Monthly Archives: April 2011

Thai Tom 2011: Match 4

Garlic and Pepper vs. Eggplant Ginger (Passover versions with tofu and no rice)

Match 4

A few Passovers ago, Lauren discovered that if you order a dish at Thai Tom without rice, they will happily serve it to you over spinach instead and it’s delicious. So when my mother-in-law was craving Thai Tom on her visit this weekend, we were prepared.

Today’s match involved two of my favorite stir fries. #10 (Eggplant Ginger) was my first love of Thai Tom, with thin slices of Japanese eggplant that soak up the ginger-soy goodness. #9 (Garlic and Pepper), while not quite the crack-like-version I had in Mae Hong Son, still uses a heavy hand of both garlic and pepper to whet your taste buds. In the end, it was a very close call, but the nod went to Eggplant Ginger. If you have a group of three though, get both (with a curry as your third dish of course)!

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Updated results of the Thai Tom 2011 Tournament

The Big Egg (Portland, OR)

Rating:

On our last trip to Portland, we asked food truck aficionados DeAnn and Andy for recommendations. They directed us to The Big Egg, but we were car-less and the Egg’s Mississippi Marketplace home in NE Portland is impossible to reach by public transit.

Fortunately we knew we’d be back in a month, this time with our Prius. Yesterday we met up with the food cart mavens themselves, fresh off their beeline drive from Seattle.

The Big Egg’s menu consists of a breakfast wrap (Andy’s favorite: he had two!), and an assortment of brioche egg sandwiches such as today’s special chosen by DeAnn and Anjali:

House-made Apple-Carrot Butter, Thick-cut Smoked Bacon, Vintage White Cheddar, Baby Arugula & an Over-Easy Farm Egg with Fresh Thyme on Grilled Brioche!

Lauren and I ordered a breakfast wrap and an Arbor Lodge. We had been warned the sandwiches can take awhile, so we were prepared for the 25 minute wait. When my name was finally called, we were ready to chow down.

The wrap was good, with the yogurt lime sauce bringing me back to Vios memories, but I’m not a huge home-fries fan, so the grilled potatoes detracted somewhat from the appeal for me.

The Arbor Lodge however was food truck slow food at its finest. The caramelized onions had a jam-like sweetness and the mushrooms were chewy and flavorful without a hint of rubbery-ness. The brioche bread was sinfully good. The taste I had of the daily special was equally delicious. I was so distracted by the lingering flavors in my mouth, that I forgot my umbrella at our lunch table!

When we returned today for a late brunch with Tommy, I couldn’t resist having another Arbor Lodge. It was just as delectable as yesterday. I would definitely recommend adding a stop at The Big Egg’s bright yellow truck to your next Portland itinerary. The nearby waffle and juice trucks are also worth a visit. And to top it all off, I recovered my umbrella from the friendly market caretakers!

Ladies in front of the cart
DeAnn sharing her sandwich excitement with the ladies

Arbor Lodge sandwich
The Arbor Lodge – egg, grilled organic Portobello mushrooms, caramelized balsamic onions, and arugula with roasted garlic and herb aioli on grilled Grand Central brioche

Breakfast wrap
Breakfast Wrap: a grilled flour tortilla filled with scrambled eggs, grilled potatoes, organic portabello mushrooms, fire-roasted poblano salsa, yogurt-lime sauce

DeAnn Kenny and Anu
Breakfast!

The Big Egg
Mississippi Marketplace
4233 N. Mississippi Ave
Portland, OR 97212
503-226-1946

Wed-Sun: 8:00AM-2:00PM (Breakfast)

Maya’s Taqueria (Portland, OR)

Rating:

We first stumbled upon Maya’s Taqueria years ago while searching for a mid-day snack after a visit to Powell’s books. It’s a simple counter-service restaurant serving tacos, burritos, and more with your choice of meats, which includes four types of chicken: Mole Chicken, Chicken Verde, Chicken Colorado, and Pollo Asado. We performed a taco survey and got hooked on the mole. Since then we have wound up back at Maya’s on just about every subsequent trip to Portland.

This morning we needed a snack to tide us over until our 11AM brunch plans. We stopped by the Snow White House Crepe Cart, which we missed on our last visit, but discovered they don’t open until lunchtime. Fortunately Maya’s was located just around the corner, and on our last visit we noted that they were open early for breakfast. Our plans quickly evolved from “a taco would be great” to “well, maybe I’ll have two tacos” to “why don’t we try that breakfast burrito?” Which we did, and it was delicious. Juicy mole chicken, black beans, eggs, rice, and salsa wrapped in a fresh tortilla – it’s a great way to start the day!

Mole chicken breakfast burrito
Mole chicken breakfast burrito

Verde and Colorado chicken tacos
Last month’s taco survey: Chicken Colorado and Chicken Verde

Mole chicken burrito
Mole chicken [dinner] burrito in a whole wheat tortilla

Posing in the storefront

Maya’s Taqueria
1000 SW Morrison Street
Portland, OR 97205
503-226-1946

Daily: 8:00AM-10:00PM (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)