. I like the drunken wide rice noodles that come in 90% of Phad See Ew, but it’s a fairly heavy commitment to gnaw on a pizza sized dose of dense noodles and usually shows me just how little actual substance is in the dish. Once again, a Eugene Food Cart has upped the ante and presented the town with a dish that is able to showcase a true chef’s originality. Our chef, A, used an extremely thin rice noodle for his Phad See Ew that really makes more sense for the dish. It was light, airy (though slightly oily), and a very nice Ew. I especially appreciated the spinach garnish that lined the bottom of the plate. Any Ew fans out there know how frustrating it is to have all of that delicious sauce wasted at the corners and bottom of a Thai food box. Really nice to wrap up the freshly stir-fried broccoli and thin rice noodles with a little “wilted spinach salad.” Another good point of the dish was the little detail that, although the chicken was fully cooked, it wasn’t chewy and rubbery. Seems like that is hard for some Thai places to do. I shouldn’t be surprised that A, with his years of Thai restaurant experience, is able to make Drumrong get this right as well.

Hours:

Monday through Saturday: 11 am to 8 pm

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Oklahoma Smokehouse Barbecue Express

My favorite barbecue guys have a new cart at 12th and Kincaid. It can sometimes be a problem to keep food high quality and tasting good with a small cart like this, but I know they can do it because this barbecue is VERY good. These are the same [...]]]>

Oklahoma Smokehouse Barbecue Express

My favorite barbecue guys have a new cart at 12th and Kincaid. It can sometimes be a problem to keep food high quality and tasting good with a small cart like this, but I know they can do it because this barbecue is VERY good. These are the same people with the cart on Highway 99 that I rave about. They sell a small handful of items. Last time I went there they had a Pulled Pork Sandwich or Beef Brisket Sandwich that comes with a sauce and a slaw for $5. Awesome. You bastards are why I could never go vegetarian.

Price Range: $5

Location: 12th and Kincaid

Hours: Monday to Friday 11am – 3pm

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Dave, you Dawg. You may recognize Dave as the guy wearing an apron at the Country Fair that makes him appear fully [...]]]>

Update: Just had a Hickory Smoked Barbecue sandwich and it kicked butt. So good. It was really hard to split the thing with  my buddy, Al Cioppino. You’ll love it…

Dave, you Dawg. You may recognize Dave as the guy wearing an apron at the Country Fair that makes him appear fully naked (all the ladies wish, he’s a stud). You may also recognize him as the man with the scrumptious vegetarian fare at 12th and Willamette. Dave started off selling Tofurky dogs and after being asked to to vend at some of the Northwest’s premier fairs and festivals, has expanded his menu and set up a cart in Downtown. One of the Swagmen went down there and tried a couple of the dishes.

There aren’t very many people who are luke warm with faux meat. But Dave has adapted his menu over the years and come up with some dishes that appeal to all of us, not just our dreadie friends out there. We sampled the Polish Dog, the Cheesesteak, and the Reuben. Now, mind you, these are all meat free, but what they have going for them is they aren’t trying to be meat. They’re flavorful with good texture, and decent prices. Oh, and if you bike up, are a student, or it’s rainy, you can get $0.50 off any food item. That’s an AMAZING discount.

Price Range: I should know this. I think they’re around $5 (before discount). Someone please post a comment with the real deal. Confirmed$4.50 to $5.50 before discount.

Location: 12th and Willamette

Hours: Monday-Friday, 11am to 4pm

She ain't no chicken!

Being completely oblivious to the fact that I had spoken with Elizabeth while advising her on the opening of her purple and green cart, I strolled [...]]]> Chic’n'Wraps is very clearly marketed: Chicken Wraps. If you don’t like wraps, then first, “what?!” If you still don’t like ‘em, try one of these first.

She ain't no chicken!

Being completely oblivious to the fact that I had spoken with Elizabeth while advising her on the opening of her purple and green cart, I strolled up and perused the menu. Elizabeth Krause, the cart owner, was kind enough to provide a sampler for us to try out the spectrum of her various inventions that she has been working on developing for the last years.

Around four years ago, Elizabeth wanted to move from Phoenix and somehow landed on Eugene. There are many “dartboard immigrants” in Eugene and I’ve come to meet and know quite a few. “I just packed everything I owned and hit the road,” she said.  Elizabeth ended up toiling for three years working on building her cart, getting it ready for selling at 7th and Washington.

