Here are the best things I ate in the last two weeks. Pictured above is a plate from Botto’s BBQ. Pork Belly Burnt Ends is their Saturday special, Spicy Mac & Coleslaw. Botto’s offers up some of the best BBQ in Portland. They have a really deep menu, all the meats and sides are stellar, and they run regular weekly specials. These pork belly burnt ends were so delicious, pure meat candy! The spicy mac is one of my favorite side dishes in town.

Recent special from Picone’s Quality Deli, one of my favorite sandwich carts in town. Prosciutto, fig spread, fresh mozz, roasted pepper, arugula, balsamic. Really delicious special. Prosciutto + fresh mozz are a heavenly combo. All the regular sandwiches on Vin’s menu are fantastic, but I really look forward to his specials. This was a delightful lunch.

Chicken Wings from OK Chicken & Khaosoi. The latest joint venture from Earl Nimsom and others housed in the former Pok Pok space, this restaurant is serving up delicious Northern Thai food. This was my third visit here, and I went specifically for the happy hour deal which runs from 5-6 on Sun-Thurs. $1 chicken wings and 1/2 off beer. It’s a really incredible deal. The wings were fantastic! You have two options: dry rub tumeric or coated in a “Golden Mountain” glaze. The dry rub ones are good, but the glazed ones are top tier. Whatever that sauce is is incredible! Also they serve with a nam jim dipping sauce which is fantastic. Highly recommend OK Chicken.

Chicken Caesar Grinder from Dimo’s Italian Specialties. Chicken cutlet, romaine, caesar, melted provolone, grana padano, croutons. Regular readers of this blog or my Instagram will of course know about Dimo’s but they are truly a gem in this city. They just celebrated one year of being open in their secondary neighboring space. This used to be a special but is now part of the regular menu. The regular menu now holds 10 grinders and 4 Biancas and they still run an occasional special too. This chicken Caesar is fantastic!

Plate from Briel’s BBQ. This is from yesterday. Fire roasted tomatillo chopped beef sandwich, watermelon salad and cheesy sausage. Briel’s has leveled up since the last time I had his food. He has been hustling too, doing lots of pop-ups though usually at times I can’t attend. This summer though he is posted up regularly on the weekends at 1114 SE Clay St, which is really just a random parking lot. This sandwich was super good, really delicious flavors. The watermelon salad was perfect, served with mint and goat cheese. Great flavor combinations! The sausage was good too, though ran a bit salty. Check out Briel’s BBQ this summer at his temporary stationary spot.

Gyro from Yanni’s, a food cart in the Lucky Lab parking lot (SE Madison & 9th). This is from Friday, which was their first day serving this. Gyro Pork from a spit, tzatziki, tomato, red onion, fries, with a dusting of paprika on a warm pita. Really tasty gyro and great value at $13! These brothers opened up this cart last year specializing in Loukuomades (Greek donuts). Apparently now they are pivoting to serving this gyro and some other items on Friday and Saturday from 12-8 and their donuts on Sundays. This was a very good gyro and worth going to get. I love Greek food and there aren’t a ton of options in Portland. I look forward to trying their spanakopita as well as those donuts.

Chicken Wrap from Royal Indian Cuisine, a new food cart at Fremont Garage, which is the new pod in town at Fremont & 44th. This dish came recommended from a fellow foodie, otherwise I probably would’ve skipped right past this place. With food carts I need a specific recommendation that the food will be worth my time and money. This was delicious and unlike anything I’ve had before. It’s basically their butter chicken preparation served up in a tortilla, like an Indian burrito! The rice and the chicken are deeply and expertly seasoned, they serve it with a side of dipping sauce. The wrap is HUGE! I would say it weighed about a pound. At $15, this is a great value of delicious food and big portions. Just on the strength of this alone I will be back to try their more typical Indian menu items.

The bowl with pollo pibil from Guero. This is THE bowl, capitalized. Forever my favorite bowl in town, as well as my favorite lunch if I was forced to choose such a thing. A perfect balance of fresh and delicious ingredients, and that chicken preparation which is so insanely flavorful! All their proteins are excellent, but the chicken stands out, some of the most flavorful chicken I’ve ever eaten. Guero is a day-one spot for me. I started going there the second they opened their airstream trailer and I’ve never looked back! Guero is always one of the first restaurants I recommend to people new to town or visiting. Nine years into their restaurant run, they are woven into the fabric of the city and for years now have been hosting pop-ups in their neighboring courtyard space in addition to running the regular restaurant daily from 11-10.