This is the second weekend of consecutive excellent eating spanning from Friday lunch through Sunday lunch. Most days I eat just one midday meal. I ate at Wonderboy’s Smokestack, Matt’s BBQ Tacos, Yum’s of PDX and checked out the new Hollywood Q food hall that had a soft opening this weekend.

Pulled Pork Sandwich and potato salad from Wonderboy’s Smokestack. Wonderboy’s is a food cart on Alberta Street at the Alberta Carts that serves Iowa style BBQ. I can’t speak to the “Iowa-ness” of it, but I can speak to the fact that he makes excellent BBQ, serves large portions at reasonable prices and still flies a bit under the radar of the ever-expanding (and famous) Portland BBQ scene. The pulled pork is delicious and well smoked, piled high and served with honey mustard slaw and homemade pickled peppers along with a cheese skirt bun. This very may well be the best pulled pork sandwich in town, and at $12.75 it is an insane deal. It’s a very hefty sandwich. I’ve been here a ton of times and still every time I eat here I am surprised how much food he is serving, whether it be a BBQ plattter, the sandwiches or the sides. Also forgot how insanely tasty and flavorful his sauces are. Highly recommend Wonderboy’s for any and all of your BBQ needs. I’ve had pretty much everything on the menu.

Matt’s BBQ Tacos at The Last Rodeo. Matt’s BBQ Tacos has 3 locations around town. The newest is at The Last Rodeo bar in SE PDX on Milwaukie Ave. At this point Matt’s is an institution. Quality smoked meats, large house-made flour tortillas, good salsas, plus I love that the breakfast taco portion of the menu is served all day/evening. I went on Saturday, knowing that I was going to eat dinner that night at Yum’s, so kept it light with these two tacos. Chopped Brisket Breakfast Taco had chopped brisket, potato, cheddar and eggs, and I added jalapeños. Tequila Verde Chicken Taco had Astral Tequila-kissed chicken, onions and cilantro, and I added guacamole. I like that they are very customizable. You can add queso, jalapeños, or guacamole for $0.50 each which is a no-brainer. I always recommend Matt’s BBQ tacos (and of course the original Matt’s BBQ) to people in town or visiting.

Yum’s of PDX is a newer pizzeria in town that has been getting a lot of buzz in the last year. It’s no secret that Portland is the best Pizza city in America (not just me saying that! Look up the accolades, awards, and nationwide reviews) so to make a buzz here you have to be doing something right. They are specializing in “Neo-Neapolitan” style. The crust is delicious and had a nice char to it. The ratio of toppings-to-crust is pretty standard for Neapolitan style pizzas (though I always hope for more topping surface area). I didn’t take any pics of our date night dinner, so this photo is just the leftovers. The pies are 12″ so we got two along with the seasonal burrata. Ordered one Margherita and one “Smoked Wild Cherry” which had Smoked fresh mozzarella, Luxardo cherry ricotta, romano, dried cherries, shallots, EVOO, guanciale, crushed red pepper. Really delicious, elevated flavors. The guanciale was impeccable. The star of the night might have been the seasonal burrata dish though (not shown) which had Prosciutto di Parma, grapefruit, basil, arugula, pistachio crumble, basil balsamic reduction and served with crostini (you can see a photo on their IG). Really wonderful flavors that went well together. Yum’s is a cute spot. Nice date night type of spot. Very east coast feel to it. The staff were nice and attentive, and that pizza oven is a real showstopper!

The newest food hall in town is the Hollywood Q located on NE 40th & Sandy. Anchored by the new Spotlight Brewing Company, this longtime former brewpub (Laurelwood, Columbia, Pono) has been reinvented as a food hall anchored around a brand new brewery. The bar and seating around the bar is much the same, but they knocked down a few walls and have installed (or are in the process of installing) 10 food stalls. I think this is a great idea for the space. It was always a really large space that I think single brewpubs had problems filling. I liked Pono but I think they only lasted a year. The basement is a brewery where the new company will make their beer. They had a soft opening this weekend and I checked it out. It’s a really good concept, so I hope they make it. The Hollywood neighborhood can be a tough go for businesses, but I think with Movie Madness moving in soon down the street that people are hoping for a bit of neighborhood revival. And of course the best movie theater in town is just down the street and is of course is why the neighborhood is called that. Fun fact the very first Fred Meyers was right across the street from Hollywood Theater in the building which now hosts Planet Fitness (that building block has long struggled).

I ordered the Volcano from The Hot Box BBQ with a side of potato salad. Smoked pork, homemade jalapeno pepper jelly, crispy onion bits, fresh lettuce and sriracha aioli on a crunchy brioche bun. Tasty sandwich just not enough meat and not a large enough sandwich. They should take a page out of Wonderboy’s book! The potato salad is good, they put granny smith apples in it which is a nice touch. I tried a beer from the new Spotlight Brewing. It was a collab stout that they made with Gigantic? I can’t remember who the other brewery was. It was solid, good enough to make me want to come back and try some of their other beers. Check out the Hollywood Q food hall. It is officially open. Good spot to go to before or after a movie at Hollywood. Happy eating.