Food cart adventures: Dosirak

Before I prodded myself to branch out and try some new food carts, most of the time I would go to Dosirak...it was my standby, my local, because the owners know me well and I have a "usual" there. All I need to do is walk up to the cart, and the friendly female half of the couple says "the usual--half brown rice? Yep?" It's like having a Cheers in the middle of the food cart pod...reminscent of our beloved Shanghai Noble House, a family-run Chinese restaurant in Portland (with admittedly mediocre food, but speedy service) where they all knew our whole family, watched our kids grow up, and would always give us extras each time we went in. (Sadly, that restaurant closed last year.)

Chicken Chili-rejected Hog and Hen

Today I was going to continue my methodical efforts of trying each food cart in a row, but hit a wall with the first two. Hog and Hen, an Acadian kitchen, only offers two entrees a day, and today's choices were chicken chili and jalapeno macaroni and cheese. I like mac and cheese but opt for healthier options for lunch...and recently I've noticed that I get a stomachache whenever I eat beans...even white beans (which are my favorite, and were in the chili). In an effort to avoid stomach issues, I decided to skip that one today and return another time. (When I started these adventures, I told myself that I would skip a cart if I couldn't find anything appealing.) The reviews are great, so I will go back.

Boarded-up nameless BBQ cart

The next cart was boarded up--they must have been running behind because while I was waiting for my food they finally opened. It's some kind of smoker/barbecue joint, but I couldn't see the name clearly while it was boarded up. Stay tuned for more on that one.

So it was back to my beloved Dosirak--they are the next cart in the line. They have a simple menu--serving teriyaki charbroiled chicken on a bed of rice (they are one of the few carts to offer brown rice!), with "mandoo" (Korean term for dumplings, or as they say in Japan and our family, gyoza) and salad with a delicious miso dressing. Not only is the food delicious, but it's also enough for two days--for $7, that's a great deal! Some might find the teriyaki sauce to be a bit sweet, but I like it.

It really does help, too, that the couple who run Dosirak are incredibly sweet and friendly...not just to me! They take a month each year to go visit Korea, and I know I'm not the only patron who misses their food.

My Dosirak lunch

I always look forward to my Dosirak leftovers the next day! Yum!!

My verdict: Of course, I'll be back.