open mind, empty stomach

Food trucks have taken off nationally over the last few years, but Portland is truly in a league of its own. Options range from your run of the mill Korean, Mexican and Thai to the more exotic Iraqi, Georgian (the republic, not the state), Mauritian, and Transylvanian. Due to time constraints, I was only able to scratch the surface of Portland’s dynamic food truck scene. I had to prioritize.

With the number one overall pick in the food cart draft, I went with Delicios Taste of Transylvania. As someone who appreciates food in all of its forms and is always seeking out the obscure, this was a no-brainer. I knew absolutely nothing about Transylvanian food and called a chef friend who happens to hail from Dracula’s hood. I ended up giving the phone to the friendly lady who does the cooking and they went back and forth in their native tongue. When she returned the phone to me, my buddy Nikk said “they seem legit.” He was right.

Romania’s #1 dish, a skinless sausage called mici (pronounced) was moist, flavorful and everything you could ask for in a reformed hunk of meat. Nikk told me to have the chimney cake and, although I’m not generally a fan of sweets, I followed my friend’s advice. It was perfection. The cake was light, tasty, with a nice caramelization on the outside that results from the unique device it’s baked in (there are only 3 of them in the country).

As often is the case, the people behind the food were just as good as what they were serving. The mother and son team who immigrated from Romania 14 years ago were incredibly nice, gracious, and really, really cool. I couldn’t have asked for more in a food truck experience.

My vegan girlfriend (I know, what are the chances?) and I ventured over to Chez Dodo, a Mauritian food truck that caters to people who avoid animal products as well as unabashed omnivores like me. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting people from Mauritius in the past and had my suspicions…. Shyam, the chef at Chez Dodo, further supported my theory that people from Mauritius may well be the nicest on the planet. Fortunately for us, he had just returned from his motherland and brought back wonderfully delicious organic spices.

We started with taro fritters, which were balls of riced taro battered in tapioca flour and spices then deep fried. These vegan delights were served with a red and a green sauce and were absolutely scrumptious. We each ordered a spicy curry noodle dish and I had lamb in mine. The portions were huge and the flavors were like nothing I’ve ever had. It was spicy, complex and delicious. When you combine African, Creole, Chinese, Indian and French cuisine, wonderful things happen.

During our brief stay in Portland, we visited a couple other food stands and they were all great. I’m looking forward to going back and seeing what the next trip holds in terms of exotic deliciousness.

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