Here is a roundup of the best things I ate this month. Starting with the featured image above. Wok-fried egg noodles with crispy pork belly, Thai basil, garlic, and chili from Ba Mee Thai Noodle House. Ba Mee is a very underrated Thai restaurant in my neighborhood that specializes in hand-pulled noodles, soups, crispy pork belly and duck. This dish is new to their menu. I really love everything on their menu, and the crispy pork belly is reliably fantastic.

Peppered Crispy Chicken Sando, Curly Fries and Mac Salad from Kau Kau. This was the special they were running last week. Seasoned & breaded chicken patty fried golden & crispy, shredded lettuce, onion & mustard aioli, all tucked into a pandesal. This was really delicious! Not a traditional fried chicken, closer to a shrimp patty preparation, but with chicken. The fry was perfect, the aioli was tasty and the bun was unique. Kau Kau is my favorite Hawaiian restaurant in town, serving unique and elevated takes on classic dishes.

Brisket and Mexican Street Corn from Briel’s BBQ. Briel’s is a pop-up only BBQ joint. He had a summer residency down in SE for a while, now he is back to only pop ups. This was from a few weeks ago when he did a pop up at Foreland, one of my favorite breweries in town located in the old Upright location. Every time I get food from Briel it gets better. I feel like he is where HarBQ was a year or two ago. This brisket was on point. The street corn was delicious.

KBBQ Pork Shoulder Sandwich and Curry Potato Salad from Flavorsmyth BBQ. Flavorsmyth is another pop-up BBQ joint that regularly operates out of Recluse Brew Works in Vancouver. They did a pop up at Tiny Giants, another new favorite brewery of mine. This food from Flavorsmyth really blew me away! The pulled pork sandwich had an Asian twist to it with the marinade and slaw. One of the best pulled pork sandwiches I’ve had. Also a ton of meat on it, they aren’t skimpin’! The curry potato salad was super unique and I loved it as well. Definitely will be checking them out again and heading up to Vancouver.

Korean Fried Chicken Plate from Lulu. Lulu is a favorite cart of mine based in Troutdale, OR but for the last week they posted up at Lazy Days Brewing doing a week long kitchen take-over. Lazy Days seems to be struggling in the kitchen department but luckily for me one of my favorite carts moved 15 miles west to the brewery closest to my house. This month has really been all about BBQ and food pop ups at breweries! Lulu makes Hawaiian inspired street food at the highest level. The quality of the meats are fantastic, the sides are delicious, all the dishes are really thoughtful, the flavors incredible, and the portions large. This was a ton of food! I love KFC (Korean fried chicken), it’s one of my favorite Hawaiian/Korean dishes. Served with mac salad, rice and this cilantro citrus salad that is out of this world! I had it for the first time this summer and I’ve been craving it ever since. One of the best salads around right now. Highly recommend Lulu food cart out in Troutdale. Worth the short drive.

Risotto and focaccia from Sorbu. I featured this dish a few posts ago talking about places that have reopened. I’m so glad Sorbu reopened following a very long hiatus. They are a food cart in NE Pdx serving unbelievable Tuscan food. The menu changes weekly and is hyperlocal, featuring whatever food they found out in the forest. This risotto had local Chanterelles, hazelnuts, Tuscan kale, parmigiano and chanterelle oil. It was delicious and the perfect fall dish. Nothing screams Oregon more than chanterelles and hazelnuts!

Last but certainly not least is the Chile Relleno Burrito from El Viejon. El Viejon has three locations, two in Vancouver and one inside Brujos Brewing. This burrito really blew me away and is the best chile relleno burrito I’ve ever had. The chile was full of flavor with a touch of heat, the breading on the chile was perfect, the carne asada was insanely rich and flavorful and tasted just like Tacos Fita’s version. The rice, beans, tortilla, guacamole, and pico were all super delicious and on point. Every component was perfect, and the burrito as a whole was so delicious. I count my blessings that I live in one of the best food cities in the world. Happy eating!