A group of the old O-Rama food blogging team reconvened this summer to explore Portland’s emerging food trucks scene. Founding members Edible Obsessions and The Blueberry Files joined by Map & Menu to trywhat these mobile kitchens are cooking up.
Edible Obsessions visited Small Axe Truck and Bite into Maine.
On first bite, it was easy to see why it was [owner] Sarah [Sutton]’s favorite, and their choice for entry into The Rumble. The coleslaw is lightly dressed, leaving a lot of crunch in the red and green cabbage. Add that to a perfect crisp on the bun and you have the perfect balance to the buttery lobster. The roll itself weighed a pound–if not a bit more–and was near impossible to eat with simple bites without plucking out some of the lobster with the fork they provided (this is by no means a criticism of the roll).
Map & Menu visited El Corazon, Bite into Maine, Mainely Burgers, Small Axe and Love Cupcakes.
In the past couple of weeks, Meredith and I have been undertaking the extremely enjoyable challenge of trying as many of Portland’s food trucks as possible. While we missed a few (that we’ll be sure to add as time goes on), the ones we visited spelled out a bright future for the Portland food truck scene. The general gist from all of them was that a tasty breakfast, lunch, late night, or dessert doesn’t necessarily need to come from a brick and mortar establishment – if you concentrate on doing a few things very well, your next great Portland meal might come from the curb.
The Blueberry Files visited Bite into Maine and El Corazon.
Topped off with a pineapple aqua fresca, we had a filling, inexpensive lunch that was a great sampling of Mexican food. I recommend you seek out El Corazon. They post their schedule on their website, and also use Instagram, Twitter, and facebook to announce their daily location.
I haven’t made it through the full line-up yet myself. Among the ones I’ve tried so far my favorites are Bite into Maine (where I go for the Picnic-style lobster roll), Mainely Burgers (classic burger and an order of fries), Small Axe (General Tso’s pork belly sandwich) and El Corazon (Baja fish burrito). I encourage you to read what the bloggers have to say, check-out the food truck directory below, and then go out there and give them all a try.
Food truck Directory
Bite into Maine – lobster rolls in Fort Williams Park
website | facebook | twitter
El Corazon – Mexican food
website | facebook | twitter
Love Cupcakes – cupcakes in Falmouth and Portland with their new truck
website | facebook | twitter
Mainely Burgers – burgers and fries on Congress Street
facebook | twitter
Portside Picnic – can regularly be found in the Back Cove parking lot
facebook | twitter | website
Small Axe Truck – breakfast on Anderson St, lunch on Congress Street
website | facebook | twitter
The Squeeze – located in the Home Depot parking lot on Riverside
facebook
Wicked Good Street Kitchen – two trucks, one on Peaks Island near the ferry and one in a variety of locations in Portland
website | facebook | twitter
There are also a number of trucks currently under construction:
Ana’s Mobile Gourmet was mentioned in a food truck article that appeared in the Portland Phoenix.
Mainely Burgers is working on a dessert truck called Mainely Treats that’s expect to launch in early July.
Maine Fodder is working on a truck that will both operate as a traditional food truck and be a mobile farm stand.
Urban Sugar Mobile Cafe will be serving made-to-order gourmet mini-donuts they hope to open mid-July.
