Tag: Farmhouse Carts

Re-engaging with Portland

Dear Liza,

This winter has been very disconnected, and disconnecting. Being sick, or having Grandpa Nelson sick, since early December has made us be more stay-at-homey than usual. So Auntie Bridgett and I have started making an effort, every weekend, to get out and fall in love with Portland’s small businesses again.

This past Sunday we walked south. On Hawthorne, we saw the new Mochinut shop, which sells ‘corn dogs’ made with rice flour and other delicious things.

Continuing south to Division, we stopped in at The Whole Bowl for lunch. It is in the small food truck court between 35th Place and 36th Avenue. You can find it by looking for this mural and walking down the short alley.

This is the look of a woman enjoying the beans, brown rice, avocados, cheese, sauce and cilantro of a delicious Whole Bowl. Yum!

Well fed and ready for a shopping adventure, we headed into Artifact. This curated, funky, affordable secondhand store is always fun.

Bridgett found a tiny metal table that is finding good use in her crowded studio.

Collage art supply was our next stop. I found magenta embroidery floss that will be nice in the crazy quilt. Bridgett noticed that they have changed their inventory a bit, having more kid’s art supplies, fewer art papers and pens. They have also moved their back wall forward, so the main space is smaller.


By now I was starting to flag, so we headed north, stopping to see what’s happening with the Farmhouse Food Carts on SE 35th Place. We were worried that this delightful pod would disband with the departure of Reverend Nat’s Cider, but Migration Brewing has taken a short term lease and is hoping to have a fine summer. Shera Indian Food, Let’s Roll Sushi and Gyro! are all making use of the space, and will have increasing hours as the weather warms up.

We made our last leg home, stopping by Asylum to pay our respects to this cool shop that is closing soon.

As we have learned, small businesses in big cities are always a gamble, and if you like a place, you have to buy their stuff. Your sale may be what boosts that day’s sales over a bar.

Get out there, folks! Show your city some love!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Sunny Walks

Dear Liza,

Well, the rain came and went and then we had a sunny weekend. So of course we headed out for walks!

And you can’t just WALK … you need to walk SOMEWHERE. Preferably, somewhere that has food . And drinks. And shade. Fortunately, Portland is all about that!

Very close to our house is The 28th Street Foodcarts, just across the street from SideStreet Arts and with all sorts of delicious food. Friday evening, we enjoyed dinner from St. Burrito and Crave Crepes and a delicious Loganberry cider from The Captured Beer Bus. It was so much fun to watch families out and about and eves-listen a bit, like live theater.

Saturday was also too good a day to waste, so we walked quite a bit further, down to SE Division Street to Reverend Nat’s Cidery, which is right next to the Farmhouse Food carts. They have yummy sushi for Auntie Bridgett and me, and fries for Grandpa Nelson.

And the cider! We each have our favorites, of course. Straight apple for Grandpa, a sweet fall-spicy mix for Bridgett, and a bright citrus-y one for me. And since it is Bridgett’s birthday week (well, almost), charming Delphina filled a growler of Bridgett’s favorite so we could enjoy it at home.

We walked home, full and happy, through the end-of-summer sunshine.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Walking Out for Dinner

Dear Liza,

One of the great joys of a Sunnyside Portland summer is walking out to find lovely places to eat. In any direction from our house, there are at least a dozen places within a mile.

You can walk west through Ladd’s Addition for Central American food at Teote House, north to Helen Bernhardt’s for bakery goods, or east to the Bipartisan Cafe for pie and sandwiches, just to name a few. There are also half a dozen food cart pods.

Last week, on a bright afternoon, we walked down to Division to try the newest, The Farmhouse Carts.

This arrangement of food trucks is in the former parking lot of Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider, a locally made yummy drink based on apples and other fruits. (There is some fermentation involved.)

But aside from being able to buy yummy cold drinks, there are trucks for Thai food, hamburgers and fries, Lebanese Saj, hand-held sushi rolls, and boba tea. There is also a large covered area with family sized tables, which will be much appreciated on our long, warm summer evenings.

We enjoyed the food and drinks, but mostly the theater of humanity that we have missed during the winter (and since the 2020 shutdown)…. Kids finding other kids to play with, moms chatting, dogs nosing around under tables.

It’s good to be out with our species!

Love,

Grandma Judy