Some PDX goodness.

We decided to pop down to Portland for some power eating in celebration of my birthday last week. I've been wanting to check out some of the food carts for awhile now and we managed to cross four off the list in less than 24 hours. Not bad! We also visited a few choice selections. Here are some of the highlights:

Burgerville
It's a tradition that we hit the Burgerville in Centralia on our way to PDX. Yeah, it's a fast food burger joint, but their ingredients are of fine quality and the milkshakes ever so tasty. I order their hot dog the old way—with Burgerville's special sauce, ketchup, onions and cheddar cheese. Mmm, mmm!



Pix Patisserie
Holy cow, what a find! Pix Patisserie has a wide selection of pastries, but we stopped in for the macarons. Our server told us that their macarons have been called superior to Thomas Keller's. Well, we've had both now and I think Pix might be a clear winner in such a throwdown. The filling was fresh and creamy, the flavor selection interesting and unique (maple and bacon! salt, pepper + olive oil!). We even picked up a glittery Tiffany blue macaron. If only Pix stocked every flavor on a daily basis...



Andina
We have craved Peruvian cuisine since visiting San Francisco's Mochica a couple of years ago. After seeing how highly regarded Andina is, we decided it was worth a shot. We dropped in at happy hour mid-week and were able to get a table with no problem. Shawn ordered a thick passion fruit cocktail called the Sacsayhuamán, which he cooed over for the duration of our meal. The stuffed yuca was creamy and spicy while the chicarron was not altogether exciting. The highlight of our meal was an avocado stuffed with crab and prawns, a fresh combination that hasn't since escaped my mind.



Flavour Spot
For breakfast the following morning, we decided to check out a food cart selling Portland's original waffle sandwich, Flavour Spot. I ordered a ham, gouda and maple that came sandwiched in a 7" waffle. Shawn opted for a sausage version. Divine! Seriously, whomever thought of this is god-like in my book. I'd happily eat a waffle sandwich for breakfast, lunch or as a midnight snack. Can't wait to visit PDX again.