There are four savory items that you can choose from as well as “Eye-talian Sodas”, Greek Frappe Coffee, Caramel Cider, and Homemade Arnold Palmers. We started off with a “Famous Chipotle Mango” wrap that had a spicy and sweet thing going for it. It had a hot nip to it, but it wasn’t TOO much for a simple lunch. I know I want to be ready for a spicy surprise and was glad to get just a little heat.

Then we had the Chicken Souvlaki. This was pretty mild. This is definitely for that one friend that we all have. You know the one who only likes really mild foods. Well, here it is. I’m not hating. On the contrary. I asked Elizabeth about the pick and she said she wanted to make sure there was something for everybody, including those people who’s taste buds want to run and hide under the blankets when confronted by scary things like bold flavors or spices.

After the palate cleansing Souvlaki, we ventured to the Creamy Chicken. Mmmmm. This warm little bundle of comfort food has white sauce that Elizabeth makes from scratch and is seasoned quite rightly. The chicken is seared to enrich the flavors, mushrooms and onions are added, and then it gets a little tortilla chip to make it crunch. This was my favorite thing at the cart. It was simple yet unique and a perfect one-handed comfort food.

There’s also a vegetarian wrap, but I was so happy with my creamy chicken that I didn’t want to wake up my taste buds from their pleasure.

Though Chic’n'Wraps is at an inconvenient spot (miss it by ten feet and you’ll have to circle the block), it has some tasty options, warm drinks, and kind customer service. At the bottom of the menu, is a suggestion: “remember to smile, it makes U feel better!!!”. Well, I suggest on the next cloudy, Oregon-y day, go get a creamy chicken wrap and a cider from Elizabeth Krause. It will make you feel better.

Price Range: $5- 6

Location: 6th and Lincoln

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Warm curries, noodles, and rice inside

When Pla, the “Angel of Ubon” was a small girl, she had to hide in [...]]]> I’ve driven by this bright yellow Thai cart on Highway 99 dozens of times and I am wondering what kind of karma I must’ve acquired to miss out on this heart-warming food for so long.

Warm curries, noodles, and rice inside

When Pla, the “Angel of Ubon” was a small girl, she had to hide in dug-out pits with her eight siblings to avoid the ravages of war that surrounded them. The Laotian Civil War drove them to Thailand where the family scraped by a meager survival by selling fish at the market.

Then, Bill, the successful American contractor went on a month-long vacation in Thailand. One month turned into four months. Then seven months. He had met Pla before returning to the States to sell his properties, cash out of America, and return to the land that he had purchased in Thailand. Well, something happened. It was called the greatest recession in 80 years. You know the one, right?  Bill and Pla lost nearly everything.

They picked up the pieces and started their food cart on Highway 99. What they found was a way to make money by selling Pla’s traditional Thai recipes.

I ordered the Pad Kemao, having an aversion to any pad thai dish that I see. The atmosphere of Ubon Thai Kitchen is very relaxing. When sitting at the table under their outside coverings, I am instantly in love. There are dozens of potted plants, fountains, and statuettes, yet it isn’t over crowded. I got my phad kemao and thai coffee and went into their neighboring art gallery where Pla has her artwork on the walls as well as thai music playing.

As well as cooking traditional Thai food, Pla also paints stark, beautiful images and displays them in the neighboring art gallery.

Every thai place has a pad thai, and I don’t really get what the big deal is about peanut sauce and rice noodles. The pad kemao on the other hand had plenty of green peppers, broccolli, carrots, snow peas, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, basil, and red onions mixed with traditionally seasoned wide rice noodles and chicken. The chicken was cooked in coconut milk and the portions were definitely generous for $5.50. I haven’t had pad kemao that was this tasty since I was in San Francisco. The menu is vegetarian friendly, with tofu options and lots of veggies. I wish they had a sampler plate, but everything is made to order, so it’s a worthy trade-off.

Pla’s recipes shine through like the sun on a glistening island morning and If I can’t get a sampler plate, I will definitely be back to try everything on the menu. Hey, they even have a “Eugene style pad thai with vegetables” that I might try.

Price Range: $5.50- 6.00

Location: Highway 99

Hours: 11:00 A.M to 8:00 P.M Monday through Friday. 541-689-0033!

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Price Range: $.50+!!

Location: [...]]]> Highway 99 has so many things going for it: Home Improvement stores, auto wreckers, 50 thousand gallon fuel tanks, that girl who does high kicks waving a mattress sale sign. Highway 99 also has food carts. And one of them is Daniel’s Taqueria. They advertise 50 cent Chicken Taco that taste pretty good.

Price Range: $.50+!!

Location: High Kickin’ Highway 99!

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