[April 16th, 2008]

Who needs tables and walls, anyway? Some of the most interesting eats in PDX these days are coming from outdoor food carts, from the original Pok Pok to waffle wonder Flavour Spot. Carts already provide great, cheap lunch chow for downtown workers, but in the past few years a new crop of mobile restaurateurs has popped up around town, using their carts’ inexpensive startup costs as a way to introduce ethnic dishes and original Portland eats to hungry locals. To celebrate the trend, WW is throwing a food bash this Saturday, April 19, called Eat Mobile. Taste-test vittles from 11 of the city’s most delish carts, from Asian Station’s Shanghai soup dumplings to spicy Filipino eats by Tita’s Pista, plus live bluegrass from Jackstraw, all for a paltry $5 ($1 beers from Bridgeport Brewing Company too!). It all goes down from 5:30 to 9:30 pm at On Air under the east end of the Fremont Bridge (see page 28 for a full list of participating carts). And it’s not totally gluttonous­—100 percent of Eat Mobile’s proceeds benefit Mercy Corps Northwest and Hacienda Community Development Corporation.

In the meantime, WW stopped by to chew the fat with Rudy Speerschneider, owner of North Albina Street’s funky “panwich”- and ice cream-obsessed Junior Ambassadors cart to find out what we really needed to know about PDX cart life. Scroll down to check out what he had to say.

WHO YOU CALLIN’ A ROACH COACH?

“In the Midwest, they call carts ‘Roach Coaches,’” Rudy Speerschneider says. “You’re lower on the food chain than fast food.” Not so in PDX. The farmers markets have helped turn some carts into storefronts (e.g., Pine State Biscuits). We’ve got a local cart blog (foodcartsportland.com). And last month, the City of Portland commissioned a study to examine the effects of carts on local communities and fostering small-biz ownership (the findings will be published next month).

YOU DON’T KNOW MY ADDRESS

According to Multnomah County Health Department records, PDX is home to around 170 full-service food carts. And they’re not just downtown. Speerschneider wanted to start Junior Ambassadors in his own neighborhood: “With a cart you have the whole community in view,” he says, as a cadre of black-clad punks sitting on the ratty front porch of a house catty-corner from his cart sing pirate songs with an accordion.

MMMMM, SPECIFICS

Many carts are built around one individual’s ideal of the perfect food, from french fries to hot wings. Speerschneider has been obsessed with the cold stuff ever since the former BridgePort Brewing Co. pizza cook found an old wooden ice-cream maker and churned up his own batch of vegan coconut-curry ice cream in 2004.

GO CART

A food cart is still a business. According to Multnomah County Environmental Health Supervisor Ken Yee, that means obtaining an annual Multnomah County Mobile Unit License ($250), figuring out zoning laws with the City of Portland, undergoing a kitchen inspection twice a year from a county health inspector—just like a restaurant—and making sure you’re getting your meat from approved sources (i.e., WinCo, not somebody’s back yard). A cart’s price tag can vary wildly. Speerschneider bought his kitchen fully loaded with a fridge/freezer, sinks and gas stove for $11,000—if you build your own you still have to pay the country $290 to inspect it. Then, there’s rent: many carts downtown pay around $350 to $500 a month to rent space from local parking lots.

^HEADOUT PICKS

WEDNESDAY APRIL 16

[MUSIC] DANIEL JOHNSTON, GREGORY MILES HARRIS

On first listen to Daniel Johnston’s high-pitched, lo-fi pop, you assume the stars of indie rock love Johnston as an ironic thing. On second listen, you realize the man is a genius. Berbati’s Pan, 231 SW Ankeny St., 248-4579. 8 pm. $17.50 advance, $20 day of show. 21+.

THURSDAY APRIL 17

[SCREEN] BAD BUGS BUNNY

Film archivist Dennis Nyback presents his reel of 10 Warner Brothers cartoons that have been censored for racism, sexism and violence. He exposed the wabbit! Flavia Hall Salon, Marylhurst University, 17600 Pacific Highway, Lake Oswego, 699-6313. 7 pm. Free.

[MUSIC] MARK KOZELEK, DAVID BAZAN

Former Red House Painters and Pedro the Lion frontmen bring their gorgeous, depressing acoustic tunes to PDX. Get ready for summer! Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie Ave., 233-1994. 8 pm. $15 advance, $18 day of show. All ages.

FRIDAY APRIL 18

[SCREEN] RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK: THE ADAPTATION

From 1983 to 1989, three teenage boys in Mississippi spent their summer vacations making a shot-for-shot remake of an Indiana Jones movie. Even if you factor in the scarcity of entertainment options available in Mississippi, this is a noteworthy achievement. See review in this week's issue. Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, 493-1128. 7 pm Friday, April 18; 3:30 and 7 pm Saturday, April 19. $8.

SATURDAY APRIL 19

[PARTY] EARTH DAY 2008

City Repair throws a massive Earth Day bash in NoPo featuring 150 sustainable shops, food, tunes, bike rides and good karma. Overlook Park, 3704 N Interstate Ave., cityrepair.org. 10 am-10 pm. Free.

[STAGE] VOX

Some of PDX’S fave actors read in chorus from the works of Ginsburg, Stafford, Eliot, Dickinson, Whitman and many more. Waterbrook Studio, 2127 N Albina Ave. #108, 901-5101. 8 pm Fridays-Saturdays. Closes April 26. $5-$10.

SUNDAY APRIL 20

[STAGE] THE GHOSTS OF TREASURE ISLAND

Oregon Children’s Theatre presents a world-premiere rock ’n’ roll adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic, with live music by Captain Bogg & Salty. Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay St., 228-9571. 2 pm Sundays, 2 and 7 pm Saturday, April 20, 26 and 27. $13-$24.